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Visual Studio Emulator for Android VS Anbox

Compare Visual Studio Emulator for Android VS Anbox and see what are their differences

Visual Studio Emulator for Android logo Visual Studio Emulator for Android

Deploy, test and debug Android apps with our fast, free, and best-of-breed Android emulator. Download our Visual Studio IDE for free today.

Anbox logo Anbox

Anbox puts Android into a container and every Android application will be integrated with your...
  • Visual Studio Emulator for Android Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-06
  • Anbox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-22

Visual Studio Emulator for Android features and specs

  • Integration with Visual Studio
    The emulator is well-integrated with Visual Studio, making it convenient for developers who primarily use Microsoft's development environment to test Android applications without switching platforms.
  • Performance
    Offers good performance on Windows machines, often running smoother and faster than other emulators due to hardware acceleration and optimizations.
  • Multiple Device Configurations
    Supports a wide range of device configurations and Android versions, allowing developers to test how applications perform across different scenarios.
  • Debugging Support
    Provides robust debugging support, including tools such as a network monitor, GPS simulation, and sensor management, enhancing the testing process.

Possible disadvantages of Visual Studio Emulator for Android

  • Limited Operating System Compatibility
    Primarily supports Windows OS, which limits access for developers using Windows environments and excludes macOS and Linux users.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Can be intimidating for new users, especially those unfamiliar with Visual Studio, due to its comprehensive features and Microsoft-specific integrations.
  • Resource Intensive
    The emulator can be resource-heavy, requiring significant RAM and CPU capacity, which might not be optimal for users with older hardware.
  • Discontinued
    The emulator is no longer actively developed by Microsoft, and lacks the latest updates and support, potentially leading to compatibility and security issues.

Anbox features and specs

  • Open Source
    Anbox is an open-source project, which means that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance the code. This promotes transparency and community-driven improvements.
  • Native Performance
    Anbox runs Android in a container rather than emulating it, which allows it to take full advantage of the underlying hardware and perform more efficiently.
  • Security
    By running Android applications in a container, Anbox isolates them from the host system, potentially reducing security risks compared to other methods.
  • Integration
    Anbox integrates well with the host Linux system, allowing you to use the same desktop environment and tools you are accustomed to while running Android applications.
  • No Dual Boot Required
    You can run Android applications alongside your regular Linux applications without needing to reboot or manage a dual-boot configuration.

Possible disadvantages of Anbox

  • Limited App Compatibility
    Not all Android applications will run smoothly or at all on Anbox, due to differences in hardware requirements or proprietary dependencies such as Google Play Services.
  • Complex Setup
    Setting up Anbox can be challenging, especially for users who are not familiar with Linux or containerization technologies.
  • Performance Issues
    While Anbox offers native performance, some users may still encounter performance issues or limitations depending on their hardware and the specific applications they are running.
  • Limited Graphics Support
    Anbox may have limited support for GPU acceleration, affecting the performance of graphically intensive applications and games.
  • Community Support
    As an open-source project, Anbox relies heavily on community support. Official support might be limited, which can be a drawback for users needing professional or timely help.

Visual Studio Emulator for Android videos

Visual Studio Emulator For Android

Anbox videos

Testing Android Apps on Anbox

More videos:

  • Review - Running Android Apps In Linux With AnBox
  • Review - Native Android apps on Linux? Anbox

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Visual Studio Emulator for Android and Anbox)
Emulators
15 15%
85% 85
Gaming
10 10%
90% 90
Operating Systems
20 20%
80% 80
Software Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Visual Studio Emulator for Android and Anbox

Visual Studio Emulator for Android Reviews

We have no reviews of Visual Studio Emulator for Android yet.
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Anbox Reviews

Android Desktop Shootout: Android x86 vs. Bliss vs. Phoenix OS vs. PrimeOS
AnboxAnbox is a container Android system designed to run on Linux. It’s more of a virtual machine than a standalone OS. However, it’s a great way to see if you want to use an Android desktop before changing your Linux system.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Anbox seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 64 times since March 2021. 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.

Visual Studio Emulator for Android mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Visual Studio Emulator for Android yet. Tracking of Visual Studio Emulator for Android recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Anbox mentions (64)

  • Call of duty mobile
    It's definitely possible, you have android virtualization options for linux like QEMU, VirtualBox, Anbox, WayDroid, but most of these are either not great or a bit too advanced for this. Easiest / best bet off the top of my head is dual booting Windows and using BlueStacks. Source: about 2 years ago
  • I'm looking for a lightweight distro that runs android apps
    This isn't really a distro, but you could try Anbox, which wouldn't have the performance overhead of a virtual machine. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I just want to use Linux :(
    If school apps have an android alternative anbox may allow you to use it on your linux desktop... Just a thought! Source: over 2 years ago
  • Android Emulator for Linux
    I have used Anbox when I needed to run an Android App on Linux. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Minecraft Bedrock
    Does anyone know a way to play Minecraft bedrock on Linux(specifically fedora). I used to use this launcher: mcpelauncher.readthedocs.io, But it has been discontinued and no longer works with the latest version, which I need to be able to play on a friend's real. I've tried using anbox, but it never loaded, and I tried using waydroid, but the internet wasn't working. Don't tell me to just use java, I already do,... Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Visual Studio Emulator for Android and Anbox, you can also consider the following products

BlueStacks - BlueStacks is a website designed to format mobile apps to be compatible to desktop computers, opening up mobile gaming to laptops and other computers. Read more about BlueStacks.

Droid4X - Droid4X – #1 Android Emulator

Android-x86 - Run Android on your PC.

PrimeOS - Android For Laptop/PCs based on the Android-x86 project.

NoxPlayer - Nox App Player is a free Android emulator dedicated to bring the best experience for users to play Android games and apps on PC and Mac.

Android Studio - Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA