jgenesis vs Provenance
jgenesis
github.com
Provenance
provenance-emu.comSide by side
| Figure | jgenesis | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $3.33/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 4 |
| Spec score · TurboGrafx-16 Emulators | 7.5 (#18) | 8.5 (#5) |
| Spec score · SNES Emulators | 7.4 (#18) | 8.6 (#3) |
| Spec score · Game Gear Emulators | 7.3 (#23) | 8.4 (#7) |
| Spec score · Multi-System Emulators | 7.3 (#43) | 8.5 (#8) |
| Spec score · Sega CD Emulators | 7.4 (#16) | 8.4 (#7) |
| Controllers | It supports keyboard and DirectInput gamepad controls, including 3-button and 6-button Genesis controllers. | Apple TV support includes MFi, Xbox, and PlayStation gamepads. |
| Emulation features | It supports save states, fast forward, rewind, select expansion chips and coprocessors, and optional CPU overclocking on some systems. | The maker lists save states, cheats, fast forward, shaders, visual filters, controller support, RetroAchievements, and multiplayer as free emulation features. |
| Notable limit | PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 CD-ROM support is not yet available. | The maker says some supported systems have limitations on certain devices due to performance requirements. |
| Purpose | jgenesis is a cross-platform emulator for 8-bit and 16-bit gaming consoles. | Provenance is a free, open-source multi-system retro game emulator frontend for Apple platforms. |
Plans
Provenance
- FreeFree
- Monthly$3.99 a month
- Annual$39.99 a year
- Lifetime$99.99, paid once
In their own words
jgenesis
jgenesis is a free, cross-platform emulator for 8-bit and 16-bit consoles. It supports Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD, Sega 32X, SG-1000, Master System, Game Gear, NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. Save states, fast forward, rewind, and optional CPU overclocking are available on some systems. Expansion support includes Master System FM sound, the Genesis SVP chip, common NES mappers, and most SNES coprocessors. Its GPU renderer offers integer prescaling, optional linear interpolation, configurable pixel aspect ratios, blur, and anti-dither shaders. Keyboard and DirectInput gamepads are supported, including three-button and six-button Genesis controllers. Published builds require a 64-bit x86 CPU with SSE4.2 and a GPU supporting Vulkan, or DirectX 12 on Windows 10 and later. The project estimates about 300 MB of RAM for default settings. Releases come through GitHub, while commit builds remain available for 90 days and may be buggy.
Provenance
Provenance is a free, open-source retro game emulator frontend for Apple platforms, available for iOS and macOS. It supports more than 38 console systems, including systems from Atari, Nintendo, Sega, and Sony. Its library can display automatically downloaded box art, screenshots, release details, ratings, and scanned manuals. Listed emulation features include save states, cheats, fast forward, shaders, visual filters, controller support, RetroAchievements, and multiplayer. Apple integration includes native tvOS, Apple TV TopShelf, Siri Remote, Spotlight search, Siri shortcuts, and iCloud sync; Apple TV supports MFi, Xbox, and PlayStation gamepads. Nearly all CD-based cores support CHD disc images, and the native Mednafen core has a custom CHD implementation. The source is published on GitHub under the BSD license. Installation options include the App Store, sideloading with AltStore or SideStore, and building from source. The free plan includes emulation features when sideloaded or built from source. Plus adds iCloud sync and priority support.