SHSelfHostIndex

EmulatorJS vs Retrom

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game engines & frameworks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
EM EmulatorJS Self-hosted in-browser retro game emulator VS RE Retrom Self-hosted game library server with launcher clients
FeatureEmulatorJSRetrom
CategoryGame Engines & FrameworksGame Engines & Frameworks
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguageJavaScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, source
GitHub stars★ 4,074★ 2,032
First released20202024
ReplacesRetroArch webPlaynite, Steam library

Why pick each one

Choose EmulatorJS if…

  • Pure client-side
  • Easy to embed
EmulatorJS details

Choose Retrom if…

  • Cross-device sync
  • Modern stack
Retrom details

Frequently asked questions

Is EmulatorJS or Retrom better?

EmulatorJS is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Retrom if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are EmulatorJS and Retrom free and open-source?

Yes. EmulatorJS is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Retrom under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run EmulatorJS and Retrom with Docker?

EmulatorJS: yes. Retrom: yes.

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