We’re all well aware about the capabilities of the Android platform. There are smartphones today that can compete with a wide range of technologies. However, what makes those devices really tick is the core Android platform. But what if you own an iPhone and still want to try out Android phone ? Well, you no longer have to purchase an expensive (or inexpensive) phone to find out. There are best Android emulator for Mac today that can help you run and bring full compatibility with all the features of Android (without owning one), while some even update their emulators with the latest version of Android.
- Android Emulator On Mac
- Android Emulator On Mac Big Sur
- Android Emulator On Macbook
- Android Emulator On Mac Os
Read This Informative Review Of Top Android Emulators You can Use In 2021 for an Enhanced Gaming Experiece. Select the Best Android Emulator From This List. There are endless possibilities with an android emulator on your computer, even more than having a phone. There are tons of options when it comes to choosing.
With these Android Emulator For Mac, you can run apps for android, play games, and do pretty much anything like the Android device can (barring phone calls, obviously). Those are just the three main uses of a built in emulator. So we’re going to talk a bit about some of the most popular emulators out there. While some user friendly emulators are present here, we’re also going to talk about developer emulators that can help test out or run android apps and android games.
Instead of giving your only 5 best emulators, we are citing 7 on this post for cross platform. So let’s get to the best Android apps and games emulator for Mac.
Best Android Emulator For Mac
1. ARChon
ARChon is a little different than most of our best Android emulators for PC or Mac in that this one is actually a Google Chrome extension. That’s right — no installing a program on your machine and wasting precious storage space! It is comparable to a virtual machine, virtual device or virtual devices.
Of course, it’s certainly not nearly as seamless as a native program, as it can take a bit of fiddling to get apps and mobile games to work. To use ARChon, once you have it setup in the browser, you’ll have to push or drag APKs to load the apps within the browser. It’s a nice, free program for those that want to be able to use an Android emulator wherever there is Google Chrome.
Not sure where to find APKs for ARChon? You can find many of them for free over at almost any Android APK repository. Some of our most trusted and favorites are APK Mirror or APK Pure.
Download it now:here
2. VirtualBox
Believe it or not, you can actually use VirtualBox to create your own Android emulator for Mac. Download VirtualBox on your Mac machine, and then set it up with the necessary ISO image from Android-x86.org. You’ll be able to create an efficient emulator that allows you to play almost any game or app within Mac.
As an added bonus, VirtualBox gives you a lot of control over how much resources and hardware you devote to it. That allows you to keep your overall machine running smoothly while still running your Android operating system emulator in the background. VirtualBox is free to use; however, it is recommended that you have at least 8GB of RAM on your machine if you want to run this one.
Download it now:here
3. KO Player
KO Player is a relatively new entrant in the emulators game and is one of the newer Android emulators on the list. It markets itself as a mid-market emulator that can run apps and multiple games comfortably. While the focus is mainly on games, this is a full blown Android emulator, so it can run pretty much any app on the Play Store as long as it is compatible with the Android version. The company’s website doesn’t mention which version of Android it’s running, but talks about a few popular apps and games that are compatible with KO Player (WhatsApp, Clash of Clans etc).
It also comes with features like gameplay recording, keyboard gameplay support, and comes with the Google Play Store pre-installed. It is said that about 99% of the Play Store apps are compatible with KO Player. The best part here is that KO Player is a free download, and can be snatched up directly from their official website. As with any free offering, expect some minor issues during usage. However, the app developers are pretty keen on offering a fresh and refined experience through bug fixes.
Download it now:here
4. Nox Player
This is yet another decent alternative for gamers. It comes with the ability to run android games, support joysticks and controllers (assuming your Mac supports actual hardware controller support). There is zero lag during gameplay or general usage, so you can be assured of a smooth performance. Among the list of features here is the ability to keep multiple accounts on Nox, which is handy if you want to use it on the family computer. You will find that the emulator is compatible with pretty much every popular game and app right now.
Further, the emulator is compatible with x86 as well as AMD processors, thus bringing a variety of devices under its compatibility list and access to most Android games. Like with KO Player, Nox allows users to record their screen and share it on social media as they please. It’s one gaming oriented emulator can be very handy for graphics heavy games available as well as strategy games like Clash of Clans and Fortnite (which will reach Android emulation shortly).
More importantly, it’s light on your computer, much like helping it run smoothly and devoid of lag. This is also a free offering with no hidden caveats. Nox also offers the keyboard mapping feature, so the user can play more efficiently with mouse and keyboard. If you are one of those mobile gamers, this one is for you as it is considered as the Android emulator for gamers.
Download it now:here
5. Bluestacks
Bluestacks is probably the most popular Android emulator currently available in the market, and with good reason. This app has served Windows and Mac OS users for a few years now, giving them a viable way using Android on their desktop. This isn’t an ideal setup for developers, though, as Bluestacks is marketed for the masses. This means there will be some lag when you operate, although it’s rapidly diminishing with each update. The recent version of Bluestacks was updated to Android Nougat, making it the freshest Android emulator out there. It’s too soon to tell if and when Bluestacks will update its offering to Android 8.0 or even 9.0 as the latest Android version, so it will have active updates nearly every month.
As it stands, if gaming and social media is your priority, Bluestacks is an excellent emulator to have as it aims itself at gamers. GameLoop is an Android emulator that is used as a gaming platform. It can run all the heavy games and even offer key mapping support, which has become a prerequisite with modern day Android emulators and can bring the better or for worse Android app and game on your Mac. With the added smart keymapping along with a customizable game support, this android emulator is mostly going to boasts a gamer experience.
Bluestacks official emulator is entirely free to download, but will require a subscription per month for continued usage.
Download it now: here
6. Genymotion
One of the newer emulators if you want to run Android on your Mac is Genymotion. We are now coming to the dev-friendly emulators out there. You won’t find all the bells and whistles that you probably see with Bluestacks, Genymotion lets you test out how an Android device and version would work with a particular app or supports Android operating systems. For example, you can have a Nexus 4 running Android 5.0 or an even older device running that version like Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Kit Kat(assuming it’s compatible).
Genymotion can let you run an emulator directly on your PC or on the cloud, which very few emulators out there can do. This means you can share the functionings of your app with the rest of the world without them having to download a dedicated emulator.
This is a game changer for developers who like to get opinions on their projects from the masses or close associates. Naturally, the android emulator for PC option is also present, so you’re free to use it the old fashioned way. This isn’t a free version offering for personal use, though, so be prepared to subscribe to one of Genymotion’s plans to reap the benefits of all the features mentioned above.
Download it now: here
7. Android Studio
Google’s very own Android Studio emulator also comes with an emulator you can download, although it’s significantly less flashy than a few commercial use emulators and actually run android natively. However, it is updated frequently with new features. This is designed specifically for budding and experienced Android developers to test out their apps before it is pushed to the Play Store. It works with both PCs and Macs, so neither platform is left out. It has all the tools to build and design your apps, while the emulator feature allows you to glance through your creation.
Given the feature set, it is definitely not recommended for amateurs, as setting it up could take some time. Android Studio is a free download on both major platforms, and is a 880MB download for Macs. Though updating those services may take time, watch out for more active development in years with this productivity emulator.
Download it now: here
While these emulators offer a great experience for your Mac as it runs android apps/games like Call of Duty Mobile and PUBG mobile, this may also create a negative effect on your device as the level use might increase, especially with the battery life. Running multiple emulators may affect your device operation as it depends on the operating systems and hardware.
Always test your apps or test apps on the emulator you install once you’ve downloaded them and see the emulators ability to run smoothly and see if it is usable as a productivity tool for PC and Mac. There are still best android emulators that you can discover around the web that can run an Android app or game. The installation process may take longer than expected, depending on various factors such as internet speed and the likes.
If you find another Android emulator or free android emulator that is actually a fairly decent, actually works pretty well and that suits your taste, feel free to use it as long as it runs well or work well, gets the work done or the emulators run properly. You can use emulators as a productivity tool for video loading or loading video. Just find one that supports this kind of function. You might be able to get the price free for personal use just like PrimeOS Remix OS player and other Android Studio S emulator or ldplayer android studio.
Back in 2012, When I started using Android Apps and playing Android games on my Windows PC there were not many Android emulators out there to choose from.
But now in 2021, this situation is quite opposite to that. There are over 30 Android emulators available for Windows 10 OS and Mac OS.
So, if you are not an expert then it is really hard to pick the right one for your needs.
To give you the best advice I have decided to test most of these Android emulators myself. So that you don’t need to spend hours and days downloading and installing all of these Android Emulators.
After testing the simulators for days finally, I have come to my conclusion.
I have tested more than 20 Android emulators on my Windows PC and most of one most of them were not really good. But there are some really amazing Android emulators out there that we can use to play games or use any of our favorite Android Apps like Snapchat Instagram WhatsApp or any Other Android App. Here’s the list of the Best Android emulators for PC.
Here’s the overall difference between the major Android emulators.
| # | Best Overall | Best For Gaming | Best For Developers | Lightweight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Bluestacks | Gameloop | Android Studio | Youwave |
| Link | Download Bluestacks | Download Gameloop | Download | Download |
| Price | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Platform | Windows & Mac | Windows OS | Windows OS | Windows OS |
Before installing any Android emulator it is the most important thing you should know,
Most of the Great Android emulators Use a lot of your PC resources that means multitasking will become very difficult. Especially if your PC has a low configuration like an i5 processor and maybe 8GB RAM.
Even if you have a low configuration PC or laptop then you can still use these emulators but the thing is that The simulators will work better if you close all other softwares.
Once you have tried some of these Android emulators on PC, don’t forget to share which one is your favourite one and which App do you use the most.
So without any further ado let’s see the list of best Android emulators for Windows 10 PC and Mac.
1. Bluestacks – The Best Android Emulator
Bluestacks Android Emulator is probably the best emulator to use to run Android Apps on MAC or Windows 10 PC. The performance of the Bluestacks is excellent. You will experience unmatched Android performance with this emulator.
Bluestacks is easy to install and use. The User Interface is so good. Even a third-grade student can use Bluestacks emulator without any guidance.
It does not require any virtualization, and it is easy to install and play android games on Windows PC using BlueStacks Android Emulator.The great performance and user experience of Bluestacks come with a catch. Bluestacks slows down many PCs and Laptops significantly.
We need to keep installing some kind of Apps every day to keep using Bluestacks for free. This is the worst thing about Bluestacks App Player.
- Available for both Windows OS & MAC OS.
- Price: Free or $2 per month for premium features.
2. Nox App Player – Great Android emulator for macOS
Nox App Player Android Emulator is perfect for gamers. If you want to play Android games on Windows 10 PC, then you can use Nox App Player.
You can control and play games with a mouse and keyboard. Due to its speed, many use it to test their Android games.
It has a lot of exciting features like one-click to hide or show root. It has keyboard mapping, where you can use a keyboard if you want to click anywhere while playing games.
- Available for both Windows & MAC.
- Price: Free
Nox Player has built-in GPS controller settings, through which you can play GPS based games like Pokemon on Nox Player in Windows OS.
3. Gameloop – Great Android Emulator for Gaming
Gameloop emulator has launched just a year ago but this emulator has become very very popular within no time.
- If you want to play Android games then look no further, Gameloop is the best emulator to play games on PC for free.
- Right now this is the second most downloaded Android emulator on Windows PC with over 400 Million installs.
- The reason why this emulator became so famous within a short time is that it was developed by the Tencent company.
In case, if you don’t know about the Tencent company then you should know that it is the same company behind developing the most amazing games on Android mobiles that is PUBG and Call of Duty Mobile.
This is the official Android emulator to play PUBG and Call of Duty games on Windows 10 PC
If you’re looking to play only Android games on your Windows 10 PC then this is the only in Android emulator that you need to use there is nothing that can be compared to the Gameloop emulator.
When it comes to Android gaming performance on your Windows 10 PC, Gameloop is the best.
The only problem with the Gameloop emulator is that it is not available for Mac devices & It only supports Android games it does not support any other Android Apps as BlueStacks does. You can download Gameloop for free using the download link below.
- Price: Free
- Available Platforms: Windows 10
4. MEmu Android Emulator
- MEmu is another fascinating Android emulator for Windows 10 laptops.
- The latest version of Memu Player supports Android Nougat, and it is compatible with AMD and Intel Chipsets.
- It has a lot many features as it comes with root access. If you are looking for productivity and gaming, then the MEmu android emulator can be chosen.
- Memu is a free emulator.
- Memu emulator is not available for Mac OS devices.
Android Emulator On Mac
5. Android Studio – No 1. Android emulator for Testing Apps
- If you are new to Android emulators, then initially, you need to get your hands-on this Official Emulator.
- This is the official Android emulator released by Google for testing Apps in different Android versions.
- It is highly recommended for Android App developers.
- Developers can choose from 100’s phone models to emulate and see how the App works on different phones.
- It has a complete guide and documentation to make it easy to use, and you need to try it.
- Keep in mind that the setup of Android Studio very complex and I only recommend this for Android Developers, not for normal users.
6. Andy OS – Android emulator for low-End PCs
Android Andy OS is another unique emulator for PC. It stands unique when compared to other android emulators due to its unique features.
It allows you to use your phone as a remote control to play games. Using your desktop browser, you can install apps directly in Android Andy OS Emulator. It requires Virtualbox to be installed on your system.
7. YouWave – Great Choice for Windows 7
- YouWave is another Android emulator for Windows 10 PC. It has a lot of exciting features and is the best choice for Windows 10 PCs. It has got easy to use user interface and has gained popularity in a short period.
- YouWave Android emulator works with all Windows versions. It supports Android 5.1 Lollipop and has SD Card functionality. It supports dynamic rotating and can play multiplayer online games.
8. Windroy Emulator
Windroy is said to be one of the best Android Emulators for Windows as it runs on the Windows Kernel. It does not require any Virtual Box support the same as BlueStacks.
It is handy and easy to use. You need to make sure the path you install Windroy should not have spaces.
9. GenyMotion -Best Android Emulator for Enterprises
GenyMotion Android emulator for Windows 10 PC has salient features like OpenGL and support for hardware acceleration.
It is a bit different form of BlueStacks due to its unique features. It is faster when compared to BlueStacks as it is built on X86 architecture.
Genymotion is a cloud-based Android emulator. You can use Genymotion on AWS, GCloud, and other servers. Genymotion is primarily for developers who want to test their Android Apps performance and scaling up issues.
The price for using Genymotion on the cloud is $.05 per minute. As you can see it is definitely not for regular use.
10. Remix OS Player
- Remix OS Player is the new Android Emulator by Jade, and it comes with Marshmallow.
- It is straightforward to install and simple for productivity and gaming.
- It has a sidebar that helps you to customize the configurations. It does not support AMD Chipset.
11. Droid4X
- Droid4X is the lightweight Android emulator for your PC. This is good for users with old desktops and laptops.
- It has some exciting features, you can try this Droid4x once.
- It comes with Play Store pre-installed in it, and it allows you to configure your keyboard as a controller while playing games.
- It is fast and does not lag any of your games, and it is the right choice.
- Droid4x has been discontinued by the developers. I do not recommend this emulator for beginners.
12. Jar Of Beans
- Jar Of Beans is an Android Jelly Beans Android emulator for Windows 8/10 PC.
- It has priority worldwide and easy to install. You can configure settings as you want and can also create a Virtual SD Card.
- You can download apk and connect them using jar Of Beans.
- I do not recommend this for regular Android emulator users. Anyway, if you wanna give it a try then you can download it.
8. AMIDuos
AMIDuos is one of the recent Android emulators for Windows 10 PC and is perfect for gamers. It is straightforward to install and has an excellent user interface. It is said to be a smooth Android emulator and has things like gaming and productivity well.
It is not said to be developer-friendly as it does not have device-specific configurations, but on the user side, it is perfect to use android apps on Windows PC.
Note: This Android emulator has been discontinued by the developers. So, it is not wise to use this anymore.
14. Many Android Emulator
- Many Android Emulator is one of the underrated Android emulators.
- It comes with in-browser support, and it supports all android versions.
- So, if you are an android app developer, then you can use this to test your Android app in all versions without leaving it. It is easy to download, install, and check your applications.
15. Xamarin
- Xamarin Android Emulator is a must need an Android emulator if you want to work with a visual studio as it comes built-in with this.
- It also has Xamarin studio and OpenGL support. Xamarin is not suitable for normal users who want to run Android Apps on PC or Play Android games on Windows 10.
- Xamarin is for people who want to develop Android Games and Applications.
16. LDPlayer – Best Android Emulator for Windows 10
Bluestacks 1 gb ram download. LDplayer is recently released by XUAN ZHI INTERNATIONAL CO., LIMITED. The good thing about the LDPlayer is that you choose the Android OS version. This is the reason LDPlayer has become a choice for many people.
It works with all versions of Windows and is said to be the lightweight android emulator. Android Emulators for Mac Free download.
17. KoPlayer
KoPlayer is another best android emulator in this list, and it is best to play an Android game on Windows 10 Laptop. It has a lot of features that make KoPlayer unique from other Android emulators. You can record the emulator screen while playing games so that you can record the shared video of your gameplay. You can also use multiple accounts simultaneously.
Here are some of the frequently asked questions about Android Emulators.
If you are an Android developer, then you can use Android Emulators to test your Apps to know how it works.
Android Emulator On Mac Big Sur
There are many such reasons to use Android Emulators. If you are also looking for Android Emulators for Windows 10 PCs or Mac Laptops, then you have landed on the right page.
Android Emulator On Macbook
Android Emulators Conclusion
Have you ever thought of playing Android games on Windows PCs or MAC? Yes, you heard it right. Not only Android games, but you can also use any Android Application on Windows PC using Android Emulators.
Some applications look excellent in your mobile, and using them on the PC will be more impressive, and those same Apps will give you an incredible experience. There are many more such reasons to use Android Emulators on Mac OS laptops or Windows 8/7/10 PCs.
Note: Most of the Android Emulators would drain up your CPU, So I recommend not using any other software while running Emulators. This way, you will not run into any issues.
These are some of the best emulators for Mac & PC. If you have anything to add, please do let us know through comments.
Android Emulator On Mac Os
Contents