higan vs Manic EMU
higan
github.comManic EMU
github.comSide by side
| Figure | higan | Manic EMU |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $0.42/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 9 |
| Spec score · TurboGrafx-16 Emulators | 7.9 (#13) | 8.9 (#2) |
| Spec score · SNES Emulators | 7.8 (#12) | 8.9 (#2) |
| Spec score · Multi-System Emulators | 7.7 (#33) | 8.8 (#6) |
| Spec score · Game Gear Emulators | 7.7 (#19) | 8.8 (#4) |
| Spec score · Sega CD Emulators | 7.8 (#12) | 8.8 (#4) |
| License | The program is free software under the GNU General Public License version 3 or any later version. | The upstream Manic EMU source is licensed under GNU AGPL-3.0, with separate notices for bundled cores and dependencies. |
| Supported systems | It emulates systems including Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Mega Drive, PC Engine, MSX, ColecoVision, Neo Geo Pocket and WonderSwan. | The project lists Nintendo, PlayStation, Sega, Atari, arcade, MS-DOS, J2ME, Commodore, Neo Geo Pocket, PC Engine, Nokia Symbian and related 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
higan
higan is a free, standalone multi-system emulator for Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux and FreeBSD. It focuses on accuracy, preservation and configurability, and emulates systems including Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Mega Drive, PC Engine, MSX, ColecoVision, Neo Geo Pocket and WonderSwan. Official releases are available through the project’s GitHub releases page. Automated nightly builds are also listed for Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux and FreeBSD, but those builds are untested. The distribution includes icarus, a game library importer, along with the libco, nall, ruby and hiro components. The project was originally developed by Near. higan is free software under the GNU General Public License version 3 or a later version. The license states that the software comes without warranty. For community support, the project links to a discussion forum and a Discord chat. Its standalone format is listed as an emulation format, and the supported desktop systems include more than the general Linux, macOS and Windows platform listing.
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.