Best MAME Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from multi-system emulators ranked against MAME on the same published basis.
- 1MAME vs Virtual Jaguar
- 2MAME vs RetroArch
- 3MAME vs FinalBurn Neo
- 5MAME vs SkyEmu
- 6MAME vs VICE
- 7MAME vs Emulicious
- 8MAME vs Flycast
- 9MAME vs Manic EMU
- 10MAME vs Provenance
- 11MAME vs QEMU
- 12MAME vs Delta
- 13MAME vs Dolphin
- 14MAME vs higan
- 15MAME vs ares
- 16MAME vs Atari800
- 17MAME vs Genesis Plus GX
- 18MAME vs Retropa
- 19MAME vs Hemulator
- 20MAME vs Lemuroid
- 21MAME vs OpenEmu
MAME alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virtual Jaguar | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | RetroArch | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | FinalBurn Neo | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | SkyEmu | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 6 | VICE | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | Emulicious | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 8 | Flycast | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | Manic EMU | 7.1 | Free plan | $0.42/mo | iOS, Mac |
| 10 | Provenance | 7.1 | Free plan | $3.33/mo | iOS, Mac |
| 11 | QEMU | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 12 | Delta | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Mac |
| 13 | Dolphin | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 14 | higan | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 15 | ares | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 16 | Atari800 | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 17 | Genesis Plus GX | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Windows |
| 18 | Retropa | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Mac |
| 19 | Hemulator | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 20 | Lemuroid | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Android |
| 21 | OpenEmu | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
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Questions about MAME alternatives
What is the best alternative to MAME?
Virtual Jaguar, number 1 in multi-system emulators with a score of 7.5 out of 10. The others here: RetroArch, FinalBurn Neo, SkyEmu and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to MAME?
Virtual Jaguar is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 20 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.