Android Emulators are one of the most amazing things for Windows PC and Mac users. Your computer becomes a dynamic device which can run other apps and software which are only compatible with another operating system like Android.
People, who never use an android emulator in a windows 10, 8 or 7 PC will always have this question in their mind that why would you need to download emulator if you have an Android smartphone which can simply run android apps and games without any other external tool? Well, it could be any reason for someone to run Android apps on a Windows/Mac PC. A developer who wants to test his apps before releasing the app to the public would use an Android emulator of their choice to test the app. Another reason could be that the person wants bigger real screen estate when playing android games with the use of physical keywords and mouse.
Using an Android Emulator will give a whole new experience with the little bit of a usual Android smartphone experience since the UI of the emulators (except some emulators) will be similar to an ordinary Android smartphone.
So today we are going to look at the 17 best android emulators for Windows PC and Mac. Particularly the Android emulators given in this guide are compatible with Windows 7/ 8/ 10 & Mac. This is a complete guide on, How to download and setup best Android emulator on PC? This article will give you a brief description of the android phone emulator and how and where you can download them.
Run your Apps on Windows and Mac PC. Here are 9 Free & best Android emulators software for Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7 including free and paid (developers & Home).
Best 7+ android emulator 2021 available here which are your search for here.Memu player, Nox player, Genymotion, Ld player, gameloop, and more emulators. Just a couple of days ago the first PREVIEW version of the Android Emulator for Apple M1 (Apple Silicon) Chips were released. I downloaded the latest version and tested it stand-alone and with a demo project via Android Studio and both worked just fine. Keep in mind that at this point the status is still PREVIEW and should not be. Android is a big platform which has many apps that are not present in Computers or other OS. So to enjoy all the apps and games on other OS emulator is the solution for this. Here are 10 Best. M1 MacBook air에 android studio를 다운로드했지만 에뮬레이터를 실행할 수 없으며 오류 만 발생합니다. 나는 맥에 대한 안드로이드 스튜디오 요구 사항을 검색하고 그것은 맥 OS 10이 필요하다고 말합니다.
These Emulators are available for free and are available for both Windows PC and Mac. So you don’t need to spend a penny to install and experience any of the Android emulator’s mentions in this guide.
Note that installing any of the Android studio emulators would require some kind of basic knowledge about Android, Windows PC, and Mac which almost everyone will have so I don’t think there should be any problem with this guide. This guide is very precise and if you read this article carefully and you won’t face any issue or whatsoever.
So here are 10 best Android emulators for Windows PC and Mac.
Contents
- 1 Android Emulator for Windows and MAC
Andy Emulator
Andy Emulator is completely free of cost, and you can download it from lots of third-party websites. You must be thinking that why I didn’t put Bluestack as the number one Android emulator for Windows PC and Windows. This emulator had few issues when it was first released, but with the few updates released by the developers, it has become a serious competition with the Bluestack. In my opinion, it is even better than the Bluestack Emulator. If you are using Windows 10 or Mac, then you should definitely try this emulator. The emulator is also available for Windows 10, 7 & 8.
Andy can run all the free android apps including games, launchers, productive apps, entertaining and education. You can even get root access with this emulator which makes this emulator very productive especially for the developers. However, it is not a perfect emulator, in fact, there is no perfect android emulator. All the emulators have at least one flaw which can be a deal breaker for someone. Andy Emulator will run Android 5.0 lollipop which is not up to date since the Android smartphones have to reach android 8.0 Oreo. Maybe in future updates, these emulators will get new OS version.
Nox Player
Bluestacks
BlueStacks Emulator is another great emulator, and it has been in the android emulator department for a while now. This is a very trusted android emulator for both Windows PC and Mac. The developers especially prefer this emulator over any other Emulator because of its dynamic ability. Although the emulator is still running on KitKat and you can download and install all the free android games as well.
Nintendo Emulators are one of the biggest reason why people use the android emulator on their computer because you can play all those legendary Nintendo Gameboy games on your computer with the help of Android Emulators like BlueStack.
BlueStacks is the oldest as well as the first private android emulator. So people who are using BlueStacks since the beginning does not even bother looking at other options.
Nox App Player
If you are a minimalist then you will fall for this emulator. Nox App player is an amazing android emulator, and it is the cleanest when it comes to the user interface of the app Nox App Player is preferable for the mobile gamers since this emulator consists of efficient game rendering engine which can run heavy games smoothly.
Nox App player is clean and gives you a stock android like experience. You can directly install games and apps from the google play store which is given in the app drawer. If you have apk installed on your Windows PC and Mac, then you can also install that apk. Make sure that you enable “unknown Source” which you can do from the settings app.
This emulator comes handy for developers as well. They can test their apps and work on them.
Dolphin Emulator
Dolphin Emulator is another great emulator for this list. Dolphin Emulator is one of the newer emulators in the market. It can run Nintendo GameCube and Wii emulator, so this is good news for Nintendo and Wii lovers. With these titles, you can download and play games like Mario, Sonic and street fighters on your PC.
However, Dolphin for Android has some games compatibility which is more limited than the one available on Windows and Mac. Dolphin is also available for Linux. Dolphone has touchscreen controls as well as physical controls like your joystick, keyboard, and mouse.
Although there is a compatibility issue with Dolphin, it allows you to configure the emulator in almost every aspect. You can also enable “dual Core” enhance the performance of the emulator.
Archon Emulator
Archon Emulator is the unique emulator in the emulator department. Archon Emulator is the first ever emulator which runs on Google Chrome OS. If you have one of those Google Chrome OS running devices and you want to run an Android Emulator, then you should definitely try this emulator I mean what another choice you even have.
The anchor can also run in Google Chrome Browser in the form of an extension. Archon cannot be download separately; you will need Chrome Browser and then install Anchor inside chrome to run this app. Google Chrome is available for all the major platforms so Mac users can also run on Archon Emulator.
Archon Emulator uses the default Android runtime package to run Android apps. Google is expected to release a new update which will support Android apps for Chrome browser in the future. Till then we can use Archon emulator to run Android apps and games in Chrome browser.
Archon has a modified apk android app package which the developers implemented so that people can use it for testing purpose only. So as long as you are not doing any fishy thing with this emulator, you are good to go.
KoPlayer Emulator
KoPlayer is not as good as the emulators mentioned above when it comes to the user interface, but it has lots of good features which makes it worthy of trying. This is a Win-only Android emulator. You get Google Play store inbuilt in the emulator, and it is compatible with Windows 7/ 8/ 8.1/ 10. Watching movies and videos from Youtube and Netflix makes this emulator a great entertainment companion since it has an adaptable resolution and you can watch contents in full screen.
Ko Player Emulator for windows PC has other good features like drag and drop for installing apps directly through apk files without downloading them from external sources. You can also navigate through the interface with keyboards and play games with it.
Make sure that you enable discrete graphics solution and virtualization technology in the BIOS settings before running any app.
Ko Player is yet to launch for Mac users so meanwhile, you can check on other android emulators which are compatible with Mac.
Genymotion Emulator
GenyMotion is another great emulator for developers. If you are developers who test a lot of apps on a regular basis, then you should give Genymotion a try. Genymotion is a self-claimed emulator for the developer because of its features. It is compatible with Android SDK tools, Eclipse and Android Studio.
You can sideload plugins for Genymotion to increase the control over the apps that you are testing.Genymotion has Java API which allows the user to automate apps for testing. BY testing with Java API, you can manipulate the sensor value of the app that you are testing. You can change the location and scenarios as well. You can also emulate fake SMS/Calls to check any relatable app you are working on. So basically this emulator is perfect for developers in my opinion, and it has all the geeky stuff which a normal consumer won’t get.
Remix OS
Remix OS is another emulator which is on the newer side. This emulator is easy to use without any errors or whatsoever. While most of the Android Emulators are running on Android KitKat or Lollipop, Remix OS Android Emulator for PC runs on Android Marshmallow. This is a huge advantage over another emulator because you can simply download and run more new apps and games on your MAC or Windows.
Remix OS has a feature called dual booting capability which means that you can easily install this emulator separately in x86 compatible systems.
Side-loading apk files are possible, but Google Play store is installed by default so you can get pretty much all the android apps from google play store. The user interface is simply because of the stock android like interface.
You can configure keyboards for your likings but I believe it can be more refined and also the demanding games needs optimization. However, you can run decent size games and apps simultaneously thanks to the effective resource utilization.
Remix OS is not available for Mac OS, and I don’t think it is coming for Mac OS any time soon.
Android Studio
Android Studio was released back in 2013, and since then it gains a lot of popularity. This emulator is a successor to the Eclipse IDE which is still in use by some old school developers. Android Studio has an emulator built-in so that developers can test their apps. So basically it means that an Emulator is running inside an emulator which is sort of a gimmick but it works.
Android Studio works fine, and it gets the job done. It has all the basic developer tools, but there are other Android emulators out there who are significantly better than this one. You can download Android Studio Emulator for playing games or trying out WhatsApp on your PC.
Xamarin
Xamarin Visual Studio is a successor to Xamarin Android Player. Unfortunately, Xamarin Android studio discontinued, but you can use it as Xamarin Visual studio.
Xamarin Visual Studio is compatible with both Windows PC and Mac OS. It runs perfectly on Windows 7/ 8/ 8.1/ 10.
If you are looking for developing android apps tools, then you might not want to use this app. This emulator is not developer friendly simply because it does not have the required tools.
Xamarin Visual Studio can run all the popular Android titles without any error. Laos if you have a touchscreen feature on your desktop and laptop then this emulator can also work with it.
The user interface is also not as pleasing as another emulator, and then navigating through the interface can be hard. All and all I would say that this emulator is not for the general consumer. You also need to install Visual Studio separately in order to run Xamarin Visual Studio
Virtual Box
Virtual Box is a software for Windows and Mac OS which can run other operating systems as a guest OS. You have to download and install VirtualBox & Android iOS for the initial setup. Speaking of setup, setting up this software and making it able to run other OS can be tedious for some user.
Once you complete the setup, you can have an experience with running Android OS or any other OS as it is running on a physical device that runs such OS. Other emulators are also based on VirtualBOX& VMware software.
Memu
Memu is a light android emulator. It does not take much of your computer space. This emulator is not available for Mac OS. Memu runs few kernels that support jellybean, KitKat and Lollipop. The developers of this emulator claim that this emulator will get marshmallow and Nougat update very soon.
Memu is a free android emulator, and although it not much in size, it has all the necessary features which other emulators also have. It can run on Windows7, 8, 8.1 and 10 with both Intel and AMD system (It can also run with or without any integrated graphic).
Droid4X
Droid4X is an old emulator which is still giving competition to other Android emulators out there. This classic emulator is somehow simple and effective. Runs smoothly on Windows PC and Mac. Droid 4X is concentrated towards gamers, particularly casual gamers who just want to kill time. When it comes to productivity, Droid4X is no slouch, and it can deliver some impressive performance to people who do productive tasks.
Droid 4x has recently faced some issue, and now I’m not sure whether the emulator is available or not. But you can check their website.
Youwave
Youwave is another old emulator but it still working and available for Windows PC and Mac. However, the emulator has not received any updated for years now. Youwave Android emulator is available in two versions, Freemium, and premium. You will get Ads and Ice Cream Sandwich in the freemium version. You must download premium version as it’s much better since it has no ads and runs on a lollipop.
Leapdroid
Leapdroid supports almost all the free android apps and games. You can download and run the apps pretty smoothly. Leapdroid has features like enhance gameplay, seamless apps and games compatibility.
The acquisition of Google has made the emulator vulnerable, and there is no update for this emulator anymore. You can still install this emulator, but you won’t get any security patches.
AMIDuOS
AmiDuos is not an emulator but software which can run Android apps. You won’t get any android like the interface, but that’s not the point here. People install Android emulators to run Android apps, and AMiDUos also delivers that. It runs only on Windows with 32 and a 64-bit system.
Bliss
Bliss is a decent android emulator which runs on x86. It is available for Windows PC. I don’t recommend this emulator to anyone simply because it has lots of compatible issues. Go for any other emulator mentioned above, but I think you should avoid this emulator.
So these are the best Android emulators that you can download and install on your Windows 10 PC and Mac OS. There are some Emulators which are not compatible with Mac OS, but every emulator in the list is compatible with windows.
Android Emulators are used for various purposes. Ready to use the Best Android emulator that acts as a target device to execute and test our applications of an android device. The Best Android emulator provides almost all the functions of a simple gadget. It moreover states the location of the gadget and re-enacts the distinctive speed of the network. It even accesses the Google Play store, and much more. There are so many emulators available on the internet. However, a lot of them do not function well.
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Contents
- 1 Best Android Emulators in 2020
- 2 Frequently Asked Questions
Best Android Emulators in 2020
Here are the top 7 hand-picked Android Emulators currently available in the market which you can use for both iOS and Android. So, let’s get started.
1. Bluestacks
BlueStacks is one of the most potent emulators of all Android emulators. It works well with both Mac and Windows. It even gets real-time upgrades and works truly well. This emulator is mainly designed for gaming enthusiasts. It has numerous functions that make it superior. BlueStacks upscale its speed up to 6-8 times compared to its past adaptation, which is the speed of the major portable device. Its most recent version runs on a 64-bit processor of Android 7.1.2, which progresses the accuracy, and productive memory utilization.
Features:
- Supports keyboard mapping
- Runs on a 64-bit version of android 7.1.2
- Preset game controlling
- Replicate real-time action in multiple instances
- Allows the usage of several languages
- Smart control features
Pros:
- Easy to use for beginners
- Supports multiple accounts
- Offers high frame rates
- HD graphics
- Greater storage
Cons:
- Not suitable for devices with less RAM
2. Game Loop
GameLoop is one of the Best Android Emulators designed specifically for gamers. It came to the market with the name Tencent Gaming Buddy. The emulator can be downloaded effectively, and the games run very well. But, this emulator isn’t great for efficiency and development testing. This can be a completely reasonable conventional gaming emulator, and it facilitates a good collection of more up-to-date titles. The keyboard navigation and execution are pretty good.
Features:
- Supports multiple languages
- Equipped with an anti-cheat feature
- Selection of variable screen size
- Customizable graphic levels
- Compatible with Windows software
- Allows video streaming from two main channels-Nimo and nonolive
Pros:
- Easy installation
- Better visibility and observation
- Resist hacks and frauds
- Immersive gaming experience
- Customizable keyboard feature
- Avoid malware and viruses
Cons:
Lacks appropriate gaming titles
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3. Memu Play
MEmu is another Android emulator, which is a well-known platform for gamers. One of the most apparent highlights is that it underpins both AMD and Intel chipsets. Most of the developers particularly consider AMD’s stage. It is quite similar to BlueStacks and such emulators. Its later modification includes smooth key-mapping together with the regular execution enhancements and bug fixes. It even runs impressively with various Android versions like Android Jam Bean, Pack Kat, and Candy.
Features:
- Supports AMD & Intel chipsets
- Allows multiple interfaces at a time
- Facilitates key-mapping
- Supports various languages
Pros:
- Well-designed interface
- Easy installation
- Provides powerful performance
- Multiple Android-kernels support
- Customizable settings
Cons:
- Sometimes it may have some bugs.
4. Genymotion
Genymotion is the kind of Android emulator that you should not miss out on. It functions really well with most of the Android apps and games, and with the most recent adaptation of the Android, it supports most of the latest apps and diversions. This emulator might have some bugs and issues, but they are fixable. It is compatible with Android Studio as well and also contains a great-looking interface. You will definitely appreciate your time on Genymotion.
Features:
- Provides plugins for Eclipse and Android Studio
- Available on Windows, OS X, and Linux also.
- Drag and drop installing feature
- Allow Android 2.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4 emulations.
- Multi-touch interaction
- Compatible with Android SDK and Android Studio
Pros:
- Robust Environment
- Appealing design and interface
- Upgraded features like OpenGL and Hardware Acceleration function
- Faster than other android emulators (based on x86 architecture)
Archon Emulator
Cons
- Allows the users to install and configure VirtualBox separately
- Not equipped with Google applications.
- The free version is very limited.
5. Android Studio
Android Studio is another excellent Android emulator for Android applications. It provides users with a lot of tools that aid the developers in creating their apps and diversions, particularly for Android gadgets. It moreover gives a built-in emulator, which is used to check whether your app starts faster or not. But mainly, the developers use this emulator for gaming purposes. The design of the Android Studio emulator is very confusing, especially for beginners. It even supports Kotlin and is great for developers.
Features:
- Rich layout editor
- Supported by Google
- Based on the well-functioning IntelliJ IDEA
- Built-in powerful Gradle tool
- Compatible with Linux, Windows, and Mac
- Allows GPU tracking feature
- Real-time regular updates
- Android debug bridge
Pros:
- Ability to test tons of API calls
- Automatic and replaceable references
- Extremely fast as compared to the previous versions
- Provides excellent support to integrate Google services
- Simulates the rotation and hardware sensors
- Support multiple devices
- 24/7 Google support
Cons:
- Uses a lot of memory
- Connectivity issues
- Sluggish on ARM version
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6. Bliss OS
Bliss OS is not like other android emulators. Rather, it is unique. This android emulator functions as an Android emulator for PC, which uses a virtual machine. Like a virtual machine, the downloading method turns out to be much simpler, but boring and conventional in case you never created your own virtual machine before. But, it’ll easily run on your device through a USB stick. However, the USB installation process might be a little cumbersome, but it lets your device run Android natively from the boot.
Features:
- Based on Android-x86
- Features AOSP Launcher 3
- Compatible with Linux and Android
- Offers multiple gamepads
- Additional security features
- Customizable settings
Pros:
- Robust performance
- User-friendly interface
- Tune battery consumption to an optimal level
- Aided with a desktop styled taskbar launcher
- Support ARM virtualization
- Fully open-source
Cons:
- Fewer features to support hardware.
- Not equipped for power users.
7. KO Player
KOPlayer is an Android gaming emulator that was mainly designed to deliver a free gaming thrill with a lightweight program. Due to its free availability, it has plenty of advertisements and pop-ups. It comes with keyboard mapping and gamepad emulation. It is based on x86 architecture, comes with advanced functions like OpenGL and hardware acceleration, which makes it more compatible than the other emulators. Moreover, this emulator may be a little buggy and makes it troublesome for the client to download the Android emulator on your device.
Features:
- Allows Multiple accounts
- Equipped with video-recording features
- Offers gamepad and key-mapping
- Compatible with a lot of applications
- Supports OpenGL and hardware acceleration
Pros:
- Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Inbuilt android marketplace
- Faster performance
- Infused with incredible video recording features
- Easy installation
Cons:
- Ad-supported
- Control mapping might be complicated for beginners.
- Sometimes the app may not run smoothly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is an android emulator? What does it do?
The Android Emulator simulates Android gadgets on your device so simply you can test your application on a wide array of gadgets and Android API levels without requiring to have each physical device. The emulator facilitates nearly all of the capabilities of a simple Android gadget.
You can simulate incoming calls and text messages. It indicates the location of the device, simulates distinctive network speeds, simulates rotation and other equipment sensors, allows access to Google Play Store, and serves many different purposes. For instance, you may transfer data instantly to the emulator instead of a device connected over USB.
Furthermore, testing android applications on emulators progress the speed and efficiency of the activity more than doing it on the real device. The Android emulator facilitates predefined configurations for some Android phones, Wear OS, tablets, Android TV devices.
2. What is the minimum requirement for the successful installation of Best Android Emulators on a device?
The Android Emulator includes additional requirements apart from the basic system requirements for Android Studio which are as follows:-
- SDK Tools 26.1.1 or even higher
- 64-bit processor
- Requires Windows- CPU with UG (unrestricted guest) support
- HAXM 6.2.1 or later (like HAXM 7.2.0 or more)
Android Studio Emulator M1 Mac Free
3. Which Android emulator is best for a very low-end PC?
Android Emulators usually require a lot of space to function smoothly. There are various lightweight android emulators suitable for PCs with two or 4GB of RAM and a below-average video card available on the internet like MEmu for gaming, Nox Player for multitasking and productivity. However, they might not be suitable in case of heavy usage. Preferably, in that case, Android Emulators like Bluestacks is highly recommendable as it requires PCs to be at least 8GB RAM, 32GB Free storage space, 4GB Graphic card to run nicely.
Android Studio Emulator M1 Mac Free
Conclusion
In a nutshell, it can be said that all the emulators bring something unique and distinctive in themselves. Some are a little easier to operate while others are a bit complex and may even require the use of tutorials. But all of these emulators serve your purpose pretty much. The best android emulators in 2020 stated above are all that a user, especially a gamer ever wanted, because it brings tons of exciting features with itself. Now, I would end my statement by stating that Android Studio is the best featured on our list. However, some of them are free while others are paid, but they all are well-equipped with impressive functionality.