For those cases when you need to run an Android application on your computer, there are emulators. The problem is that choosing a specific program from the many existing ones is quite difficult.
I have selected some of the most worthy emulators that will cover all needs. Each of them is relevant and actively supported by developers. In this article, I compare the convenience and performance of each emulator.
Android version Advertising Root access Assigning actions to keyboard buttons Easy to install APK Setting up the emulated device Number of extra features Game performance NoxPlayer 5/7/9 yes yes yes ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ Andy 7 no no no ★☆ ☆ ★★☆ ★☆☆ ★★☆ MEmu Play 5/7/9 yes yes yes ★★★ ★★☆ ★★★ ★★★ LDPlayer 9 5/7/9 yes yes yes ★★★ ★★★ ★★ ★ ★★★ BlueStacks 9 yes with third party utilities yes ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ Genymotion 5-11 no yes no ★★ ★★☆ ★★☆ ★★☆ WSA 13 no with third-party utilities no ★★ ☆ ★☆☆ ★☆☆ ★☆☆
NoxPlayer
The NoxPlayer emulator boasts a huge amount of built-in features. Among them are the creation of several virtual machines, their simultaneous management, support for GPS emulation and the creation of macros (sequences of actions). In the settings, you can flexibly change the system configuration and activate Root rights. For example, NoxPlayer is capable of emulating Android apps with screen refresh rates up to 120Hz.
In addition, there is full support for APK files. They can be installed by simple drag and drop into the emulator window. As for the supported versions of Android, NoxPlayer provides virtual machines on OS versions no higher than 9. In addition to the "nine", Android 5 and 7 are available. That is, using the emulator to test the latest features of the "green robot" will not work. But for running games and ordinary modern programs, NoxPlayer is well suited.
The disadvantages of NoxPlayer include the presence of advertising shortcuts on the desktop that cannot be removed.
✅ Benefits:
❌ Disadvantages:
Andy
Andy is an emulator that gives you an experience that is as close to real Android as possible. There are no third-party shells, the interface is minimal, and the desktop looks familiar.
The program allows you to create several virtual machines, as well as configure their settings - display resolution, the amount of available RAM. However, the Android version cannot be selected. The only one available is the rather old Android 7.1.2. Because of this, some modern applications and games do not start. For example, I was unable to run the Geekbench 6 benchmark and the Honkai: Star Rail game in Andy, which I used to test other emulators.
You can not install and APK by dragging into the window. This can be done only by downloading the file directly from the Internet to the virtual machine itself. The settings also do not change the refresh rate of the display and the ability to activate Root rights. But most importantly, Andy has no state saving. That is, all data is reset when the program is restarted.
✅ Benefits:
- close to real Android interface;
- lack of advertising.
❌ Disadvantages:
- the old Android version;
- inconvenient APK installation;
- meager feature set.
MEmu Play
Visually, MEmu Play is very similar to NoxPlayer, like other emulators from this collection. Despite this, he has his chips. For example, in the settings you can turn on the display refresh rate twice as high as in the analog - 240 Hz.
The rest of the functionality of the emulator differs little from the aforementioned NoxPlayer: it is possible to create several virtual machines, enable Root access, install APK from a computer, and only Android 5.1, 7.1 and 9.0 are available to choose from. In the interface, I noticed only one important difference - MEmu Play has a tab system for quickly switching between applications. As for the desktop, in this emulator it also contains advertising labels.
✅ Benefits:
- support for display refresh rates up to 240 Hz;
- tab system.
❌ Disadvantages:
LDPlayer 9
Judging by the impressions, LDPlayer 9 is the twin brother of MEmu Play. The emulator is very similar in capabilities to the previous alternative. It allows you to create multiple virtual machines and run them simultaneously. Among the operating systems, Android 5.1, 7.1 and 9.0 are available. To quickly switch between applications and the desktop, there is a tab system. And in the parameters, flexible settings for resolution, display refresh rate, amount of RAM, and even emulation of a specific device are available.
LDPlayer 9 is well suited for the role of an application and game emulator - it has high performance and a good level of compatibility. Gamers will especially benefit from the ability to assign actions to keyboard buttons.
✅ Benefits:
- tab system;
- Support for display refresh rates up to 240Hz.
❌ Disadvantages:
BlueStacks
One of the most popular Android emulators for PC is not much different from the alternatives in features. In a sense, it is even slightly curtailed - there is no switch for Root access in the settings, and only 9.0 is available from Android versions. However, in my personal experience, BlueStacks runs quite smoothly and is well suited for running games. The latter is confirmed by the presence of built-in key bindings - some actions (like walking) are automatically assigned to the buttons on the keyboard.
Despite the presence of advertising labels and the "clutter" of the launcher, the emulator provides a wide range of features and is easy to use.
✅ Benefits:
- smooth operation and high performance;
- a large set of functions and wide customization.
❌ Disadvantages:
- it is impossible to enable Root mode;
- only Android 9 is available.
Genymotion
Like many emulators above, Genymotion is rich in additional features. But, unlike all the others, the program is not overloaded and not clogged with ads. Among the features is the ability to emulate the state of the battery, disk operations or network. But, most importantly, all versions of Android from 5.1 to 11.0 inclusive are available in Genymotion.
The system interface itself at startup looks like pure Android. Not even Google services. However, they can be installed with one button if desired. APK files can be installed by drag and drop, but some programs will require you to install an additional extension. There are toggles in the Genymotion settings for any VM options except display frequency.
The emulator is best suited for running regular applications. It has no performance issues.
✅ Benefits:
- latest versions of Android available;
- simple and user-friendly interface.
❌ Disadvantages:
- service registration required.
Windows Subsystem for Android
Do not forget that Windows 11 has built-in tools for launching Android applications. The function is called Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) and allows you to emulate a "green robot" without third-party programs. All application windows look like they are native. However, everything is not so smooth with their installation.
To install your APK files, you will need to use third-party utilities. In addition, only those applications that do not require the mandatory presence of Google Play services on the device are launched. This shortcoming can be corrected, but only by spending a lot of time installing various patches.
And finally, in terms of performance in conventional applications, WSA is no worse, and sometimes better than analogues. But in terms of resource savings, WSA is clearly inferior to other emulators, as it consumes more RAM in the same tasks. As for games, the utility does not support key bindings, so using WSA for gaming will not be very convenient.
✅ Benefits:
- no need to install third-party software;
- tight integration with the system.
❌ Disadvantages:
- many operations to install applications;
- requires "finishing" manually for comfortable work;
- poor performance in games.
Worthy of mention
- Android Studio is Google's mobile app development environment. For most users, it will be too cumbersome to emulate a couple of applications. And for games it is not the most convenient. But developers and enthusiasts can access the exact reproduction of applications, including the latest versions of the "green robot".
- Waydroid is an emulator designed specifically for Linux distributions. It is not the most friendly in terms of installation, but it is interesting with features. For example, Waydroid allows you to use multiple windows of Android applications at the same time. In addition, it is worth noting that the emulator is based on a fairly recent version 11 of the OS and is close in performance to natively running programs.
Which emulator for what to choose
To run regular applications, the WSA subsystem built into Windows 11, the Genymotion utility, or, in extreme cases, Andy, are best suited. In the case of a Linux system, the optimal choice is Waydroid. Developers and enthusiasts should pay attention to the emulator, which is part of the Android Studio development environment.
As for games, NoxPlayer, MEmu Play, LDPlayer 9 and BlueStacks emulators are the most convenient for them. They have decent performance, great functionality, flexible settings and convenient management.
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