KRetro vs Lakka
KRetro
apps.kde.orgLakka
lakka.tvSide by side
| Figure | KRetro | Lakka |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Emulation Frontends | 6.8 (#23) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Installation | The page lists Linux and says installation works with Discover and other AppStream stores or a distribution package manager. | Lakka provides USB images and says the image is specific to the target hardware. |
| Privacy | KDE's software privacy policy says its software generally does not transfer information from users' devices except as a result of explicit user action. | The Lakka website says it uses no cookies, does not track browsing and does not provide navigation information to third-party analytics. |
| Purpose | KRetro is a Libretro frontend for playing retro console games with a ROM and Libretro core. | Lakka is a lightweight Linux distribution that transforms a small computer into a retrogaming console. |
| Support | The page links to a KDE forum for help and KDE's bug tracker to report bugs. | Users can get help through the documentation, FAQ, forums, IRC, Discord, and the GitHub bug tracker. |
Plans
In their own words
Lakka
Lakka is a lightweight Linux distribution that turns a small computer into a retrogaming console. It is built on LibreELEC and RetroArch, with RetroArch serving as its graphical interface and providing unified emulator configuration and joypad autoconfiguration. Listed features include automatic controller recognition, rewinding, netplay, and shaders. Official builds target Raspberry Pi, Allwinner, iMX6, Amlogic, and 32-bit and 64-bit PC systems. Installation uses USB images specific to the target hardware, and installation instructions cover GNU/Linux, Windows, and MacOS. The PC version is intended for dedicated hardware and does not support virtualization, dual boot, or CD and DVD installation. Users must supply their own ROMs; documentation also covers BIOS files. Netplay requires both players to use the same ROM, and cores without savestate support cannot use it. Lakka is community-driven and open source, and the listed price is free; required hardware is not included. The project says it remains under heavy development, so bugs, missing features, or unsupported hardware may occur.