Frodo

Windows · Mac · Linux

Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.5

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Frodo is ranked #4 of 30 in Commodore 64 emulators on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.

Frodo plans and pricing

All plans

Frodo Free Free portable Commodore 64 emulator frodo.cebix.net · 4 Oct 2026

Compared on Commodore 64 emulators

Free plan: Yes
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux/Unix
Disk and tape formats: D64, G64, T64, TAP, X64, LYNX
Emulated C64 variants: Commodore 64
Bundled software library: No

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The record

Purpose: Frodo is a portable Commodore 64 emulator focused on reproducing special graphical effects possible on the C64.
Emulation modes: Frodo offers a cycle-exact regular version and a less compatible Frodo Lite version designed to run better on slower machines.
Latest release: The official site lists Frodo V4.5 and says its snapshot file format changed, so it will not read snapshots from earlier versions.
Media support: Frodo supports C64 disk and tape software and many game cartridges; V4.5 added Datasette TAP emulation, which is unavailable in Frodo Lite.
Cartridges: V4.5 added support for banked cartridges including Ocean, Fun Play, Power Play, Super Games, and Simons' BASIC.
Auto-start: V4.5 can auto-start D64, G64, T64, and TAP images, cartridges, and C64 BASIC program files from the command line.
Controllers: Frodo can auto-detect connected game controllers for C64 joystick ports and lets users map additional controller buttons to C64 keys.
Video and sound: The settings window allows users to choose windowed or fullscreen display and set the initial window size.
Supported host systems: The V4 build instructions cover Unix-like systems, macOS, and Windows 10 and above.
Build requirements: The Unix-like build requires a C++20 compiler and SDL 2.x, with GTK 3 listed as optional.
License: The repository lists Frodo under the GPL-2.0 license.
Support for contributed ports: The official site says most contributed historic ports have not been tested by the maker and directs support requests to their respective maintainers.
Maker: The maker's home page identifies him as Christian Bauer and describes him as a physicist who turned his computer hobby into his career.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Commodore 64 Emulators in 2026#4 of 30

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Sources

frodo.cebix.net· checked 4 Oct 2026
github.com/cebix/frodo4· checked 4 Oct 2026
cebix.net· checked 4 Oct 2026