Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · NES Emulators

Dendy vs FCEUX

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Dendy #2 in NES Emulators 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Dendy
FCEUX #5 in NES Emulators 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit FCEUX

Dendy leads on 1 check, FCEUX on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreDendy · 9.2/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresDendy · 5 of 5

Dendy scores higher on our rubric for nes emulators: 9.2 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #5.

Dendy offers netplay; FCEUX doesn't.

Dendy is the better fit for free cross-platform play with multiplayer. FCEUX is the better fit for TAS creators and emulator researchers.

  • Dendy fits best

    Free cross-platform play with multiplayer

  • FCEUX fits best

    TAS creators and emulator researchers

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Dendy 9.2/10 Visit ↗ FCEUX 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.9
Ranking #2 in NES Emulators #5 in NES Emulators
Best for Free cross-platform play with multiplayer TAS creators and emulator researchers
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Desktop Desktop
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Docs Docs
Built for Solo, Small business Solo, Small business
Features Dendy 5/5 · FCEUX 0/5
Save states ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Rewind ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Netplay ✓ (best) —
Shader support ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Cheat support ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, and modern web browsers via WebAssembly Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and modern web browsers
  • Includes peer-to-peer network multiplayer and save states
  • Adds rewind, Game Genie codes, Zapper emulation, and CRT effects
  • Supports NES, Famicom, Dendy and Famicom Disk System software
  • Includes debugging, Lua scripting and a dedicated TAS Editor
  • Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux with graphics scaling options
Cons
  • Uses command-line operation rather than a graphical launcher
  • Windows binaries are not guaranteed to work
  • Browser support is provided through WebAssembly for modern browsers
  • Network play is not presently functional
  • Focuses on NES-family systems rather than broader console emulation
  • Its advanced tooling may exceed the needs of casual players
Our verdict

Dendy is an open-source NES/Famicom emulator written in Go. It runs NES ROM files on Windows, macOS, and Linux, while a WebAssembly version supports modern web browsers. Its audience is players who want free emulation across desktop…

Read the review →

FCEUX is a free, open-source desktop emulator for NES, Famicom, Dendy and Famicom Disk System software. It serves general players, ROM hackers, emulator researchers and the tool-assisted speedrun community. Official builds cover Windows…

Read the review →
  1. DendyNES Emulators 9.2Free plan
  2. FCEUXNES Emulators 8.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Dendy — where it wins

    • Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and modern web browsers
    • Includes peer-to-peer network multiplayer and save states
    • Adds rewind, Game Genie codes, Zapper emulation, and CRT effects

    Where it doesn't

    • Uses command-line operation rather than a graphical launcher
    • Windows binaries are not guaranteed to work
    • Browser support is provided through WebAssembly for modern browsers

  • FCEUX — where it wins

    • Supports NES, Famicom, Dendy and Famicom Disk System software
    • Includes debugging, Lua scripting and a dedicated TAS Editor
    • Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux with graphics scaling options

    Where it doesn't

    • Network play is not presently functional
    • Focuses on NES-family systems rather than broader console emulation
    • Its advanced tooling may exceed the needs of casual players
  • Dendy9.2/10 · Free plan

    A feature-rich, open-source NES emulator for desktop, browser, and multiplayer play.

    Visit DendyFull verdict →
  • FCEUX8.9/10 · Free plan

    A free, open-source choice for NES emulation, debugging and tool-assisted speedruns.

    Visit FCEUXFull verdict →

More comparisons

All NES emulators comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update