Essgee vs Manic EMU
Essgee
github.comManic EMU
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Essgee | Manic EMU |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $0.42/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 9 |
| Spec score · Game Gear Emulators | 7.1 (#25) | 8.8 (#4) |
| License | Essgee is released under the MIT License, which permits use, copying, modification and distribution free of charge subject to its conditions. | The upstream Manic EMU source is licensed under GNU AGPL-3.0, with separate notices for bundled cores and dependencies. |
| Purpose | Essgee is an emulator for several 8-bit consoles and handhelds, mostly made by Sega. | Manic EMU is an all-in-one retro game emulator for iPhone and iPad. |
| Save states | The emulator provides eight save-state slots. | Premium supports unlimited manual saves plus 50 automatic slots, while the free tier provides three save states. |
| Supported systems | It supports the SG-1000, partially supports the SC-3000 and ColecoVision, and supports the Mark III/Master System, Game Gear, Game Boy and partially the Game Boy Color. | The project lists Nintendo, PlayStation, Sega, Atari, arcade, MS-DOS, J2ME, Commodore, Neo Geo Pocket, PC Engine, Nokia Symbian and related systems. |
| Systems | It supports the Sega SG-1000, partially supports the SC-3000 and ColecoVision, and supports the Mark III/Master System, Game Gear, Game Boy and Game Boy Color. | It supports more than 30 classic platforms spanning consoles, arcade, DOS, Symbian, and J2ME systems. |
Plans
Manic EMU
- FreeFree
- SideloadFree
- Sideload / GitHubFree
- Premium Monthly$0.99 a month
- Premium Monthly Plan$0.99 a month
- Premium Annual Plan$4.99 a year
- Premium Annual$5.99 a year
- Premium Forever Access$9.99, paid once
- Forever Access$11.99, paid once
In their own words
Manic EMU
Manic EMU is a free retro game emulator for iPhone and iPad, supporting more than 30 classic platforms across consoles, arcade, DOS, Symbian, and J2ME. It includes save states, auto-saves, fast-forward, cheats, shortcuts, filters, screenshots, and custom skins. Cloud import works with Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Baidu, Aliyun, WebDAV, and SMB. The project says iCloud sync keeps games, saves, and settings encrypted in the cloud across devices. Manic EMU integrates RetroAchievements and supports local multiplayer and Netplay on eligible Libretro cores. The free App Store build limits fast-forward to 2×, save states and cheat codes to three each, and controllers to one player. Premium plans cost $0.99 a month, $4.99 a year, or 9.99 USD once for lifetime access, and include higher fast-forward speeds, more save states and cheat slots, and extra controller players. A free sideload build includes premium play features but does not provide iCloud save sync. The app does not include ROMs, BIOS files, or game data.