RetroHub

RetroHub is a desktop frontend for arranging and launching retro-game collections. It best suits players who already manage their own emulators and want a configurable interface across Windows, macOS, or Linux. Its wide system coverage, importing, and metadata tools make it a capable library hub, while the need to provide emulators and manage scraping resources narrows its audience.

Overview

A first-run setup wizard gets a new installation configured, and importing games and settings from supported frontends can spare owners of established collections a full rebuild. RetroHub supports more than 80 systems and more than 50 emulators, with additional systems configurable in the app. That breadth is valuable for mixed libraries, but the emulators themselves are not included, so this is a frontend rather than a complete emulation solution.

The central library organizes, displays, and launches games while allowing metadata and media to be edited. A ScreenScraper-based tool can identify titles from file hashes or filenames and retrieve artwork and other information. ScreenScraper's hourly and daily API quotas can make a very large collection take longer to process, and downloaded media for such a collection may exceed 1 GB, so available storage matters.

Key features

Library, scraping, and controls

RetroHub combines collection management with launching, rather than forcing users to maintain separate menus for each system. Keyboard, mouse, controller, and touch input are supported; keyboard and controller actions can be remapped, and a virtual keyboard is included. RetroAchievements is an optional integration, with support added in version 1.0.1.

Themes and accessibility

Theme switching changes the presentation of a collection, while the Godot Engine 4 theme system lets developers reshape the interface and add features. The interface adapts to screen size and aspect ratio, and configuration includes a screen-reader option. These choices make RetroHub more suitable for varied displays and input setups than a fixed launcher, particularly for users willing to tune their environment.

Licensing

The source code uses the MIT License. Official binaries use GPLv3 because they bundle third-party libraries, so developers and redistributors should distinguish the source license from the terms of the released builds.

Pricing

There is no paid tier or trial period. The free plan is therefore the only choice for every user, with no subscription renewal to budget for. Its practical costs are outside the plan: users must obtain and configure their own emulators, and extensive scraping can consume ScreenScraper quota and more than 1 GB of local media storage.

Platforms

RetroHub runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Official downloads include Windows 32-bit and 64-bit builds, Linux 32-bit and 64-bit builds, and a universal macOS build for both Intel and Apple silicon. Version 1.0.1 is dated 24 February 2024.

Who it's for

Choose RetroHub if you have emulators already, want one library across many systems, or care about theme-level control over presentation. Importing is especially useful when moving from a supported frontend, and remappable controls plus screen-reader configuration help accommodate different setups. Look elsewhere if you want emulators bundled with the frontend or need scraping that is unconstrained by external API quotas.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Supports more than 80 systems and 50 emulators, with room to configure others.
• Pros: Imports games and settings from supported frontends, reducing migration work.
• Pros: Offers ScreenScraper metadata and media retrieval, editable library presentation, themes, remapping, touch input, and a screen-reader option.
• Pros: Free on all supported desktop platforms, with MIT-licensed source code.
• Cons: Emulators are not included, so setup and maintenance remain the user's responsibility.
• Cons: ScreenScraper hourly and daily quotas can delay large-library scraping.
• Cons: Scraped media for a large collection may exceed 1 GB of disk space.

Alternatives

RetroArch is a better fit when you want a free, open-source project spanning Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows rather than a desktop-focused library frontend.

ES-DE Frontend suits users seeking a free, fully open-source frontend on Windows, macOS, or Linux, with a separate paid Android app.

GameEx is worth considering for a freemium frontend available on Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows; commercial use requires registration or purchase for each copy.

Lakka is the alternative for a Linux-, macOS-, Windows-, or self-hosted setup centered on its operating system distribution; hardware is not included.

Pegasus Frontend offers a free, open-source, ad-free option across Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Attract-Mode is another free, open-source frontend for Linux, macOS, and Windows, licensed under GPLv3.

EmulatorJS is the more appropriate choice for Android, iOS, web, or self-hosted deployments and is described as open source.

LaunchBox fits users who want a Windows or Android freemium product, with a free Windows starter tier and a paid Windows edition.

Browse more options in Emulation Frontends.

Verdict

RetroHub is a strong free choice for desktop retro-gaming collectors who already have emulators and want broad system support, import tools, and a deeply themeable library. Choose it for control over organization and presentation; choose another frontend if supplying emulators, working within ScreenScraper quotas, or reserving substantial media storage is not acceptable.