Eclipse vs RetroArch
Eclipse
eclipseemu.meRetroArch
retroarch.comSide by side
| Figure | Eclipse | RetroArch |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Boy Advance Emulators | 8.1 (#6) | 8.3 (#4) |
| Spec score · Multi-System Emulators | 8.0 (#20) | 8.3 (#14) |
| Spec score · Game Gear Emulators | 8.0 (#12) | 8.3 (#10) |
| Multiplayer | Eclipse currently has no multiplayer features, including Pokémon trading. | Its built-in netplay lobby lets users host or join network gaming sessions and watch through spectator mode. |
| Privacy | The developer says it does not track users itself; Cloudflare collects basic anonymous browser or operating system data for analytics. | The privacy policy says third-party vendors including Google use advertising cookies on some of the project’s websites. |
| Purpose | Eclipse is a web based emulator for playing classic games. | RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players that runs classic games through a graphical interface with unified settings. |
| Support | The FAQ directs users to the Eclipse Discord server for issue reports because the in app Report Issue button was temporarily removed. | The FAQ directs users to the forums, Discord and documentation for help. |
Plans
In their own words
Eclipse
Eclipse is a web-based emulator for playing games from classic systems: Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, NES, SNES, Sega Master System, and Sega Game Gear. It is available on Android, iOS, and web, with a free plan. Games can be added from Google Drive, Dropbox, or the Homebrew selection, or loaded from local files. The interface supports touch, keyboard, and controllers, with editable default bindings; controller compatibility depends on the JavaScript Gamepad API and the operating system. Once the site is cached, uploaded local games can be played offline, although some features, including the Library, are disabled. Save behavior differs by system: NES games do not save, SNES and GB/GBC games should save, and GBA games have some incompatibilities. The GBA core lacks Real Time Clock support, and most GBA games with auto-save functionality are unsupported. Eclipse has no multiplayer features, including Pokémon trading. User data is stored locally on the device.
RetroArch
RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines, and media players, bringing them under a unified settings system. The RetroArch/Libretro project includes more than 200 cores across those categories. Its menu can group scanned games by system and display thumbnails and animated backgrounds. Common game controllers configure automatically when plugged in, and button actions can also be assigned manually.
Stackable shaders can change rendered graphics or imitate the look of CRT monitors. Built-in netplay supports hosting or joining network gaming sessions, including spectator mode. RetroArch can record gameplay to video files and stream games to Twitch or YouTube. Versions are listed for Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, macOS, and web browsers. RetroArch is free and open source under GPL version 3; the libretro API uses an MIT license. Features differ by platform and store version: the browser edition has lower performance and fewer capabilities than the full version, while Steam lacks Core Updater and thumbnail scraping and offers a selected core set.