LibNXbox vs Parsec
LibNXbox
github.com
Parsec
parsec.appSide by side
| Figure | LibNXbox | Parsec |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $8.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 6 |
| Spec score · Game Remote Play Software | 8.4 (#6) | 9.0 (#1) |
| Authentication | Authentication goes through Microsoft's official servers, and the app stores a token on the SD card at /switch/libnxbox/token.dat. | Accounts support multi-factor authentication, and Teams can enforce SAML 2.0 single sign-on. |
| Controls | Switch face buttons map to Xbox buttons by physical position, while the digital ZL and ZR triggers map to fully pressed or released. | Parsec supports keyboard mapping, gamepads, and advanced settings. |
| Purpose | LibNXbox is an Xbox Cloud Streaming client for Nintendo Switch that streams from an Xbox console or xCloud. | Parsec connects people to work, games, and friends from anywhere on any device through remote access technology. |
| Support | The README recommends checking the generated debug.log for clues and asks users with certain multi-console issues to file an issue with logs. | Teams and Enterprise plans include a 24-hour first-response SLA for product support tickets. |
Plans
Parsec
- Individuals (Warp)$8.33 a month
- Teams$30 a month
- Enterprise$45 a month
- Personal UseFree
- Personal Use (free)Free
- Guest Access credit$25, paid once
In their own words
LibNXbox
LibNXbox is free GPL-2.0 homebrew software that streams from an Xbox console or Xbox Cloud Gaming to a Nintendo Switch. Download the libnxbox.nro file from GitHub releases and run it in title mode; applet mode crashes. For home streaming, the NRO discovers the console in the same manner as xbox.com/play. The README describes launching cloud titles through a Moonlight Switch NRO forwarder using a game AppID. LibNXboxNROHelper can search the Microsoft Store and create game-art thumbnails plus a titles.txt file containing titles and xCloud AppIDs. Video is listed as 1280×720 H.264 using Tegra X1 NVDEC decoding, with stereo Opus audio at 48 kHz and an approximately 60 ms latency target. Authentication uses Microsoft’s servers and saves a token on the SD card. Queue times and service restrictions are not bypassed.
Parsec
Parsec is a remote access app for connecting to computers from another device for work, games, or time with friends. It supports Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux, Android, and a Chromium web client; listed system requirements include Windows 10+, macOS 10.15+, and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Desktop. Its gaming design targets 60FPS UHD play with low latency, with keyboard mapping, gamepad support, and advanced settings. Users can share a link so another person can observe or control a computer. Native-app peer-to-peer traffic is encrypted end-to-end with a shared 128-bit AES key; web-client sessions use DTLS. Accounts support multi-factor authentication, and Teams can enforce SAML 2.0 single sign-on. Personal Use and Individuals are licensed for personal, non-commercial use; commercial use requires Teams or Enterprise. Individuals (Warp) costs $8.33 per user per month, billed annually; Teams costs $30 per user per month, billed annually; Enterprise costs $45 per user per month, billed annually only. A free plan and 14-day trial are listed.