Side by side
AmberELEC vs Attract-Mode
Both stand on emulation frontends. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Self-hosted
Choose AmberELEC if you own a supported Anbernic handheld and want free firmware with RetroArch, emulator cores, and device-focused defaults. Look elsewhere if you need firmware for another device, or if you want cloud backup setup without command-line steps.
Visit AmberELEC
Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+2
Attract-Mode provides a customizable frontend for emulator collections, with game-list tools, controller mappings, and media support. Note that the listed pause functionality does not include OS X, and RetroPie availability is experimental.
Visit Attract-ModeThe facts
| AmberELEC | Attract-Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Yes |
| Runs on | Self-hosted | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | amberelec.org | attractmode.org |
| On emulation frontends | #5 of 25 | #1 of 25 |
AmberELEC: what it does well
- Free, open source firmware for supported Anbernic handhelds.
- Includes RetroArch and multiple emulator cores.
- Native RetroAchievements support on supported emulators.
- Scraper retrieves game artwork, videos, manuals, maps, and metadata.
- exFAT games partition works with Linux, Windows, and macOS.
What to know first
- Stable downloads cover only the listed RG351 and RG552 models.
- Scraping requires Wi-Fi and a ScreenScraper account.
- Initial cloud backup setup requires command-line use.
- Enabling rewind can significantly slow games.
Attract-Mode: what it does well
- Free and licensed under GNU GPL v3.
- Runs on Windows, OS X, and Linux.
- Supports joystick, keyboard, and mouse mappings.
- Can retrieve missing game details and artwork.
- Layouts support themes, animations, and GLSL shaders.
What to know first
- Emulator pause and resume is listed only for Linux and Windows.
- RetroPie availability is described as experimental.
- The listed OS X download is an app bundle.
Alternatives to AmberELEC Alternatives to Attract-Mode The whole list