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Head-to-head · NES Emulators

Dendy vs Nestopia Undead Edition

  • 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
Nestopia Undead Edition #6 in NES Emulators 8.7/10 Open source ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Nestopia UE

Dendy leads on 0 checks, Nestopia Undead Edition on 0, and 6 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 planonly Dendy

Dendy scores higher on our rubric for nes emulators: 9.2 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #6.

Dendy is the better fit for free cross-platform play with multiplayer. Nestopia Undead Edition is the better fit for windows users wanting broad classic features.

  • Dendy fits best

    Free cross-platform play with multiplayer

  • Nestopia Undead Edition fits best

    Windows users wanting broad classic features

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Side by side

Feature Dendy 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Nestopia Undead Edition 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.7
Ranking #2 in NES Emulators #6 in NES Emulators
Best for Free cross-platform play with multiplayer Windows users wanting broad classic features
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Open source
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Desktop Desktop
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Windows
Support Docs Docs
Built for Solo, Small business Solo, Small business
Features Dendy 5/5 · Nestopia Undead Edition 5/5
Save states ✓ ✓
Rewind ✓ ✓
Netplay ✓ ✓
Shader support ✓ ✓
Cheat support ✓ ✓
Specs
Supported platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, and modern web browsers via WebAssembly Windows
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
  • Save states, rewind, netplay, cheats, and video filters
  • Loads ZIP, RAR, and 7-Zip archives
  • Includes recording, NSF playback, screenshots, and IPS patching
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
  • Windows is the only supported platform
  • The current source tree is a legacy Win32 release
  • Focused on NES and Famicom emulation only
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 →

Nestopia Undead Edition is a community-maintained, open-source fork of the Nestopia NES and Famicom emulator. It provides a standalone graphical application for playing NES and Famicom ROM images on Windows desktop computers. Its audience…

Read the review →
  1. DendyNES Emulators 9.2Free plan
  2. Nestopia Undead EditionNES Emulators 8.7Open source

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

  • Nestopia Undead Edition — where it wins

    • Save states, rewind, netplay, cheats, and video filters
    • Loads ZIP, RAR, and 7-Zip archives
    • Includes recording, NSF playback, screenshots, and IPS patching

    Where it doesn't

    • Windows is the only supported platform
    • The current source tree is a legacy Win32 release
    • Focused on NES and Famicom emulation only

More comparisons

All NES emulators comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update