Best SNES Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: RetroArch is ranked #1 of 31 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Virtual Jaguar and bsnes. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Virtual Jaguar. The lowest first paid tier on this page is LearnWell Languages at $6.99/mo.
SNES emulators let you play games from the Super Nintendo era on supported devices. Compared on supported platforms and emulation format, the entries also list features such as cheat support, shader support, rewind, and RetroAchievements. Online multiplayer may matter if you want to play with others; check free-plan availability and paid-from pricing as well. RetroArch, Virtual Jaguar, and bsnes are among the named options to compare. Start with platform and format compatibility, then weigh the listed play and customization features that fit your setup.
31 SNES emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
12 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 | Virtual JaguarWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 3 | bsnesWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 4 | SNES EmulatorWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 5 | Snes9xWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 6 | aresWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 7 | BizHawkWindows · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | deltaWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 9 | higanWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 10 | NiN10Mac · iPhone | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 11 | LemuroidAndroid | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 12 | OpenEmuMac | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 13 | bsnesWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 14 | jgenesisWeb · Windows · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 15 | LearnWell LanguagesMac · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | $6.99/mo | 5.5 |
| 16 | MednafenWindows · Linux | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 17 | SnesFoxWindows · Mac | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 18 | rust-wasm-snesWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 19 | bsnes-plusWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 20 | HemulatorWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 21 | Lynx.emuLinux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 22 | Manic EMUiPhone | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 23 | nSide BalancedNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 24 | Vortex Universal EmulatorAndroid | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 25 | DOSBox WiiNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which SNES emulator is ranked first on Freedom251?
RetroArch is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 6.8. Virtual Jaguar is second and bsnes third.
How many of these have a free plan?
12 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, LearnWell Languages has the lowest first paid tier we found: $6.99/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. Paid placements never change a rank.