Side by side
ES-DE Frontend vs RomM
Both stand on game launchers. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Open source AndroidLinuxMac+1
ES-DE brings browsing, launching, metadata scraping, and theme customization together for a multi-platform game collection. Desktop editions are free and open source, while the Android edition is paid and has a stated minimum device requirement.
Visit ES-DE Frontend
Free plan Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+5
RomM combines collection management, metadata enrichment, and several ways to play or connect a library. Its self-hosted approach and broad platform coverage are useful to emulator players, while the iOS app is community-made.
Visit RomMThe facts
| ES-DE Frontend | RomM | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows | Android, API, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Android (Samsung Galaxy Store): $6.50, paid once | Hostinger hosted deployment: $6.49 a month |
| Plans published | 4 | 3 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | es-de.org | romm.app |
| On game launchers | #2 of 68 | #1 of 68 |
ES-DE Frontend: what it does well
- Supports over 150 game systems.
- Preconfigured for a large emulator selection.
- Scrapes images, videos, and manuals.
- Offers full controller navigation.
- Desktop releases are open source and free.
What to know first
- Android release is paid; no price is listed.
- Android release is partially closed source.
- Android requires 64-bit Android 10 or later.
RomM: what it does well
- Supports more than 400 platforms.
- Browser play works through EmulatorJS and Ruffle.
- Syncs saves and states with conflict resolution.
- Includes a built-in patcher for hacks and translations.
- Lists no tracking or paid features.
What to know first
- The native iOS app is a community project.
- The team does not regularly review community project source code.
- Setup help and discussion are directed to Discord.
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