GameIndex vs RomM
GameIndex
github.com
RomM
romm.appSide by side
| Figure | GameIndex | RomM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $6.49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Game Library Managers | 7.6 (#16) | 8.7 (#6) |
| Spec score · Game launchers | 7.6 (#32) | 9.4 (#2) |
| Integrations | Listed integrations include Steam Workshop, Nexus Mods, Discord Rich Presence, RetroAchievements, and data sources such as IGDB and HowLongToBeat. | The project lists ES-DE and Pegasus exports, LaunchBox import, community apps, and a REST API. |
| Intended users | The maker describes the project as a personal learning exercise and a love-letter to PC gaming. | The project describes RomM as an app for people who play games on emulators. |
| Purpose | GameIndex is a cross-store game launcher and library manager that brings game libraries into one native app. | RomM is a self-hosted app for scanning, enriching, browsing, and playing a ROM collection. |
Plans
In their own words
GameIndex
GameIndex is a free native launcher and library manager that combines PC game collections from multiple stores. It can sync Steam, GOG, Epic, Rockstar, Ubisoft, and Humble libraries, while also accepting manual imports. Discovery tools include an IGDB-powered storefront, deals, a wishlist, activity tracking, and achievement tracking across platforms. The interface offers six UI styles, theme customization, and a Layout Studio for rearranging elements. GameIndex runs on Windows and Linux, including Steam Deck, with configurable Wine and Proton runners and per-game compatibility settings. Linux packaging includes AppImage and .deb. Integrations listed by the project include Steam Workshop, Nexus Mods, Discord Rich Presence, RetroAchievements, IGDB, and HowLongToBeat. Its social layer is local-first, with a Privacy & Data tab for viewing and wiping local storage, and secrets use the operating system keychain. The project is free to use, modify, and distribute under the MIT License.
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.