Bourbon vs GE-Proton
Bourbon
getbourbon.appGE-Proton
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Bourbon | GE-Proton |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Windows Compatibility Layers | 7.7 (#5) | 7.7 (#7) |
| Purpose | Bourbon is a native macOS app for creating isolated environments, installing Windows software, and launching it through its managed runtime. | GE-Proton is a custom build of Proton, a compatibility tool for Steam Play based on Wine and additional components. |
| Support | Users can consult documentation, submit an in-app report, or seek community help in the Bourbon Discord. | The maintainer directs GE-Proton-specific bug reports to this repository's issue tracker or the project's Discord and says unofficial builds are not supported. |
Plans
In their own words
Bourbon
Bourbon is a native macOS app for creating isolated environments, installing Windows software, and launching it through a managed runtime. Each Bottle keeps its own Windows files, settings, installed applications, and configuration, so separate programs can use separate environments. The setup flow guides users through creating a Bottle and selecting an installer without requiring a separate Wine installation. Supported picker formats include.exe,.msi,.bat,.zip,.rar,.7z, and.iso, although archive results depend on the software inside. Bourbon manages BourbonWine and downloads the supported runtime when needed. Compatibility varies: some Windows applications or games need additional setup or another Bottle configuration, and some may not run. The FAQ supports Apple Silicon Macs with an M-series chip running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Bourbon 3.0 is a limited early-access release, and setup must be completed in the app to reserve a download spot. Documentation, in-app reports, and Discord community help are available. The Free plan costs nothing.
GE-Proton
GE-Proton is a free, open-source custom build of Proton, a Steam Play compatibility tool based on Wine and additional components. Its base follows the most recent bleeding-edge Proton Experimental Wine described by the project. The protonfixes system applies per-game adjustments such as winetricks changes, environment variables, Easy Anti-Cheat workarounds and overrides. The build adds Media Foundation patches for video playback, raw-input mouse support, AMD FSR patches enabled with WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1, and NVIDIA CUDA support for PhysX and NVAPI. NTSync is enabled when supported; the README specifies kernel 6.14 or newer with CONFIG_NTSYNC enabled. Installation instructions cover native Steam and Steam Flatpak, with release downloads provided. Heroic enables umu by default, and Lutris uses umu when GE-Proton Latest is selected. Non-Steam games outside Steam are supported only through umu-launcher. Linux installation requires suitable Vulkan drivers and packages.