Jul 17, 2017 To run the emulator in Android Studio, make sure you're using Android Studio 4.1 with version 30.0.10 or higher of the Android Emulator, then follow these steps: Click File Settings Tools Emulator (or Android Studio Preferences Tools Emulator on macOS), then select Launch in a tool window and click OK. This video shows How to install apk emulator android studio or adb install apk emulator and with command line avd apk install. Have mac than install apk.

• Google Android Emulator
• Android Studio Install Emulator
• Android Studio Mac Emulator Online

There are a lot of legitimate causes why anyone would need to run Android emulators on their computer. App developers is also seeking to test their application before delivery it out. Gamers may want to use a mouse and keyboard on their video games. Maybe you simply need it there to have it. In any case, Android emulation on computer is possible and we’re going to take a look on the 15 best Android emulators for computer.

What is Emulator ?

In computing, an emulator is hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the host) to behave like another computer system (called the guest). An emulator typically enables the host system to run software or use peripheral devices designed for the guest system. Emulation refers to the ability of a computer program in an electronic device to emulate (or imitate) another program or device. Many printers, for example, are designed to emulate Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers because so much software is written for HP printers. If a non-HP printer emulates an HP printer, any software written for a real HP printer will also run in the non-HP printer emulation and produce equivalent printing. Since at least the 1990s, many video game enthusiasts have used emulators to play classic (and/or forgotten) arcade games from the 1980s using the games’ original 1980s machine code and data, which is interpreted by a current-era system.

What is Emulator ?

An Android emulator is an Android Virtual Device (AVD) that represents a specific Android device. You can use an Android emulator as a target platform to run and test your Android applications on your PC. Android Emulator is used to run, debug and test the android application. If you don’t have the real device, it can be the best way to run, debug and test the application.

The Android Emulator simulates Android devices on your computer so that you can test your application on a variety of devices and Android API levels without needing to have each physical device. The emulator provides almost all of the capabilities of a real Android device. You can simulate incoming phone calls and text messages, specify the location of the device, simulate different network speeds, simulate rotation and other hardware sensors, access the Google Play Store, and much more.

Testing your app on the emulator is in some ways faster and easier than doing so on a physical device. For example, you can transfer data faster to the emulator than to a device connected over USB. The emulator comes with predefined configurations for various Android phone, tablet, Wear OS, and Android TV devices.

Android Emulators are seemingly becoming more popular as Android’s popularity keeps growing. From developers testing apps to Gamers playing on a large screen, users yearn for experiencing Android OS on a Windows PC, complimented with a mouse and keyboard.

Who uses emulators?

There are three foremost uses for emulators. The first is the most original and it’s for gaming. Gamers can use emulators on their computer systems to make some video games less difficult to play. They don’t ought to depend on the battery life of their devices and the existence of macros and other tricks aid the system. Probably, these little tips aren’t unlawful (in most video games) so no person quite has a problem with it. The quality Android emulators for gaming comprise Bluestacks, MeMu, KoPlayer, and Nox.

The 2nd most customary use case is development. Android app and game developers like to test apps and video games on as many gadgets a viable before launch. Traditionally the Android Studio emulator is pleasant for this kind of work. However, Xamarin and Genymotion are excellent for this style of use as good.

The final most important type is productivity. This isn’t nearly as original considering that Chromebooks are more cost effective and better for using Android apps on whatever as opposed to a telephone and most productiveness tools are cross-platform. Any gaming emulator works as a productiveness emulator to an extent. Nevertheless, those with hyper precise use instances and a little bit knowledge can are trying ARChon and Bliss. The full list is below. Revel in!

There are some great emulators available in the market; some are free while others cost money. Here i am listing the best android emulators for PC and Mac that you can download and use.

Android Studio Emulator

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.

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.

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.

ARChon

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.

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.

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.

Bluestacks

Bluestacks or 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.

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. However, it has the ability to launch multiple instances so you can play multiple games at once (or the same game multiple times). 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. It should work well on most reasonably recent computers and laptops.

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.

Droid4X

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.

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.
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.

Genymotion

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.

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.

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.

KoPlayer

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.

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.

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.

MEmu

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.

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.
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Andy

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.

Windroy

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.
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.

Bliss

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.

PrimeOS

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 2020 from an Indian start-up. We’ll update the article if we noticed anything peculiar about it.

Phoenix

Phoenix OS is a private computer operating system based on the Android platform. When you are searching for an alternative to your default OS, this utility software is worth checking out.

It comes with the best functions and features of classic operating systems while also supporting millions of mainstream Android applications. You can play with it freely in any environment may it be for your home, office, or at school.

As mentioned, Phoenix OS is an Android-based OS. Emulator based on the Android-x86 project, it is GPL-2.0 compliant and installs on many kinds of 86-based hardware. It is fully compatible with the Android ecosystem which allows you to download and use Android applications and games. You don’t need to install a separate emulator. Moreover, with Phoenix OS, you can use and play any Android game on your PC with 30+ fps—that is, if you’ve met the requirements of Pentium 4 cores with 8 GB RAM. Even Intel GFX would also run which is a heavy game like MC5, Kritika, and PUBG. Usually, however, puzzle games never lag on this OS.

LDPlayer

LDPlayer is a unique android OS emulator that is fully determined on providing you with one functionality – flawless running the most recent and popular Android smartphone games directly on your PC.

Optimized with great things to take full benefits of your PC hardware (such as much stronger CPU, GPU, Storage, and RAM hardware than on any portable Android device), and with great things taken to provide perfect compatibility with the latest gaming titles, the app represents the best way you can transform your home PC or laptop into a gaming machine that runs the latest mobile software.

In addition to an excellent experience in handling the latest gaming titles, LDPlayer Emulator also prides itself on its full online compatibility. You can play both solo and multiplayer games on your device, like a Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, Arena of Valor, Free Fire, etc, with very good latency and bandwidth speeds that are offered by your landline connection to the online world.

Gameloop

Gameloop is an Android emulator and gaming platform. The gaming utility tool will allow you to play games published by Tencent and other mobile games on your PC.

At that time, you can use it to discover, download, and play popular Android games. GameCenter is a platform that allows you to install Android games such as Call of Duty, PUBG, Clash of Clans, and Clash Royale. You will see that Gameloop is capable to display sharp and vibrant graphics. This is made possible by PC rendering hardware. It delivers the same visual standard quality as a smartphone, allowing mobile gamers to enjoy their game on any screen.

PUBG Mobile is designed exclusively from the official Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds teams for mobile. PUBG Mobile is an online multiplayer battle royale game designed developed by Tencent Games with the most intense free-to-play multiplayer action. It is a player vs player shooter game in which up to one hundred players fight in a battle royale, a type of large-scale last man standing deathmatch where players fight to remain the last alive. Survival is the key and the last one standing wins. Fast and Accurate Controller with Mouse and Keyboard.

Every detail matters. DOWNLOAD Version 6.6.1.3 2020/10/10. Google Drive Version Log Mac Version. New Android 7 Play mobile games on PC with powerful Android 7. I've played free fire with NoxPlayer for over a year and I've not met a better lightweight android emulator that renders me smoother game-play on my PC. The download links are updated whenever there is a new version of a specific android emulator is released. All the links we provide are direct download links and have resume support. We recommend using a download manager to download those files.Our Favorite is Internet Download Manager.

If you are looking for Android Emulators for PC & Mac, you want to do at least one of the following – develop apps for Android or, you want to enjoy Android games on a big screen. There may be other reasons as well like testing out a new ROM or perhaps you are just planning on making a switch from iOS to Android and want to get a taste of Android before you end up making the actual switch.

In this article, I will sum up the best Android emulators for PC & Mac that I have personally used and tested to find out their strengths and weaknesses. I will rank them in the order of my preference but albeit, you may have a different order altogether.

1.BlueStacks

BlueStacks is one of THE MOST POPULAR emulators available today. It has been in the market for quite some time. One of the primary reasons why I used BlueStacks was gaming.

Why not productivity? That’s simply because I have access to every productivity tool I need on my desktop. I don’t need an Android device for productivity and as far as mobility is concerned, I will definitely not carry around my desktop to work with BlueStacks!

While on the move, I will be invariably stuck with a tiny device (running Android) that will anyway cripple my productivity. So, I find whining about BlueStacks performing sluggishly while dealing with productivity tools senseless.

Pros of BlueStacks

• BlueStacks has a super easy setup. Just download, install, put in your Gmail login credentials, and you are good to go!
• Not only did BlueStacks allow me to access Play Store, but it also gave me access to its very own app store that has apps optimized for BlueStacks!
• It has a clean and intuitive interface that makes navigating around quite simple!
• It allows keyboard mapping. It found it quite beneficial while playing games.
• It supports multiple accounts!
• It is a freemium software, which means that you can test it for free before you decide to make a purchase.

Cons of BlueStacks

• It doesn’t perform well with touch gestures. So, before you go ahead and install it on a touchscreen-enabled laptop, think twice. I will instead suggest sticking around with your keyboard.
• Because BlueStacks’ free version is meant to remain free forever, you will occasionally see advertisements popping up. That’s quite frustrating.
• On computers with low-end hardware, BlueStacks gave significant lags while playing games. So, if you don’t like delays (which no one does), don’t bother putting it on laptops or desktops that do not have powerful hardware.

Minimum System Requirements for BlueStacks

I installed and used BlueStacks 4. This version has the following minimum system requirements:

• OS – Windows 7 or higher.
• AMD or Intel Processor.
• At least 2 GB RAM.
• At least 5 GB of free space on your hard disk.
• Administrator rights to your PC.
• Up-to-date graphics driver from chipset vendor or Microsoft.

The minimum system requirements for running BlueStacks 4 on Mac are:

• OS – macOS Sierra (10.12), High Sierra (10.13), or Mojave (10.14).
• Minimum 4 GB RAM.
• Minimum 4 GB of free space on the hard disk.
• Up-to-date graphics drivers from the manufacturer of the graphics card.
• Latest App Store updates applied on Mac.

This is the minimum requirement, but BlueStacks has what is called recommended system requirements for best performance. Do check that out.

2.GameLoop

Honestly, I have a mixed feeling for this one in particular, and I don’t know whether to hate it or love it. It was previously known as Tencent Gaming Buddy. It has exclusive support for CODM or Call of Duty: Mobile, but it does support other games as well. What made me say that I don’t know whether to hate it or love it? Read the pros and cons to find out!

Pros of GameLoop

• It is highly optimized for CODM, and the experience is surprisingly smooth, with no lags or stuttering! That was a pleasant surprise.
• It has support for PUBG Mobile.
• Completely free.
• Excellent integration of keyboard and mouse!
• Shallow system requirements. Mostly it can run on a gaming PC that was built back in 2005!
• It is a minimal app and doesn’t eat up much space on my computer’s hard disk. So, I don’t mind keeping it installed forever!

Cons of GameLoop

• It can play a limited number of games and supports a very limited number of apps. It was designed and developed specifically to be compatible with Call of Duty: Mobile.
• It is not available for Mac users. Bad luck!
• Because it has minimal support for apps, it is useless for app developers.

Minimum System Requirements for GameLoop

This thing can run literally on a dinosaur. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to test it on a system with low-end hardware because my desktops are quite powerful and can run almost every resource-intensive game or application I throw at them. But if you don’t have a high-end computer, here is a quick list of the primary system requirements:

• A dual-core CPU either from Intel or AMD clocked at 1.8 GHz.
• Minimum 2 GB RAM.
• Minimum 1 GB of free space on your hard disk.
• OS – Windows 7 and above.
• GPU – ATI/AMD Radeon HD2600/3600 or Nvidia GeForce 8600/9600GT.

3.MEmu

MEmu Play is a relatively new player in the market. It was launched back in the year 2015 and it is based on Android Lollipop. It is quite decent for gaming but does exceptionally well in dealing with productivity apps. Here are the pros and cons that I found while using MEmu:

Pros of MEmu

• To start with, MEmu Play is very fast.
• Though it is based on Android Lollipop, it can actually support other versions like Jelly Bean and Kit Kat.
• It comes with support for both Nvidia and AMD chips.
• The key mapping feature is terrific.
• You can even set virtual locations on Google Maps.
• It supports a lot of Windows operating systems, including XP, Windows 7, 8, and 10.
• It allows you to launch multiple instances and play games separately in each situation. Alternately, it also allows running multiple accounts on a single instance for the same game.
• Best of all, it is free.

Cons of MEmu

• Though MEmu touts of high performance in gaming, it is not true! I will like to see better performance in graphics.
• It has no support for Mac.

Minimum System Requirements for MEmu

• You need to have Intel or AMD CPU with either 32-bit support or 64-bit support.
• OS- Windows XP (SP3), Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10.
• You will need at least 2 GB of RAM.
• You will need at least 2 GB of space on the hard disk.
• Your BIOS should have Hardware Virtualization Technology enabled.

While these are the basic requirements, it works best with recommended system requirements. Do check out the recommended requirements.

4.Android Studio

In my experience, use this emulator only and only if you are trying to develop an Android app or if you want to play fundamental games. Android Studio is not a proper emulator. It is a development IDE. IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment.

There is an integrated emulator that you can always use, but even it is best used for testing different apps. Playing games just don’t work well.

Pros of Android Studio

• When it comes to Android app development, this is almost always a standard choice.
• It has been developed by Google and receives regular updates.
• It allows for faster deployment of fresh builds.
• Developers can enjoy accurate programming.
• It allows developers to create only a single build and then test it on multiple devices using the feature called Cloud Test Lab Integration. This will enable developers to ditch the prospect of creating numerous builds.
• It comes with a lot of built-in plugins and tools that allow developers to test their apps with ease.

Cons of Android Studio

• I found Android Studio to be pretty slow on Windows. It performed comparatively better on Mac. It was, however, flawless on Ubuntu. On Ubuntu, it was fast, and even the emulator launched pretty quickly as compared to the time taken on Windows.
• It is designed for the development of apps. It cannot work if you want to play games like Call of Duty: Mobile or PUBG or, as a matter of fact, any resource-intensive game.

Minimum System Requirements for Android Studio

For Windows:

• Windows 7/8/10 – Only 64-bit OS.
• Minimum 4 GB RAM.
• Minimum 2 GB of available space on the hard disk.
• Minimum screen resolution of 1280 x 800.

For Mac:

• Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) to macOS Mojave 10.14.
• Minimum 4 GB of RAM.
• Minimum 2 GB of available space on the hard disk.
• Minimum screen resolution of 1280 x 800.

For Linux:

• Debian-based KDE or Gnome desktops.
• 64-bit system with support for running 32-bit applications.
• glibc (GNU C Library) 2.19 or higher.
• Minimum 4 GB of RAM.
• Minimum 2 GB of space on the hard disk.
• Minimum screen resolution of 1280 x 800.

5.Nox App Player

Just like BlueStacks, Nox App Player is hands down, one of the best Android emulators you can find. In my opinion, it is also an all-round emulator if you want to play Android games or use productivity apps or get an overall hang of Android.

During my stint with Nox App Player, I found something exciting and yet useless. It allows you to root your virtual Android device in a jiffy. I found it pointless because a real Android device with root access is far more beneficial than a virtual machine. If you can find any practical utility of a rooted virtual Android device, feel free to let me know.

Anyway, here is my impression of Nox App Player:

Pros of Nox App Player

Google Android Emulator

• Amazing performance with games. No glitches and no lags at all.
• Allows quick mapping of gamepads, mouse, and keyboards.
• You can literally specify just how much amount of RAM and CPU should the emulator use.
• Very much capable of playing very resource-intensive games like PUGB, Call of Duty: Mobile, Justice League, etc.
• Perfectly capable of dealing with all apps on Google Play Store.
• It comes with its own optimized app store.
• The UI is really stunning.
• You can open and use multiple windows at a time.
• It has support for Mac users, which is great.

Cons of Nox App Player

• It has a lot of unwanted software bundled with the installer. If you accidentally install any of them, you may have a really hard time deleting them. So, be careful.
• Your antivirus may flag Nox App Player files as suspicious.

Minimum System Requirements for Nox App Player

For Windows:

• OS – Windows XP (SP3)/Vista/7/8/10.
• Needs DirectX 9.0c.
• Dual-core processor from AMD or Intel.
• Support for Open GL 2.0.
• Minimum of 1.5 GB of RAM.
• Minimum 1 GB of hard disk space.
• Broadband connection.

For Mac:

• OS – Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) or higher.
• Minimum 1.5 GB of RAM.
• Minimum 1 GB of hard disk space.
• Internet connection.

6.GenyMotion

In case you are looking for an Android emulator for casual usage, or simply for playing games, GenyMotion is going to disappoint you big time! It is a premium emulator, and it is not cheap. This emulator is targeted for serious Android app developers.

GenyMotion is meant for serious business and comes with different pricing plans, customer support depending on the purchased plan, and it even comes with a whole cloud version. Basically, you can skip installing GenyMotion on your desktop and use it directly on the cloud.

In case you are interested, here are the pros and cons of this Android emulator are:

Pros of GenyMotion

• Extremely powerful and extremely versatile.
• It has support for 3000+ Android configurations, allowing developers to test their applications over a wide range of devices.
• It is entirely compatible with Android Studio and Android SDK tools.
• It allows testing websites in different Android browsers.
• It is compatible with multiple platforms.
• It is even available on the cloud!

Cons of GenyMotion

• It is not at all designed for casual users and gamers.
• It is very pricey compared to other emulators, and the minimum price starts at USD 136 per year per user. Genymotion is the price for the desktop version. Cloud versions have different pricing.

Minimum System Requirements for GenyMotion

Hardware requirement

• At least 8 GB RAM is required. The more, the better!
• Minimum 1.5 GB of free space on your hard disk.
• Your desktop or laptop should have a screen resolution higher than 1024 x 768 pixels.
• You will need a 64-bit CPU with AMD-V, or VT-x capability enabled right from the BIOS.
• You will need a video card with support for OpenGL 2.0. Some of the compatible video cards are ATI Radeon HD 6000 series, Nvidia GeForce 500 series, and Intel HD Graphics 4000.

Operating System requirement

• 64-bit Windows 7/8/8.1/10.
• macOS High Sierra (minimum).
• 64-bit Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Code Name – Bionic Beaver) or higher version.
• 64-bit Debian 9.
• 64-bit Fedora 30 or higher version.

7.PrimeOS

Okay, let me be clear. PrimeOS not just an emulator. It is a full-blown operating system! You can install it on your desktop or laptop as a standalone operating system or you can use dual boot! It is restricted to Windows users only. Mac users cannot enjoy this incredible OS!

Honestly, I did not find a reason that can make me install PrimeOS as a standalone operating system and ditch Windows completely. I use various software like Adobe Suite, Audacity, GIMP, InkSpace, Blender, video editors like Movavi, DaVinci Resolve, etc.

These cannot run on PrimeOS because they are not meant to! PrimeOS is based on Android! Yes, the whole thing is Android that is designed to give you a desktop experience similar to Mac or Windows.

On the flip side, however, if you have a spare desktop or laptop that you can dedicate to Android only, that’s fine. I did like PrimeOS a lot! Needless to say, I have PrimeOS on a dual boot and I intend to keep it that way.

Pros of PrimeOS

• Gives a complete desktop experience while running on Android.
• Gives full access to millions of Android apps from Google Play Store.
• It comes with a regular taskbar as found on Windows or other traditional operating systems.
• It has an app launcher similar to the start menu in Windows.
• It allows multiple app windows and even has a resizing option for app windows.
• Setting and notification panel retains the look of Android Nougat.
• It allows installing any app and game.
• For gamers, the PrimeOS makes use of all the computer hardware natively, giving an excellent gaming experience, which is far better than any emulator I have seen.
• Gamers can also enjoy the features of keyboard and mouse mapping.
• Any and every game including the resource-intensive games like PUBG, CODM, etc. can run smoothly without a glitch.
• It can be installed as the only OS on a computer or as a dual boot option.
• Just like Linux, PrimeOS allows testing the OS before committing to an installation. You can run the live OS from a bootable USB disk and navigate around to see how it works and how it feels before installing.

Cons of PrimeOS

There isn’t enough to actually complain about it! Whatever I think is not really a con as such. Here is what I feel:

• It is not good for designers who use creative software like Adobe Suite, Corel Draw, or 3D Rendering software like Rhinoceros or Maya. After all, such software is not designed to work on Android. So, complaining about them doesn’t really count.
• In case of productivity, one cannot really utilize certain well-known office productivity suites like SoftMaker or LibreOffice but Android does have its own share of such productivity apps that work smoothly even on PrimeOS and are easily comparable to traditional office suites.
• It cannot play Windows games.
• It is not available for Mac users.

If you ask me, you can definitely go ahead and replace your Windows OS with PrimeOS if your computing needs are restricted to social activities, emailing, and usage of office suites. You can even open websites and get into website backend (if you own one)! It is pretty good!

Minimum System Requirements for PrimeOS

This is where things can get a bit complicated. PrimeOS comes in three variants with different system requirements. The three variants are:

• PrimeOS Classic
• PrimeOS Standard
• PrimeOS Mainline

The basic system requirements for each variant are:

PrimeOS Classic:

• Designed for older (before 2011) 32-bit systems.
• CPU: Intel Core i series 1st generation processors and below or Intel Pentium Dual-Core or Intel Pentium G620 or AMD Phenom II X6 1100T, etc.
• GPU: Works perfectly well with Old Nvidia GPU, Old AMD GPU, and Old Intel GPU.

PrimeOS Standard:

• Designed for newer (2011 on-wards) 64-bit systems.
• CPU: Intel Core i series 2nd generation processors and above or Intel Celeron N3350 or AMD A8 5550M, etc.
• GPU: Works with older Intel, Nvidia, and AMD GPUs.

PrimeOS Mainline:

• Designed for newer (2014 on-wards) 64-bit systems.
• CPU: Intel Core i series 5th generation processors and above or Intel Celeron N4000 or AMD A8 7410, etc.
• GPU: Works with both Intel and AMD GPU but desktops with Nvidia GPU can lead to freezes and lockups. Switch to Standard variant of the OS in case of graphics glitches.

8.Bliss OS

Bliss OS is not an emulator. Android emulators emulate Android on either PC or Mac. Bliss OS, just like PrimeOS, is Android itself. You need to install it separately as an operating system that runs natively on your computer hardware using all the processing power, memory, and storage.

Unfortunately, Bliss OS is not really as polished as PrimeOS and comes with some serious problems. Here is what I found:

Pros of Bliss OS

• It can be installed as a sole operating system on a desktop or laptop.
• It can also be used as a dual boot OS. This means that you can keep your existing Windows or Linux operating system. No, you cannot dual-boot it with Mac systems.
• Once installed, the OS will show a nice taskbar and a start menu.
• It comes bundled with certain pre-installed applications like Chrome, YouTube, Wallpapers, etc.
• You can install it one a virtual box or on external storage if you want.
• It allows keymapping – a great feature for gamers.
• You can run it as live OS from a bootable USB stick without directly installing it. This helps to get a better understanding of the OS.

Cons of Bliss OS

• The applications always launch in the unmaximized state but there is a button to maximize the app window. Unfortunately, there is no minimize button, which I feel should be there when you are porting Android to desktop.
• Installing apps from Google Play Store can be a headache depending on your system hardware. Some won’t install and some may install but remain buggy.
• Those installing Bliss OS as dual-boot on a Linux system will not find Bliss OS listed on the boot-loader list after they execute the grub-update or grub2-update command. They need to find a different workaround, which I feel is not worth the time and effort.

Minimum System Requirements for Bliss OS

The minimum requirement for installing Bliss OS (on a system running Windows) are:

• 1 GB RAM.
• CPU: Intel Pentium 4 (2.00 GHz).
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce 6100.
• OS – Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10.

If you are unsure about your system specs, you can download and run a small utility that will tell you whether it can run Bliss OS or not. You can find the utility here.

9.ARChon

ARChon is far from being a popular Android emulator. It was never meant to be a standalone emulator in the first place. The whole idea behind ARChon development was to allow users to run apps from the Android ecosystem on Chrome OS.

The idea of ARChon was conceived when Google gave support for a couple of Android apps on Chrome Web Browser. Someone independently worked on ARChon after Google’s move to make other Android apps available on Chrome.

So, if you are looking for an emulator that you can use for hardcore gaming, ARChon is not up to the task.

Steps to Install ARChon Runtime

First, download and extract the ARChon runtime from the download link below. Once you have obtained the download link, go to chrome://extensions on your browser URL bar and follow the steps below:

1. Step 1: Turn on Developer Mode.
2. Step 2: Click on the Load Unpacked button.
3. Step 3: In the popup, select the extracted folder.
4. Step 4: Click on the Select Folder button.
5. Now you can see the ARChon Runtime on that page.

Pros of ARChon

• No fancy installation requirement. It is integrated directly into Chrome.
• Pretty good if you want to access productivity apps from Google Play Store on your Chrome OS or Chrome browser.
• Works on Chrome in Windows, Linux, OS X.

Cons of ARChon

• They are not designed for gaming.
• Slightly complicated when it comes to usage.

Minimum System Requirements for ARChon

• You must have an ARM-based Chromebook.
• For architecture-independent usage, make sure you are using 32-bit Chrome or 32-bit Chrome OS.
• For systems with Intel x86 architecture, you will need 64-bit Chrome or 64-bit Chrome OS.

Conclusion

Okay, let me be honest with you. The list above is not a complete list of best Android emulators for PC & Mac. There are a few more. For instance, there is MuMu App Player that is developed in China and has both Windows and Mac versions available.

MuMu has English-translated versions available (initially available in Mandarin Chinese), but I did not list it on the grounds of concern over data-leak. You may, however, try it on your own risk. The MuMu emulator does come with a polished interface and a lot of features that put it at par with BlueStacks or Nox App Player.

Again, we have KOPlayer – a famous emulator, but I couldn’t access its website. The website of KOPlayer simply keeps refusing connection irrespective of whether I use a proxy, or a VPN, or a direct connection.

If I can’t access the official site, I don’t see a reason why I should try to find an alternate source. I am not a big fan of Malwares and Spywares that can potentially infect my systems when I use an alternative source.

Last but not least, there is Remix OS. It was the original Android OS designed for desktops and laptops by a company formed by ex-employees of Google.

Something went wrong somewhere in that company, and they stopped supporting Remix OS. Alternates of Remix OS are PrimeOS and Bliss OS. Since Remix OS is no longer supported, I decided to exclude it from the list.

Mostly, this list of best Android emulators or PC & Mac contains only those that are under active development and received enthusiastic support.

Contents of the Article

• 1.BlueStacks
• 2.GameLoop
• 3.MEmu
• 4.Android Studio
• 5.Nox App Player
• 6.GenyMotion
• 7.PrimeOS
• 8.Bliss OS
• 9.ARChon

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? 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.

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

Andy Android Emulator Download For Mac

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 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.

Install Free Android Emulator

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.

Android Studio Install Emulator

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

Download Android Emulator For Pc

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. Prototype 1 for mac osx. 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.

Best Android Emulators For Mac

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

Android Studio Mac Emulator Online

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.