DOS-Emulator vs Magic DosBox
DOS-Emulator
github.comMagic DosBox
magicbox.imejl.skSide by side
| Figure | DOS-Emulator | Magic DosBox |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · MS-DOS Emulators | 7.7 (#14) | 8.3 (#5) |
| Controls | The command line interface supports quitting, pausing into the debugger, and opening a keyboard mapping tool. | It supports on-screen widgets, physical mouse, Samsung stylus, external gamepads, keyboard, and sound. |
| Maker | Cargo.toml names Alexander Meißner as the package author. | The app listing identifies the developer as Bruenor s. r. o. and gives an address in Sereď, Slovakia. |
| Purpose | DOS-Emulator is an IBM PC emulator running DOS, written in Rust. | Magic DosBox is an optimized DOSBox port for Android that runs DOS games and applications and is designed for touch devices. |
Plans
In their own words
DOS-Emulator
DOS-Emulator is a free IBM PC emulator that runs DOS and is written in Rust. Source code is available under the MIT License, and users can build it with Cargo or download a prebuilt binary from GitHub releases. The README identifies macOS and Ubuntu Linux as supported hosts; Windows lacks the ANSI escape sequences required by its CLI dependency. The project is inspired by DOSBox but is not a direct port, and many features are implemented differently or absent. Only Game of ROBOT episodes 0, 1, 3, and 4 are known to be playable. Its command-line interface can quit, pause into a debugger, or open a keyboard-mapping tool. The debugger profiles instructions, inspects register-selected data, scrolls its overview, and supports continue, step-over, and single-step actions. The architecture separates video and input on a GUI thread from audio synthesis for Sound Blaster and beeper signals. The latest listed release is v0.1.0.
Magic DosBox
Magic DosBox emulates MS-DOS so users can play their own classic DOS games on Android phones and tablets; games are not included. Its on-screen widgets can send keys, emulate a mouse, pause a game, and perform other actions. Users can customize widget appearance, size, and position, then export or share game profiles and layouts. It also supports physical mice, Samsung styluses, external gamepads, keyboards, sound, IPX networking, and serial modem connections. Games can be configured through a simplified interface or Expert settings based on a modified DOSBox configuration. The app lists ISO, GOG, INST, and CUE files, and supports save states. Magic DosBox Lite is free, with three widgets and a limited number of games in the collection. The $3.99, paid once plan includes all widgets and removes the collection limit. The maker says Google Play's required storage access can be slower than direct access, while Android 11-based changes block mounting the storage root and Downloads folder.