Alternatives to Stella
The reference Atari 2600 emulator, developed since the 1990s. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Stella
The reference Atari 2600 emulator, developed since the 1990s.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Stella.
MAME
Documents and recreates thousands of arcade machines, consoles and old computers, with accuracy as the point.
MAME covers thousands of arcade, console and computer systems with accuracy as its priority, but ROM sets must match exact versions and its interface is basic.
RetroArch
One front end for dozens of emulators, with unified settings, shaders and a controller setup you only do once.
RetroArch runs many systems through cores with shared settings, shaders and controller setup on desktops and phones, though cores can be less accurate than standalone emulators.
BizHawk
A multi-system emulator built for tool-assisted speedrunning, with rewinding, frame stepping, memory search and input recording.
BizHawk covers a wide range of systems with rewinding, frame stepping, memory tools and TAS recording, but it runs only on Windows and Linux.
Clock Signal
A latency-focused emulator covering dozens of 8- and 16-bit home computers and game consoles.
Clock Signal emulates dozens of 8- and 16-bit computers and consoles with a focus on low latency, but runs only on macOS and Linux.
OpenEmu
macOS emulator front end with a polished library interface.
OpenEmu is a macOS-only front end with a polished library interface and one controller configuration across systems, and its core updates depend on the OpenEmu team.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Stella as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Javatari
An Atari 2600 emulator that runs in the web browser, with netplay and save states.
Stella is an open-source GPL-2.0 Atari 2600 emulator for Windows, macOS and Linux with a debugger and broad cartridge coverage, but it needs installing instead of running in a browser.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
FCEUX
Full-featured NES and Famicom emulator with TAS and debugging tools.
Altirra
A cycle-exact emulator for Atari 8-bit computers and the Atari 5200 console.
Atari800
A portable, free emulator for Atari 8-bit computers and the Atari 5200 console.
Hatari
An Atari ST, STE, TT and Falcon emulator that closely reproduces the original hardware.
Gearsystem
An accurate Sega Master System, Game Gear and SG-1000 emulator with a built-in debugger.
