Software Alternatives & Reviews

Recalbox VS EmulationStation

Compare Recalbox VS EmulationStation and see what are their differences

Recalbox logo Recalbox

Retrogaming open source operating system for Raspberry Pi, Odroid and PC.

EmulationStation logo EmulationStation

a graphical emulator front-end
  • Recalbox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-16
  • EmulationStation Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-20

Recalbox videos

Recalbox 6.0 DragonBlaze Has Been Released - Quick Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Recalbox 6.0 DragonBlaze 32gb Raspberry Pi Build! 7,000+ Games Overview!
  • Review - All New Recalbox Quick Look New Ui New Theme New Settings

EmulationStation videos

Playing Classic Games with EmulationStation & RetroArch

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Recalbox and EmulationStation)
Gaming
27 27%
73% 73
Emulators
30 30%
70% 70
Gaming Tools
31 31%
69% 69
Online Games
28 28%
72% 72

User comments

Share your experience with using Recalbox and EmulationStation. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, EmulationStation seems to be a lot more popular than Recalbox. While we know about 13 links to EmulationStation, we've tracked only 1 mention of Recalbox. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Recalbox mentions (1)

  • What kind of Apps do you want to see on Telos?
    Bonus points if you make this compatible with emulators... recalbox.com and other distros focused on emulators would probably love a way to keep a global score of the best players across all games ever made. Source: over 2 years ago

EmulationStation mentions (13)

  • Anyone using a launcher?
    In my opinion the ideal situation would be a backend that any developer could build a frontend to that would suit their approach. For example there are many Retroarch frontends like Highscore, EmulationStation, etc. These all suit the needs for what some person may want. Source: about 1 year ago
  • SteamDeck Windows 11 Guide - Installed Win 11 on the SteamDeck and don't know what to do next? This is for you.
    Replacement for the epic EmuDeck. It utilises EmulationStation. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Is there a user interface that will load all roms from NES up through GameCube?
    I use EmulationStation on a lot of devices. It would cover what you're looking for. Other frontends I like are RetroArch and Daijisho. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Gifting an old pc to my handicapped grandson.
    If you want to piece meal and customize it RetroArch and Emulation Station is the way to go. Also have a robust wiki. Source: over 1 year ago
  • First ever “setup” im very poor
    Helpful link https://emulationstation.org/. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Recalbox and EmulationStation, you can also consider the following products

Batocera.linux - Batocera.linux is an open-source and completely free retro-gaming distribution that can be copied to a USB stick or an SD card with the aim of turning any computer/nano computer into a gaming console during a game or permanently.

RetroArch - RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players.

LaunchBox - LaunchBox is a portable, box-art-based games database and launcher for DOSBox, emulators, arcade cabinets, and PC Games. Download it free!

RetroBat - RETROBAT RetroBat is a software distribution designed for emulation and to be the easiest way to enjoy your game collection on your Windows computer.

Playnite - Source code generated using layoutit.com

Lakka - Lakka is the official Linux distribution of RetroArch and the libretro ecosystem.