crater
6.2#19 in game gear emulatorsFree planFree planLinuxmacOS
Visitcrater vs Manic EMU
What both publish
| Fact | crater | Manic EMU |
|---|---|---|
| Build requirements | Building crater requires a modern C11 compiler and SDL 2; the project says only OS X and Linux are tested. | Building requires macOS with Xcode 26 or newer, iOS SDK 15 or newer, Swift 5.9 or newer, Git LFS and an Apple Developer account for capabilities such as iCloud. |
| Distribution | The GitHub releases page states that there are no releases, and the README describes building the program with make. | The app is available through the App Store and sideloading channels including StikStore and SideStore. |
| License | Crater is distributed under the MIT License, which permits free use, copying, modification, distribution, sublicensing, and sale subject to its conditions. | The upstream Manic EMU source is licensed under GNU AGPL-3.0, with separate notices for bundled cores and dependencies. |
| Purpose | Crater is a Sega Game Gear emulator with an included Z80 assembler and disassembler, written in C. | Manic EMU is an all-in-one retro game emulator for iPhone and iPad. |
| Save states | Save states are not yet supported. | Premium supports unlimited manual saves plus 50 automatic slots, while the free tier provides three save states. |
crater plans
- FreeFree
Manic EMU plans
- FreeFree
- SideloadFree
- Sideload / GitHubFree
- Premium Monthly$0.99 a month
- Premium Monthly Plan$0.99 a month
- Premium Annual Plan$4.99 a year
Pick crater if…
crater may suit Game Gear players and programmers interested in a free emulator with Z80 assembly tools. It is aimed in part at people treating emulator development as a learning project.
Pick Manic EMU if…
Manic EMU suits iPhone and iPad users who want to play games from a range of classic systems. It may also suit players interested in RetroAchievements or multiplayer on eligible cores.