ROM Manager vs RomM

ROM Manager is free, MIT-licensed software for organizing and converting retro console game ROMs. Its pipeline extracts archives, renames files using known game codes, converts ISO or WBFS images to CHD or RVZ, and cleans up files. It can create missing cue sheets for BIN tracks. Interfaces include a command-line tool, Python API facade, MCP server, and optional agent server with an AG-UI web interface. CLI and MCP tools can manage a self-hosted RomM library through its REST API using Basic or OAuth2 authentication. MCP tools cover conversion, game-code lookup and naming, and RomM resource groups, with environment toggles controlling domains. The server supports stdio, Streamable HTTP, and SSE transports; authentication is configurable, with none as the local default. Local conversion needs no service URL or credentials, while RomM access requires server details and credentials or a token. Conversion depends on external chdman and dolphin-tool binaries; extraction uses 7z or optional backends. Destructive cleanup can remove source files, so backups are advised.

RomM is a free, self-hosted app for scanning, enriching, browsing, and playing a ROM collection. The project says it supports more than 400 platforms, including multi-disk games, DLCs, mods, hacks, and manuals. Compatible games can run in a browser through EmulatorJS and Ruffle without setup, while saves and states sync across devices with conflict resolution. Metadata providers include IGDB, ScreenScraper, LaunchBox, and MobyGames; RomM can also fetch artwork from SteamGridDB and track RetroAchievements. A built-in patcher applies ROM hacks and translations. The project lists granular per-user permissions, OIDC single sign-on, a REST API, and exports for ES-DE and Pegasus. Official clients include a Windows Playnite plugin, the Android Argosy handheld launcher, and the Linux Grout handheld client. A native iOS app is a community project, and the team says it does not regularly review community project source code. RomM is AGPL-3.0 licensed, with no tracking or paid features. Setup help and community discussion are available through Discord.