LunarNX vs Moonlight Game Streaming
LunarNX
github.com
Moonlight Game Streaming
moonlight-stream.orgSide by side
| Figure | LunarNX | Moonlight Game Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Game Remote Play Software | 8.0 (#10) | 8.7 (#3) |
| Privacy | The project warns that its app directory may contain Microsoft tokens, PlayStation credentials, PSN session data, console identifiers, and diagnostic logs, and says not to share those files. | The Google Play listing states that the app collects no data and shares no data with third parties. |
| What it does | LunarNX is an unofficial, controller-first Nintendo Switch homebrew client for Xbox Remote Play, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and PlayStation Remote Play. | Moonlight streams games, applications, or a complete PC desktop from a gaming computer to another supported device over local networks or the Internet. |
Plans
In their own words
LunarNX
LunarNX is free, open-source Nintendo Switch homebrew software for Xbox Remote Play, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and PlayStation Remote Play. It connects Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles, paired PS4 and PS5 systems, and the Xbox Cloud Gaming library with recent titles, search, and playback. PlayStation functions include local discovery, pairing, console wake-up, and remote PS5 discovery through PlayStation Network. Xbox and PlayStation sessions offer 720p, 1080p, and 1080p HQ profiles, hardware-accelerated H.264, and low-latency audio; PS5 also supports HEVC. Controls include separate button mappings, PlayStation touchpad gestures, Switch motion forwarding, and supported rumble or DualSense haptics as Switch vibration. The interface supports English and two Chinese variants. A homebrew-capable Switch, Homebrew Menu title-override/full-memory mode, and stable 5 GHz Wi-Fi or wired networking are required. Streaming depends on account permissions, console settings, NAT, network quality, and service availability.
Moonlight Game Streaming
Moonlight Game Streaming sends games from a gaming PC to supported devices for remote play. It is a free, open-source implementation of NVIDIA's GameStream protocol; the listed plan costs nothing, with no subscriptions or paid versions with extra features. Clients are available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Apple TV, ChromeOS, Steam Link, and Raspberry Pi. On a capable client, Moonlight can stream a full Windows desktop at up to 4K with HDR. Its PC client supports up to 120 FPS and can disable V-Sync for lower latency. Users can host their own gaming server using options such as port forwarding, IPv6, ZeroTier, Tailscale, and NordVPN Meshnet. Moonlight recommends Sunshine as a host; GeForce Experience is also listed as compatible, though NVIDIA is discontinuing its GameStream feature. Wolf can stream games and applications running in Docker containers. There is no pure web client because the protocol requires raw TCP and UDP sockets that browsers do not support. The project began as a 2013 hackathon project by Case Western Reserve University students.