MAME vs retroemu
MAME
mamedev.orgretroemu
github.comSide by side
| Figure | MAME | retroemu |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Multi-System Emulators | 8.5 (#7) | 7.9 (#28) |
| Integration | Included plugins include Discord Presence and a GDB Stub. | Frontend applications can launch retroemu with an IPC channel and control it through JSON-RPC. |
| License | The project as a whole is distributed under GPL-2.0, and the site says over 90% of its files, including core files, are under BSD-3-Clause. | The repository lists the project license as MIT. |
| Purpose | MAME is a multi-purpose emulation framework intended to preserve software history by documenting hardware and how it functions. | retroemu runs classic console games in a terminal using libretro cores compiled to WebAssembly. |
| 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 README describes jsgame games as running in a sandboxed realm. |
| 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. | retroemu runs retro console games in a terminal with Node.js using libretro cores compiled to WebAssembly. |
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.