Best Windows Emulator For Mac 2017

Share 6 Best Android Emulator for PC & Mac 2018 with your friends. Let them get the fun of latest games and apps on their computer/laptop. Let them get the fun of latest games and apps on their computer/laptop. Best Android Emulators for PC Windows Android Emulator is a software which will let you Install Android apps on PC and Mac OS as well as Run them. Now, you might want to install your favorite Android App on your Laptop PC and Mac Books.

Mac Emulator For Windows 10
Best Windows Emulator For Mac 2017

There are a lot of valid reasons why someone would want to run Android emulators on their PC. App developers may be trying to test their application before shipping it out. Gamers may want to use a mouse and keyboard on their games. Maybe you just want it there to have it. In any case, Android emulation on PC is possible and we’re going to take a look at the best Android emulators for PC. Please note, the process can get quite technical and some of these require a bit of a learning curve. The market slowed down a lot in recent years with many old favorites (Andy, AmiduOS, and Leapdroid) permanently leaving the space or becoming unusable without tons of issues. You can find out about their fates at the bottom of the article.

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Who uses emulators?

There are three main uses for emulators. The first is the most common and it’s for gaming. Gamers can use emulators on their computers to make some games easier to play. They don’t have to rely on the battery life of their devices and the existence of macros and other tricks help the process. In most cases, these little tricks aren’t illegal (in most games) so nobody really has a problem with it. The best Android emulators for gaming include Bluestacks, MeMu, KoPlayer, and Nox.

The second most common use case is development. Android app and game developers like to test apps and games on as many devices a possible before launch. Usually the Android Studio emulator is fine for this kind of work. However, Xamarin and Genymotion are excellent for this type of use as well.

The final main type is productivity. This isn’t nearly as common because Chromebooks are cheaper and better for using Android apps on something other than a phone and most productivity tools are cross-platform. Any gaming emulator works as a productivity emulator to an extent. However, those with hyper specific use cases and a little knowledge can try ARChon and Bliss. Skylanders spyro adventure wii iso download free. The full list is below. Enjoy!

Android Studio’s emulator

Price: Free

Android Studio is the default development console for Android. It comes with a bunch of tools to help developers make apps and games specifically for Android. As it turns out, there is also a built-in emulator that you can use to test out your app or game. The setup is rather complicated and it can take a long time. Thus, it’s not one we would recommend for consumer level use. However, developers can simply use this tool as their emulator for testing their apps. It also supports Kotlin in case developers want to try that out. It’s too much of a pain for regular people, but it’s excellent for developers.

ARChon

Price: Free

ARChon isn’t a traditional emulator. You install it as a Google Chrome extension. It then gives Chrome the ability to run Android apps and games (albeit with limited support). It’s not an easy emulator to get running. You’ll have to install the thing to Chrome. From there, you have to obtain APKs and load them in. As an added rub, you may need to use a tool to change the APK in order to make it compatible. There are a lot more steps to make this work than most other Android emulators for PC. On the plus side, though, it works with any operating system that can run an instance of Chrome (Mac OS, Linux, Windows, etc). We linked to the official GitHub where you can find detailed instructions for its use.

Bliss

Price: Free

Bliss is something a little bit different. It works as an Android emulator for PC via virtual machine. However, it can also just flat run on your computer through a USB stick. This is definitely a power user option and not recommended for simple. As a VM install, the process is fairly simple, if tedious. The USB installation method is even more complicated, but it lets your computer actually run Android natively from boot. That makes Bliss a super unique emulator if you can make it through the steps to the end. Of course, it only really runs well if your system is compatible so be prepared with a backup of your current operating system. The system runs Android Oreo and that’s among the newer versions of Android offered on an emulator. This is a bit of a diamond in the rough, but again, we only recommend this one to the tech savvy.

Bluestacks

Price: Free / $2 per month

Bluestacks is the most mainstream of all Android emulators. There are several reasons for that. For starters, it’s compatible with Windows and Mac. It was also one of the first that worked really well that still gets regular updates. The emulator targets mobile gamers. There is a stigma with Bluestacks because it can feel a little bloated at times. Bluestacks 4 (launched in 2018) aimed to fix that with mixed results. It also includes key-mapping and settings for many games installed. That should help make things much easier. It’s one of the heaviest emulators on the list. However, it also has the most features for better or for worse. Recent updates put Bluestacks at Android 7.1.2 (Nougat), one of the most recent of any emulator. The update to Bluestacks 4 also improved speed, even on older computers. Hit the button below to check out one of our favorite Bluestacks games and don’t worry, there’s a button to download Bluestacks at the bottom of that page as well.

Stock your emulator with only the best Android apps and games!

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Droid4X

Price: Free

Droid4X is currently available, but it’s a tough one to recommend. It’s one of the classic Android emulators for PC and t features a simple design that should easily work for a lot of people. It markets itself towards gamers and boasts support for simpler, casual games. However, like most Android emulators, you can do productivity stuff if you want to. This one is not in active development anymore. Its last update was March 28th, 2016. Thus, we recommend you tread with caution as this could be a buggy and unstable product. Droid4x is also Mac compatible. We have the Windows version linked up, so Mac users will need to search a bit for it.

Genymotion

Price: Free with paid options

This Android emulator is mostly for developers. It lets you test your apps on a variety of devices without owning them. You can configure the emulator for a variety of devices with various versions of Android to help suit your needs. For instance, you can run a Nexus One with Android 4.2 or a Nexus 6 with Android 6.0. You can easily switch between virtual devices at will. It’s not great for consumer uses, but Genymotion does offer their services for free for personal use. It’s most useful feature is its availability on both your desktop computer and the cloud. Those without powerful computers can make Genymotion’s servers do all the work for them.

KoPlayer

Price: Free

KoPlayer is a newer Android emulator for PC (comparatively speaking). It has also managed to fly under most radars until recently. Its main focus is for gaming. You’ll be able to use key-mapping to emulate a controller with your keyboard. Players will also be able to record game play and upload it wherever they want. The install process is easy enough and it seems to work okay. It runs in a virtual machine like most other Android emulators for PC. It’s a middle of the road option and it’s also usable for productivity. There is the occasional but, but most emulators on the list have them. It’s not bad for a free option.

MEmu

Price: Free

MEmu is another of the up and coming Android emulators that seems to do quite well with gamers. One of its biggest features is support for both AMD and Intel chipsets. Most work on AMD processors, but it’s nice to see developers specifically pay attention to AMD’s platform. Additionally, it supports Android Jelly Bean, Kit Kat, and Lollipop. You can even run multiple instances at once for multiple games or testing features. It aims itself at gamers much like Bluestacks and similar emulators. However, it’s also quite usable as a productivity tool as well. Its most recent update was in late December 2018 according to its blog and that means its development is still in full swing. We appreciate that.

Nox

Price: Free

Nox is another Android emulator for PC for gamers. That includes the usual stuff like key-mapping with your keyboard, actual controller support, and even the ability to key-map gesture controls. For instance, you can assign the function to swipe right to an arrow key and use that in a game without actual hardware controller support. It’s a lot of fun and seems to work rather well most of the time. It’s also entirely free and in active development. The demo video below is rather old and it definitely ran better than that on my laptop.

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PrimeOS

Price: Free

PrimeOS is kind of a standout in the Android emulator space. It’s not actually an emulator. You install this as a partition on your computer and it boots up running native Android. It’s a gamer-focused Android experience, although you can totally use this for productivity if you really want to. PrimeOS includes a gaming center, support for mouse and keyboard, and access to most Android apps and games. To be frank, it almost runs like ChromeOS minus all the Chrome parts. You can multitask, watch video content, or play games as you choose. We haven’t tested this one in-depth yet as it is new in 2019 from an Indian start-up. We’ll update the article if we noticed anything peculiar about it.

Remix OS PLayer

Price: Free

Remix OS Player by Jide is one of the newer Android emulators for PC (comparatively speaking). It runs Android Marshmallow and that’s still relatively new compared to many of the others on the list. The installation process is pretty simple and using it also fairly easy. It caters mostly to gamers. There are a few gamer specific features along with a customizable toolbar. It boasts features like running multiple games at once. That said, it’s a fairly clean emulator so it’s still perfectly usable as a productivity tool. The site runs a little slow, though, and it hasn’t received a substantial update in a while and its social media accounts have been inactive since 2017. We’re concerned about this one in the long term, but it still works for now.

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Xamarin

Price: Free / Enterprise options

Xamarin is an IDE similar to Android Studio. The difference is that it can plug into things like Microsoft Visual Studio for an even larger development environment (for better or for worse). Also, like the Android Studio, this comes with a built-in emulator for app or game testing. In case it wasn’t readily apparent, we only recommend this one to developers. The setup is simply too tedious for regular consume use. Xamarin’s emulator is not as powerful as something like Genymotion, but it’ll get the job done if you intend on using this and it’s also configurable for your needs. It’s free for personal use. Companies and larger teams may have to negotiate a payment plan.

YouWave

Price: Free / $29.99

YouWave is one of the older Android emulators for PC. It’s been around for a long time. Its last update was in 2016, though. That makes it fairly current. The free version uses Ice Cream Sandwich. Forking out the $29.99 will get you the Lollipop version. We didn’t experience any major issues with either one. The installation process was easy enough. It doesn’t have any game specific features but it will still play games. That makes it good for light gaming and productivity. We haven’t seen a meaningful update in quite a long time, though, so even its Lollipop version is woefully out of date. We don’t recommend the premium version, but the free version works nicely for those who want an older emulator that runs older Android.

Build your own

Price: Free (usually)

As it turns out, you can build your own emulator. Here’s how it works in a nutshell. You need to download VirtualBox (linked above). You then have to download an image from Android-x86.org. From there, it’s just a matter of finding one of the many guides online and following the steps. This is easily one of the more difficult methods, but still not quite as tedious or difficult as setting up a whole IDE like Android Studio or Xamarin. We don’t recommend you try without a tutorial and a little prior knowledge. It won’t work well, it’ll be buggy, and unless you’re a coder, it’ll be difficult to fix. Still, it’ll be yours to customize as you please and who knows, maybe you’ll make and release an emulator that’ll adorn this list someday.

Thanks for reading! Here are a few more app lists to check out!
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If we missed any of the best Android emulators for PC, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists! Here are what happened to some old classics from the list:

1. - Leapdroid was purchased by Google and no longer operates.
  - AMIDuOS closed its doors officially on March 7th, 2018. Those who bought it can still get an installer if you follow this link and follow the instructions.
  - Andy began using some seriously not great development tactics, including suspected bitcoin mining without user permission. Until they get their stuff together, they are exempt from this list.
  - Most of the rest simply haven’t been updated or in active development in years and don’t really work well anymore with newer operating systems and hardware.

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Contents

Emulators are the best way to run Android apps on PC. Emulators have become fashionable. This is not surprising since they are easy to get and they offer you the means of benefiting directly.

Android emulators allow the users to run and test Android apps on the PC rather than on the phone. It allows the user to run Android on PC and check their apps on a computer.

Once the developer tests the app and makes sure it is free of any issues, the app goes out to the general public. The whole point of emulators is to facilitate the users and provide the ease of access.

Why Do We Need Emulators?

For those who are wondering why do we need Emulators, head below to understand some of the reasons why you should use Android Emulators on PC.

App developers use emulators to test their application before shipping it out.
Emulators provide a better gaming experience because of the availability of a mouse and keyboard.
You can configure the hardware specifications on emulators depending on your requirements such as You can set up OS version, CPU cores, RAM, SD Card existence, SD Card size, etc.
Android simulator provides a workaround for people who don’t have an Android phone or high-end Android device.

Run Android On PC With Best Android Emulators (2018)

There are some great emulators available in the market; some are free while others cost money. To make things easier, I am listing the best android emulators for pc that you can download and use.

Android Studio Emulator – Best For Development Purpose

Android Studio is a development IDE that Google approves and recommends to people who want to develop their apps. The software offers a lot of features that help the developers make their apps and games.

One such feature is the ability to use a full-fledged Android operating system through emulation. This emulator is for developers who want to test out their apps now and then.

Ability to choose from multiple APIs.
Easy to set up and learn.
The emulator comes for free.
Google officially supports it.

For many, Android Studio’s emulator just might be the perfect emulator. However, it is important to note that Google did not build this for consumer level use and more for the developers. You can download it for free, and start using it right away.

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Bluestacks 3 – Lets You Run Android on PC

Bluestacks or Bluestacks 3 is perhaps one of the oldest Android simulators available in the market at the moment. Apart from being oldest, it is also one of the most common emulators, and for all the right reasons.

Being rewarded the best emulator time and again, Bluestacks brings the ease of access to the consumer level. The emulator is extremely easy to use, comes with a lot of features, and has free and paid versions available.

Simple, clean, and easy to use.
Bluestacks 3 supports almost every app on Google Play Store or otherwise.
Allows the user to launch multiple instances of apps.
Allows you to adjust the keys to your liking.

It is nice to see Bluestacks 3 become a fantastic android simulator for PC. While the start was not the smoothest, it has become a lot better over time. In case you need Bluestacks alternatives.

Andy – Best Gaming & Productivity Android Emulator For PC

Andy is a handy little emulator for PC that has been around for some time now. While the early version had some issues, most of the bugs do not exist anymore. Ever since its release, there have been a handful of fixes.

At this point, Andy is the perfect replacement for people who do not want to use Bluestacks or some other Android emulator that is available. Andy is capable of running the entire catalogue of Andriod apps that are available.

You can even grant root access if you want to test the apps that require root access to work. Andy can also run on Mac, providing the best possible experience to the users on both operating systems.

Gives root access to the apps that require it.
Available for use on Mac.

The easy to use nature, and the bug-free user experience makes Andy one of the best Android simulator for Windows.

AMIDuOS

The next emulator I’m looking at is called AMIDuOS. Now the emulator has a weird name. AMIDuOS is the first Android emulator on my list so far that has a free trial, and 2 paid versions. One is Jellybean, and the other one is Lollipop; both have different prices.

The good thing here is that these are one time charges, and you will not need to pay the expenses again. Using AMIDuOS is easy, once you have set it up, it is a walk in the park. Most of the features on AMIDuOS focus towards productivity.

Quickly test your developed apps for bugs.
Install unlimited amount of Android applications.
Light on resources.

Unlike some of the other emulators available, AMIDuOS is not something that focuses on gamer-oriented features, or developer-oriented features. It is a pretty basic Android emulator that can test all your apps without an issue.

Droid4X – Best For Gamers

For many, the Droid4X has some ups and downs, and it is not the perfect emulator. However, its simplicity means that it works well in all situations. The emulator is created with Android gamers in mind. Hence, the focus primarily lies on the games.

Since Droid4X is mainly for Android games, it can run the entire Android game library with ease. However, if you want to, you can use it for productivity purpose as well. Sure, your experience may vary, but it should work smoothly.

The emulator is simple to install and more straightforward to use.
The emulator focuses more on Android gamers.
Droid4X comes for free.
Has a Mac version available too.

Droid4X is not the perfect Android emulator, but it is the one that will get your job done All thanks to its simple interface and polished experience.

Genymotion – Best Emulator To Run Android On PC

If you are a developer who always needs a device running a different version of Android just so you can efficiently check your apps, then Genymotion is excellent. This emulator is for developers who need to test their apps and games on multiple devices without having the devices.

The developers can configure the emulator to emulate different versions of Android like 4.2 or 6.0. While this may not be very important for the general consumer, it is fantastic for developers. They can make sure their app works on all Android versions without any issue.

Genymotion allows efficient switching between all the created devices.
Good for the developers.
Free for personal use.

When it comes to Android emulators, I believe Genymotion is a step in the right direction. The fact that the services are free for personal use is something I admire. The emulator can be used for purposes other than development as well.

You can even play your favourite Android games without any issue whatsoever.

Nox Player (BigNox)

If you want an Android simulator strictly for playing games, then Nox is the right option for you. Available for free, this Android emulator for windows pc aims to bring a right amount of control to the gamers. It gives the user some a slew of advanced features and controls.

The features revolve around making sure that gamers get the most out of their experience. Nox is one of the few emulators that will allow you to use a full-sized game controller to play your games. Talk about having a good experience, eh?

Nox offers several gamer-oriented features.
Nox supports a full-sized controller for games.

If you are wondering about productivity, then yes, you can test your apps on Nox. However, keep in mind that it is primarily made for gamers. It is also free to download.

Remix OS Player

Remix OS Player was a surprise as soon as its arrival, and that too for many reasons. For starters, it was one of the first few Android simulators for windows that were running Android 6.x Marshmallow. Other emulators were still on the older OS versions.

That is not all; Remix OS Player is also incredibly simple and straightforward when it comes to setting up. Once you are done, you can start using it the way you would want it to use. There are some handful of features in this Android emulator.

Easy to install and setup.
Runs Android 6.x Marshmallow.
The emulator caters to gamers and developers alike.

On paper, and during use, the Remix OS Player is a reliable option for everyone who wants to get their hands on an Android emulator. It is easily one of the best Android emulators available for download, and yes, it is free.

The only downside to it is that it does not support AMD CPUs. However, that may change shortly with an update.

Virtual Box

Virtual Box is something different than the rest of the best Android emulators on the list. Apart from just being different, it is also the most difficult “emulator” available. Virtual Box is not an emulator per say. Instead, it is a tool that will help you create your own.

You are going to need a couple of other tools like some images from Android-x86.org. Once you have the images, it is all up to how well you’re with commands, and find guides on the internet.

Allows the user to create their emulators.
Hundreds of guides available.
Completely free.

This “emulator” is only recommended if you are someone who knows how to code. It is almost like an exam, you will have a lot of bugs in the beginning, but you can iron them out. Once you create the perfect version, you can call it your own.

Sure, it is very challenging and impossible for a person who does not know how to code. However, for someone who likes to code, this is a great start.

YouWave

YouWave can be considered as an Android emulator from the Jurassic era. That is because it is one of the older Android simulators for PC. However, the good thing is that it is still relevant since it got an update last year. The emulator is available for free and paid versions.

The free version does get you pretty much everything, but your OS will be Ice Cream Sandwich. However, paying $29.99 will get you Android Lollipop, and I hope it gets the update to the latest Android OS.

Can play games, and handle productivity.
Easy to install and set up.

Now the use tells that YouWave is not meant for gamers. Yes, there is some lightweight gaming that can quickly be done since it will play games, just not have specific features.

The emulator focuses more on the developers, that explains the slew of development options that are available for you to use. It is good to see an emulator concentrate on development.

ARChon – Only Browser-based Emulator For Android

You cannot call ARChon an emulator per say, but it does work as one. Users have to install it in Google Chrome, and once the installation is complete, you can load APK files and use them as you would please. It is neither made for gaming, nor for development.

However, it is excellent when it comes to quickly running and testing your apps to see if they work. The installation process is tricky, but the fact that you only need Google Chrome, and some basic knowledge to get it working is the reason why it is here.

ARChon does not require proper installation.
Free to use.
Extremely lightweight.
Compatible with Mac, PC, and Linux.

Luckily, all the information that is necessary for running this emulator is already included in the link that I am mentioning at the end. Although you are going to have a hard time installing the emulator.

Mac Emulator For Windows 10

The fact that it can run on all operating systems that support Google Chrome is fascinating, and it does not take up much of the resources either.

KoPlayer – Reliable Android Simulator For PC

So far, KoPlayer is the emulator that not a lot of people pay attention to or let it fly under their radar. That is because it is the newer kid on the block, but shows a lot of promise at the same time. It is a gamer-centric Android emulator for windows.

Since the emulator caters more towards the gamer, you get features like the ability to remap. You can even emulate a controller with your keyboard. One unique feature about KoPlayer is that it allows players to record their gaming footage, and upload it anywhere.

KoPlayer allows the players to record and upload their footage.
It is easy and straightforward to install.
The emulator allows button remapping and other gamer-oriented features.

There are several good things about KoPlayer, its dedication towards people who want to play Android games on their computers is admirable. At the same time, there are some bugs down the road that need ironing out.

In short, KoPlayer is the top Android simulators that you can call “middle of the road”, there are some bugs, but it is also free and simple to understand.

MEmu – Supports Both AMD And Intel chipsets

It is hard to find Android simulators for PC that are focusing more on making the lives more comfortable. For instance, several emulators that I check do not support AMD chips. Well, MEmu is among the few that does. It is a relatively new emulator, meaning it has some miles to cover.

It comes with support for Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Lollipop. I hope to see more of the latest OS versions in an update. It also supports the ability to run multiple instances of different apps or the same ones.

This feature is particularly important for developers who want to test the same app on different OS versions. MEmu lets them do the testing without creating any hiccups. Even after that, it does not tout itself as a developer-centred emulator.

Allows the developers to run multiple instances of apps.
Supports Android Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich, Lollipop.
Easy to install.

There is no denying that MEmu is the almost perfect mix of every useful feature you can find on this emulator. Though I would say that it is best if you use this emulator development and productivity tasks more.

Xamarin

Xamarin more of an IDE than an emulator; you can say that it is like Android Studio, but there are quite some differences. To begin with, Xamarin has a list of different features than Android Studio.

For starters, the Xamarin can plug into the Microsoft Visual Studio, and for those wondering, it does offer emulation just like Android Studio does. It caters to both developers and gamers alike.

The emulator caters to both developers and gamers.
Easy to install for the most part.
Free for personal use.

Now you need to know that Xamarin will provide you excellent developer options, but for that, you are going to have to set it up that way. It is not difficult if you are a developer, but can create issues for newcomers.

Xamarin is free for personal use, but companies and development teams will have to go for payment plans.

Windroy – Not Reliable For Gamers

Most of the emulators that are in the list focus more on the modern hardware, and play well with it as well. This means that older machines do not get much love from the emulators. Windroy does things differently as it is made for older computers.

It is highly focused on productivity, and you can run the majority of your office apps on it with ease. It does not go well with games and is not very reliable. However, if you have a machine with dated hardware, Windroy is a perfect fit.

Windroy works brilliantly on older hardware.
Straightforward, and efficient installation.
Can run most office apps.

It will be hard to say that Windroy is the perfect Android emulator, but it is excellent, and there is no denying that. It comes for free, works well on older machines, and is suitable for productivity.

Top Android Emulators Compared Based On Features Set

We hope this comparison is going to help you decide the best Android simulator based on your needs to run Android on PC.

Final Thoughts

The Android emulators for PC mentioned above are the best available in the market right now. They all are equally good, and the final decision goes into the hands of the person who’s going to use it. Everyone has their requirements which bring us to the point that you have to compare and see which of the emulators suits you the best. That being said, you have to understand that you can’t find everything in a single software and hence you have to get your priorities straight.

After testing all the Android emulators for PC/Windows, I can only say that they are excellent. Sure, some of them are not meant to run on the older hardware, but it is okay. What I like is how there is a perfect mix of Android emulators that are built for productivity, and those that are made for gaming and even for development purpose.