RomForge vs Skraper

RomForge is free, open-source desktop software for managing ROM collections in the OfflineList DAT ecosystem. It scans ROM folders and matches files to DAT entries using CRC32, then reports statuses such as Verified, Missing, Incorrectly Named, Wrong Archive Type and Untrimmed. Users can rename ROMs to DAT-expected filenames, re-archive between ZIP and 7z, and remove GBA or NDS padding. The application supports multiple DAT files and can update them from configured URLs. Its cache re-hashes only files that changed, while game-list status persists across restarts. RomForge is a modern rewrite of OfflineList and remains compatible with community DAT files. It reads OfflineList XML DAT files, which users supply, but does not currently read the No-Intro/Logiqx format. Supported systems are macOS on Apple Silicon and Intel, Windows x64 and Linux x64. The macOS app is signed and notarized; Windows downloads are ZIP archives and Linux downloads are TAR.GZ archives. The project uses the MIT license.

Skraper is a free, non-commercial, non-profit application that adds metadata and media to retro-gaming software. It uses the community-fed ScreenScraper.fr database for artwork, screenshots, flyers, 3D boxes, and verified text information. The site advertises support for more than 200 systems and hundreds of thousands of media items and records. Skraper can provide EmulationStation metadata through Recalbox and RetroPie and fill LaunchBox game lists and images. Listed capabilities include game maps, manuals, Pad-2-Keyboard, Tips & Tricks, archive side-file filtering, and file renaming. A local cache, optimization, and multithreading reduce bandwidth use and increase speed. XML mixes can combine remote and local resources with positioning, resizing, rotation, color filters, and text or image layers. Windows may require .NET Framework 4.8.1. Linux requires the latest mono-complete package, with WINE kept up to date recommended. There is no native macOS build. ScreenScraper.fr anonymously records ROM or game names and checksums, which may be validated and added to its database.