MAME vs OpenEmu
MAME
mamedev.org
OpenEmu
openemu.orgSide by side
| Figure | MAME | OpenEmu |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · TurboGrafx-16 Emulators | 8.6 (#4) | 8.1 (#8) |
| Spec score · Multi-System Emulators | 8.5 (#7) | 8.0 (#23) |
| Spec score · Game Gear Emulators | 8.5 (#5) | 8.0 (#14) |
| Spec score · Sega Genesis Emulators | 8.4 (#5) | 7.9 (#12) |
| Spec score · Emulator Software | 8.5 (#8) | 8.1 (#16) |
| Spec score · Sega CD Emulators | 8.5 (#5) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Purpose | MAME is a multi-purpose emulation framework intended to preserve software history by documenting hardware and how it functions. | OpenEmu is open-source video game emulation software for Mac. |
| Security | MAME says it is not designed for secure sites, has not been audited for such use, and should not be run as administrator or root. | The GitHub project page displays “Security and quality 0.” |
| Support | Users can report information or code through the MAME GitHub page, MAME Forums, or the project contact page. | The project directs users to read its contributing guide before reporting bugs through GitHub Issues or IRC. |
| What it does | MAME is a multi-purpose emulation framework that documents and reproduces the inner components of arcade machines, computers, consoles, calculators and other electronic amusement machines. | OpenEmu is an open-source macOS application that emulates many classic video-game systems through a single native front end. |
Plans
In their own words
MAME
MAME is a free emulation framework intended to preserve software history by documenting and reproducing the inner components of arcade machines, computers, consoles, calculators, and other electronic amusement systems. It can emulate over 32,000 individual systems from the last five decades. Alongside emulation, it includes an interactive low-level debugger for investigating software behavior, diagnosing emulation issues, and developing software for vintage systems. Its Lua interface can inspect device state, access CPU registers, read and write memory, and draw overlays, though the API may change without notice. Plugins support uses such as external-program communication and alternate interfaces; included examples are Discord Presence and a GDB Stub. MAME can save and load states, record inputs for playback, and capture screenshots or video. It is available for Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows; official Windows binaries require Windows 10 or later. BIOS dumps and copyrighted software are generally not included. The project is distributed under GPL-2.0 overall, while more than 90% of files, including core files, are under BSD-3-Clause.
OpenEmu
OpenEmu is free, open-source video game emulation software for macOS. It organizes game backups into a unified library, adds box art and supports collections spanning consoles. Users drag and drop backups for scanning and organization. Modular cores from open-source projects emulate systems including Atari, Game Boy, Nintendo, Sega, Sony PlayStation and Super Nintendo; the project lists 31 supported systems. Generic HID-compliant USB or Bluetooth controllers can work immediately, with automatic mapping for recognized devices. OpenEmu is intended for games users already own, and BIOS files are required. The wiki describes an experimental arcade core plugin that is strictly unsupported. The latest release page identifies OpenEmu 2.4.1 binaries as Intel-only. The official site offers a macOS (OS X) application, but the version requirement was not rendered. The project lists save states, CD audio and cheat support, while online netplay is not available.