Best OnionOS Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from emulation frontends ranked against OnionOS on the same published basis.
- 1OnionOS vs RetroArch
- 2OnionOS vs ES-DE Frontend
- 3OnionOS vs Lakka
- 4OnionOS vs LaunchBox
- 5OnionOS vs RetroHub
- 6OnionOS vs Pegasus Frontend
- 7OnionOS vs RePlayOS
- 8OnionOS vs ROCKNIX
- 9OnionOS vs Daijishō
- 10OnionOS vs KNULLI
- 11OnionOS vs RetroDECK
- 12OnionOS vs KRetro
- 14OnionOS vs GameEx
- 15OnionOS vs MustardOS
- 16OnionOS vs Maximus Arcade
- 17OnionOS vs Attract-Mode
- 18OnionOS vs Batocera
- 19OnionOS vs EmulationStation
- 20OnionOS vs HyperSpin
- 21OnionOS vs Recalbox
OnionOS alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RetroArch | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | ES-DE Frontend | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 3 | Lakka | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 4 | LaunchBox | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Android, Windows |
| 5 | RetroHub | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | Pegasus Frontend | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | RePlayOS | 6.9 | Free plan | $5/mo | API, Linux, Web |
| 8 | ROCKNIX | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 9 | Daijishō | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Android |
| 10 | KNULLI | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 11 | RetroDECK | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 12 | KRetro | 6.5 | No | — | Linux |
| 14 | GameEx | 5.7 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 15 | MustardOS | 5.7 | No | — | — |
| 16 | Maximus Arcade | 5.6 | No | — | Windows |
| 17 | Attract-Mode | 5.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 18 | Batocera | 5.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 19 | EmulationStation | 5.4 | No | — | Windows, Linux |
| 20 | HyperSpin | 5.3 | No | — | Windows |
| 21 | Recalbox | 5.3 | No | — | Linux |
Make your platform an alternative to OnionOS
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about OnionOS alternatives
What is the best alternative to OnionOS?
RetroArch, number 1 in emulation frontends with a score of 7.4 out of 10. The others here: ES-DE Frontend, Lakka, LaunchBox and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to OnionOS?
RetroArch is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 13 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.