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.
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.
Moreover, you can use them on your Windows PC as well. Best Android Emulator For Mac 1. 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. Nox Player is the of the best Android Emulator for Windows and Mac. It has been not easy to choose the best Android emulators for Windows PC and Mac these days. Higher the multiple alternatives available, competition is also high. An Android Emulator refers to a software application that creates a platform that simulates Android OS features into your PC.
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.
Can you run Android apps on a PC or Mac? Apple will tell you that you can’t. But in truth, if you get a decent emulator, you can run Android apps and games on both Windows and Mac.
But how do you find a decent emulator? There are so many to choose from. Rather than experiment with random emulators, some of which may infect your PC with malware, you might as well choose an emulator from this list:
List of Best Android Emulator for PC (Low/High-end)
1. BlueStacks
You cannot talk about Android emulators without mentioning BlueStacks. This is easily the best emulator in the world. It guarantees amazing graphics and smooth performance. You can play multiple games at the same time. Gamers will appreciate the live recording and replay features.
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Safe
- It is compatible with numerous Android apps
Cons
- It requires a computer with good specs. It is slow on computers that don’t have enough ram.
2. Nox Player
If you can’t use BlueStacks, Nox Player is a great alternative. It allows gamers to use external controllers. You can also customize your keyboard and mouse controls.
Despite all the features it brings to the table, the emulator is free to use. You can use it to record gameplay.
Pros
- You can play multiple games at the same time
- Free
- Easy to use
- You can customize your controls
3. Game Loop
This is another free emulator that people use to play games like Call of Duty Mobile. You don’t have to register or open an account to use the emulator. Developed by Tencent, you can only find it on the Game Loop website. You cannot download it from the Google Play Store. But this is a minor inconvenience.
Pros
- The emulator guarantees the security of your data
- It is free
- You can play high-end games like Call of Duty and PUBG
Cons
- It doesn’t support other types of apps
4. Android Studio
This emulator was created with developers in mind. Compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux, it has a code emulator and compiler. You can still use it as an Android emulator. It will download and run Android apps. But it also doubles as an app development tool.
Pros
- It supports app development
- It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- You can use the logcat tool to identify runtime errors
Cons
- It is slow on older machines. You need a laptop with decent specs
5. Andy
This is a simple emulator that can sync across your connected devices, simplifying the process of transferring apps from your android device to the emulator on your computer. You can also download apps from a desktop browser on a mac.
The emulator is free despite all the features it offers. It can run hundreds of games.
Pros
- You play games on a computer using your mobile phone as the controller
- You can access social media and messaging apps
- It supports PlayStation and Xbox controllers
- Easy to use
Cons
- The setup file is large
6. Genymotion
This is a great emulator for developers that want to test their apps before they upload them to an app store. The emulator allows visitors to use it for 60 minutes for free.
Once that period expires, they must pay 5 cents per minute. It has over three thousand Android devices for developers to choose from. Genymotion isn’t for gamers. You can’t download games.
Pros
- It is compatible with Eclipse and Android Studio
- It can emulate thousands of Android device configurations
- You can use the webcam on a desktop to record screencasts.
Cons
- It isn’t cheap
- You can’t play games
7. Prime OS
This emulator has a desktop interface that gives users access to a whole slew of Android applications. It makes dual-booting easy (Just one click). Unlike Genymotion, Prime OS provides a memorable gaming experience.
Pros
- Promises a better performance than its rivals
- Great gaming experience
- Dual boot with a single click
Cons
- It doesn’t have official support
- It runs the Android LTS build which is dated
8. ARChon
This is a free emulator that works on windows, mac, and Linux. Rather than an independent program, ARChon is a Chrome extension. It takes a while to master the emulator. But on the positive side, as an extension, the emulator is as lightweight as they come. It supports every Android system. You can run applications and play games.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Installation is easy because the emulator is a browser extension
- You can run apps and play games
Cons
- The emulator is complicated. It may take beginners a while to understand the process of editing APK files.
9. Ko Player
This free emulator will bring all the applications, features, and functions of an Android device to your Windows or macOS computer. It has an intuitive user interface and functions that enable users to record videos. You can play games using the keyboard and mouse or a gamepad. For the most part, it is lag-free.
Pros
- It doesn’t have ads despite being free
- You can record and share gameplay
- The emulator is safe and secure
Cons
- The design requires additional refinement
10. Bliss
Bliss isn’t an ordinary emulator. If you boot your computer from a USB stick, Bliss will run your computer. Though, the USB installation method is complicated and not worth it for people that do not understand what they are doing.
The open-source emulator has numerous customization and power-saving options.
Mac Best Android Emulator Windows 10
Pros
- The emulator has reliable security features
- It can reduce your battery consumption
- It can run your computer
Cons
- The taskbar has problems
- The sleep state is unreliable
Related: Droid4X Emulator for low-end PCs
Conclusion
Despite what some people think, emulators are not illegal. You can use them to run Android apps and games on your PC and Mac without facing any legal repercussions. The applications above are definitely the best android emulators for PC and Mac on the internet.
Best Android Emulator For Pc
They stand out because they have been thoroughly tested. Some emulators, such as BlueStacks, have stood the test of time. People trust them because they have spent so many years providing a reliable service. If you need an Android emulator for your PC and Mac, one of the options above will satisfy your needs.