Side by side
higan vs openMSX
Both stand on multi-system emulators. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacWindows
higan offers a free standalone emulator with support for many systems and a focus on accuracy, preservation, and configurability. Users choosing a nightly build should note that it is untested, and the license provides no warranty.
Visit higan Free plan AndroidLinuxMac+1
Choose openMSX if you want a free, open-source MSX emulator with broad machine coverage, debugging tools, and save and reverse features. Look elsewhere if you need a maintained Catapult interface, or check the platform version and graphics requirement before choosing a download.
Visit openMSXThe facts
| higan | openMSX | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Windows | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | openmsx.org |
| On multi-system emulators | #27 of 54 | #31 of 54 |
higan: what it does well
- Supports a broad range of named game systems.
- Official releases are available from GitHub.
- Includes icarus, a game library importer.
- Discussion forum and Discord links are provided.
What to know first
- Nightly builds are untested.
- The license provides no warranty.
openMSX: what it does well
- Emulates MSX, MSX2, MSX2+, and turboR systems.
- Lists over 230 machine configurations and over 110 extension configurations.
- Built-in GUI works across supported operating systems.
- Includes a debugger, save states, and a reverse feature.
- Free and open source, with source-code builds available.
What to know first
- openMSX 20.0 and later requires OpenGL 2 support.
- Android support is listed only through version 0.15.0.
- The default C-BIOS machine lacks some functionality of a complete MSX machine.
- Catapult is deprecated and no longer maintained.
Alternatives to higan Alternatives to openMSX The whole list