Dolphin vs Provenance
Dolphin
dolphin-emu.org
Provenance
provenance-emu.comSide by side
| Figure | Dolphin | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $3.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · Multi-System Emulators | 8.1 (#19) | 8.5 (#8) |
| Founded | 2003 | 2016 |
| Open source | Dolphin is licensed under GPLv2+; distributing it requires releasing the source code and giving attribution. | The project publishes its source code on GitHub and identifies its license as BSD. |
| Privacy | The project provides a privacy policy on its official site. | The maker says the apps collect no personal or identifying information, while anonymous device model and iOS-version analytics may be recorded. |
| Purpose | Dolphin emulates Nintendo GameCube and Wii consoles so users can play games for those systems on a PC. | Provenance is a free, open-source multi-system retro game emulator frontend for Apple platforms. |
| Supported systems | The FAQ lists Windows 10 or newer, macOS 11 Big Sur or newer, Linux, and Android 7.0 or newer, and requires 64-bit operating systems. | The project advertises support for more than 50 systems, including NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, 3DS, PlayStation, PSP, Saturn and Dreamcast. |
Plans
Provenance
- FreeFree
- Monthly$3.99 a month
- Annual$39.99 a year
- Lifetime$99.99, paid once
In their own words
Dolphin
Dolphin is free, open-source software that emulates Nintendo GameCube and Wii consoles so users can play games for those systems on a PC. It also runs on Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows, and requires a 64-bit operating system. Listed enhancements include full HD (1080p), PC controller compatibility, turbo speed, and networked multiplayer. The FAQ describes compatibility as high across most GameCube and Wii titles, while warning that some games can have defects, errors, or crashes. Dolphin uses the GPLv2+ license; distributing it requires releasing source code and providing attribution. Downloads include Windows x64 and ARM64, macOS for ARM and Intel, Android, and Linux Flatpak packages. Stable releases are made every few months, while development versions appear several times a day and are less tested. The FAQ recommends at least 2 GB of RAM and notes the importance of GPU support for DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4.4. Community resources include Discord, forums, a wiki, and GitHub; bug reports go to the issue tracker. Dolphin states that it is not affiliated with Nintendo.
Provenance
Provenance is a free, open-source retro game emulator frontend for Apple platforms, available for iOS and macOS. It supports more than 38 console systems, including systems from Atari, Nintendo, Sega, and Sony. Its library can display automatically downloaded box art, screenshots, release details, ratings, and scanned manuals. Listed emulation features include save states, cheats, fast forward, shaders, visual filters, controller support, RetroAchievements, and multiplayer. Apple integration includes native tvOS, Apple TV TopShelf, Siri Remote, Spotlight search, Siri shortcuts, and iCloud sync; Apple TV supports MFi, Xbox, and PlayStation gamepads. Nearly all CD-based cores support CHD disc images, and the native Mednafen core has a custom CHD implementation. The source is published on GitHub under the BSD license. Installation options include the App Store, sideloading with AltStore or SideStore, and building from source. The free plan includes emulation features when sideloaded or built from source. Plus adds iCloud sync and priority support.