Mesen vs mGBA
Mesen
mesen.ca
mGBA
mgba.ioSide by side
| Figure | Mesen | mGBA |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Console Emulators | 7.7 (#21) | 8.4 (#6) |
| License | Mesen is available under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later. | mGBA is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. |
| Supported systems | It supports NES, SNES, Game Boy (Color), Game Boy Advance, PC Engine, SMS/Game Gear, and WonderSwan (Color). | mGBA also emulates Game Boy and Game Boy Color; DS support is very early and only available in the medusa branch. |
Plans
In their own words
mGBA
mGBA is a free, open-source emulator for Game Boy Advance games, designed to run on lower-end hardware while maintaining accuracy and portability. It also emulates Game Boy and Game Boy Color; most GBA games boot, while the FAQ notes bugs in Game Boy and Game Boy Color support. Nintendo DS support is very early, limited to the medusa branch, and has poor compatibility. Desktop downloads cover Windows, macOS, Linux, and Ubuntu, with homebrew builds for Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Wii, and PlayStation Vita. Supported GBA peripherals include rumble, rotation and tilt sensors, a solar sensor, realtime clock, partial link cable support, and BattleChip Gate. Game Boy features include rumble, tilt, realtime clock, Game Boy Printer, and partial Game Boy Camera and Super Game Boy support. The Wireless Adapter, IR Adapter, and Soul Adapter are not supported. Built-in Lua scripting can access emulator memory, registers, save states, buttons, game information, screenshots, callbacks, and frame or instruction advancement. The project began in April 2013 and uses the Mozilla Public License 2.0.