Emulator privacy ratings
Game console and Android emulators, and tools for running Windows apps on other systems.
17 emulators and compatibility layers are rated against 4 public criteria, and 17 have enough evidence for a letter grade. Of the 4 with a known jurisdiction, 3 are based in a Five Eyes country, and 4 in the wider Fourteen Eyes.
Open-source emulators and compatibility layers only · Criteria for this category · Suggest an addition · Markdown
| Name | Grade | Score | Data | Jurisdiction | Open source | No trackers or telemetry | No ads or data sales | Independent audit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Open source Nintendo 3DS emulator based on Citra, for desktop and Android. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Open source emulator for the Nintendo Wii U. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Emulator for the Sony PlayStation (PS1) for desktop and Android, with source code published under a non-commercial Creative Commons license. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Open source emulator for arcade machines and many vintage computers and consoles, aimed at preserving and documenting hardware. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Open source emulator for the Sony PlayStation 2. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Open source tool that runs a full Android system in a container on Linux, using LXC and Wayland. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Research Android emulator for Windows, built on QEMU, that runs Android-x86 and renders graphics through a technique called graphics projection. Released as a beta research artifact. |
Grade D | 50 | 100% | – | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Open source compatibility layer that runs Windows applications on Linux, macOS and other Unix-like systems. |
Grade D | 50 | 100% | – | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Open source emulator for the original Microsoft Xbox, based on QEMU. |
Grade D | 50 | 100% | – | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Open source emulator for the Nintendo GameCube and Wii consoles. |
Grade D | 40 | 100% | – | Yes | No | Partial | No |
Google's emulator for running Android virtual devices on a computer, included with Android Studio and based on QEMU. |
Grade F | 30 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | Yes | No | No | No |
Open source emulator for the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). |
Grade F | 30 | 100% | – | Yes | No | No | No |
Open source frontend for the libretro API that runs emulators, game engines and media players (cores) through one interface. |
Grade F | 30 | 100% | – | Yes | No | No | No |
Open source emulator for the Sony PlayStation 3. |
Grade F | 30 | 100% | – | Yes | No | No | No |
Commercial Wine-based compatibility layer from CodeWeavers that runs Windows applications on macOS, Linux and ChromeOS. |
Grade F | 25 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | Partial | No | Partial | No |
Closed source Android emulator for app development and testing, offered as a desktop app and as a cloud service. |
Grade F | 20 | 100% | France Nine Eyes | No | No | Yes | No |
Closed source Android emulator for running Android apps and games on Windows and macOS. |
Grade F | 0 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | No | No | No |
Questions
What is the most private option among emulators and compatibility layers?
No pick has been made yet. The table above is sorted by score, based on public evidence.
How are emulators and compatibility layers rated?
Each entry answers 4 questions: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and independent audit. Answers need links to evidence. See the full criteria.
Does jurisdiction matter?
Jurisdiction decides which laws can compel a provider to hand over data. Each entry shows its country and whether it is in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes. The data a provider can hand over depends mostly on what it stores and who holds the keys. Read about jurisdictions and the CLOUD Act.