GameEx vs RomM
GameEx
gameex.com
RomM
romm.appSide by side
| Figure | GameEx | RomM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $6.49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 3 |
| Spec score · Game launchers | 9.3 (#4) | 9.4 (#2) |
| Spec score · Game Library Managers | 9.1 (#3) | 8.7 (#6) |
| Documentation depth | The official setup guide covers 39 configuration sections, including emulator setup, MAME, plugins, media, controls and performance. | Documentation covers Docker setup, databases, reverse proxies, Unraid, Synology, TrueNAS, Kubernetes, backups, administration, troubleshooting and development. |
| Integrations | The feature list names Steam, EA Origin, Uplay, iTunes, Windows Media Player, GameBase, GameEx Arcade and TMDb API use. | The project lists ES-DE and Pegasus exports, LaunchBox import, community apps, and a REST API. |
| Purpose | GameEx is an arcade and emulator front end for MAME, GameBase, Daphne, PC games and command-line emulators, and also offers HTPC features. | RomM is a self-hosted app for scanning, enriching, browsing, and playing a ROM collection. |
| Support | The maker says commercial support and customizations are available and in many cases provided free of charge. | Troubleshooting directs users to GitHub issues and a Discord help channel staffed by maintainers and community members. |
| System requirements | The support page lists a 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, Windows XP SP3 or newer, DirectX or Direct3D graphics, DirectSound audio and about 10GB free disk space. | The quick-start installation requires Docker, Docker Compose, organized ROM folders and credentials for at least one metadata provider. |
| What it does | GameEx is a Windows front end for MAME, GameBase, Daphne, PC games, command-line emulators and home-theater media. | RomM is a self-hosted web application for scanning, enriching, organizing, downloading and playing personal ROM collections. |
Plans
In their own words
GameEx
GameEx is an arcade and emulator front end for MAME, GameBase, Daphne, PC games and command-line emulators, with HTPC features. The site lists original GameEx, GameEx Arcade Edition and GameEx Evolution. Its feature list describes support for nearly any emulator, with advanced MAME support, and compatibility with arcade controls such as X-Arcade, Slik-Stik, JPAC and IPAC, as well as remotes and gamepads. Media features include video and DVD playback, picture viewing, internet radio, a jukebox, a news reader and a YouTube module. Named integrations include Steam, EA Origin, Uplay, iTunes, Windows Media Player, GameBase, GameEx Arcade and the TMDb API. GameEx Online and GameExtender add networked display, remote control and online game statistics. Its listed free plan costs nothing, but commercial use requires each copy to be registered or purchased. The listing includes Android, Linux, macOS and Windows; the maker describes Linux or Mac use through WINE as experimental, while the multiplatform alpha builds may lack features.
RomM
RomM is a free, self-hosted app for scanning, enriching, browsing, and playing a ROM collection. The project says it supports more than 400 platforms, including multi-disk games, DLCs, mods, hacks, and manuals. Compatible games can run in a browser through EmulatorJS and Ruffle without setup, while saves and states sync across devices with conflict resolution. Metadata providers include IGDB, ScreenScraper, LaunchBox, and MobyGames; RomM can also fetch artwork from SteamGridDB and track RetroAchievements. A built-in patcher applies ROM hacks and translations. The project lists granular per-user permissions, OIDC single sign-on, a REST API, and exports for ES-DE and Pegasus. Official clients include a Windows Playnite plugin, the Android Argosy handheld launcher, and the Linux Grout handheld client. A native iOS app is a community project, and the team says it does not regularly review community project source code. RomM is AGPL-3.0 licensed, with no tracking or paid features. Setup help and community discussion are available through Discord.