RetroHub vs ROCKNIX
RetroHub
retrohub-org.github.ioROCKNIX
rocknix.orgSide by side
| Figure | RetroHub | ROCKNIX |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Emulation Frontends | 7.9 (#11) | 7.9 (#12) |
| Controls | The app supports keyboard, mouse, controller, and touch input; keyboard and controller actions can be remapped. | ROCKNIX provides in-game touch controls for supported devices. |
| Game scraping | The built-in scraper uses ScreenScraper to find games by file hash or filename and fetch metadata and media. | The feature list includes automatic game scraping. |
| Licensing | The source code is available under the MIT License, while the released binary is under GPLv3 due to bundled third-party libraries. | ROCKNIX build configuration, scripts and embedded utilities are licensed under GNU GPL Version 2, while its branding uses CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. |
| Product | RetroHub is a retro-gaming library frontend. | ROCKNIX is an immutable Linux distribution for handheld gaming devices focused on retro gaming emulation. |
Plans
In their own words
RetroHub
RetroHub is a free frontend for organizing, displaying, and launching a retro-game library on Windows, macOS, and Linux. A first-time setup wizard helps configure it, and users can import games and settings from supported frontends. The app supports more than 80 systems and more than 50 emulators, while allowing users to add settings for others; it does not include emulators. Game metadata and media can be customized, and the built-in ScreenScraper feature can identify games by file hash or filename and fetch related information and images. ScreenScraper applies hourly and daily API quotas, and scraped media for a large library may take more than 1 GB of disk space. Users can change themes, and theme development can shape the interface and add features. Inputs include keyboard, mouse, controller, and touch; keyboard and controller actions can be remapped. The interface adapts to screen size and aspect ratio and includes a screen-reader option. RetroAchievements is an optional integration. Source code is MIT-licensed, while official builds use GPLv3 due to bundled third-party libraries.
ROCKNIX
ROCKNIX is a free, immutable Linux distribution for handheld gaming devices, focused on retro gaming emulation. Installation means downloading a device image, flashing it to an SD card or internal storage, then booting the device. It supports local and remote multiplayer, save states, video filters, in-game touch controls on supported devices, and custom performance and power profiles. Bluetooth audio and controller connections, HDMI and USB audio/video output, and music and video playback are also included. Cloud and LAN synchronization are available through Syncthing and rclone; built-in VPN support covers WireGuard, Tailscale and ZeroTier. ROCKNIX integrates RetroAchievements and automatic game scraping. Achievement support varies by emulator and game and requires an internet connection. Steam and Heroic Games Launcher are supported on arm64. Updates can be installed over the air from EmulationStation or manually with an update tar file. There is no formal support; the project is provided as-is through community help channels. Supported devices are listed in the wiki, and adding a device requires contributed work and direct access to it.