Best Emulation Frontends in 2026
Updated
In short: RetroArch is ranked #1 of 25 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of ES-DE Frontend and Lakka. The best-ranked option with a free plan is ES-DE Frontend. The lowest first paid tier on this page is RePlayOS at $5/mo.
When you want one interface for browsing and launching games across emulators, these frontends can help organize a collection. Compare supported platforms and included emulators, then look at library import and metadata scraping to gauge how an existing library is handled. Controller navigation, cloud sync, and portable mode are other useful points to weigh. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing help put access and cost in context. RetroArch, ES-DE Frontend, and Lakka are among the entries to consider, alongside Pegasus Frontend and RetroHub. The listed features can help you judge compatibility and collection-management fit for the way you play.
25 emulation frontends ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
13 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RetroArchWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 2 | ES-DE FrontendWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 3 | LakkaWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 4 | Pegasus FrontendWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 5 | RetroHubWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 6 | Attract-ModeWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 7 | LaunchBoxWindows · Android | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | RePlayOSWeb · Linux · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | $5/mo | 6.5 | |
| 9 | DaijishōAndroid | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 10 | KNULLILinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 11 | ROCKNIXLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 12 | BatoceraLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 13 | RetroDECKLinux | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 14 | KRetroLinux | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 15 | OnionOSSelf-hosted | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 16 | GameExWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 17 | EmulationStationWindows · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 18 | MustardOSNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 19 | EmulatorJSWeb · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 20 | HyperSpinWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 21 | RecalboxLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 22 | RetroBatWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 23 | RetroPieLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 24 | AmberELECNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 4.8 |
| 25 | Maximus ArcadeWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.8 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | Emulators included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RetroArch | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 2 | ES-DE Frontend | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 3 | Lakka | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | PC; Raspberry Pi; Cubieboard; Banana Pi; Cubox-i; Hummingboard; UDOO; Odroid; WeTek Play | — |
| 4 | Pegasus Frontend | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 5 | RetroHub | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | No |
| 6 | Attract-Mode | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 7 | LaunchBox | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | 30 one-time | — | — |
| 8 | RePlayOS | 6.5 | Free plan | $5/mo | Yes | — | Raspberry Pi Zero 2, 3, 4, and 5 running RePlayOS Linux | Yes |
| 9 | Daijishō | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Android | No |
| 10 | KNULLI | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Anbernic RG series, GoRetroid Pocket 5/Mini, Miyoo Flip, Powkiddy RGB30/X55, Orange Pi Zero 2w, TrimUI Brick/Smart Pro | Yes |
| 11 | ROCKNIX | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 12 | Batocera | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 13 | RetroDECK | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 14 | KRetro | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | Linux; Plasma Desktop; Plasma Mobile; Plasma Bigscreen | Yes |
| 15 | OnionOS | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | Miyoo Mini and Miyoo Mini+ | Yes |
| 16 | GameEx | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 17 | EmulationStation | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 18 | MustardOS | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | Anbernic RG28XX H, RG34XX H, RG34XX SP, RG35XX 2024, RG35XX H, RG35XX PLUS, RG35XX PRO, RG35XX SP, RG40XX H, RG40XX V, RGCUBEXX; TrimUI Brick and Smart Pro | Yes |
| 19 | EmulatorJS | 5.0 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | HyperSpin | 5.0 | No | — | — | 50 one-time | — | — |
| 21 | Recalbox | 5.0 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 22 | RetroBat | 5.0 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 23 | RetroPie | 5.0 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 24 | AmberELEC | 4.8 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Maximus Arcade | 4.8 | No | — | No | 25 one-time | Windows | No |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which emulation frontend is ranked first on Freedom251?
RetroArch is ranked #1 of 25 with a score of 6.8. ES-DE Frontend is second and Lakka third.
How many of these have a free plan?
13 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, RePlayOS has the lowest first paid tier we found: $5/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.