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Head-to-head · Nintendo 3DS Emulators

Mandarine-Neo vs Citra MMJ

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 2 checks side by side
Higher score Mandarine-Neo #4 in Nintendo 3DS Emulators 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 5 features Visit Mandarine-Neo
Citra MMJ #8 in Nintendo 3DS Emulators 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Citra MMJ

Mandarine-Neo leads on 0 checks, Citra MMJ on 0, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 2 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreMandarine-Neo · 8.7/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresMandarine-Neo · 1 of 5

Mandarine-Neo scores higher on our rubric for nintendo 3ds emulators: 8.7 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #8.

Mandarine-Neo is the better fit for cross-platform users wanting Android enhancements. Citra MMJ is the better fit for developers and homebrew users on desktop systems.

  • Mandarine-Neo fits best

    Cross-platform users wanting Android enhancements

  • Citra MMJ fits best

    Developers and homebrew users on desktop systems

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Side by side

Feature Mandarine-Neo 8.7/10 Visit ↗ Citra MMJ 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.7 7.9
Ranking #4 in Nintendo 3DS Emulators #8 in Nintendo 3DS Emulators
Best for Cross-platform users wanting Android enhancements Developers and homebrew users on desktop systems
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop, Mobile Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, Android Windows, Linux, macOS
Built for Solo, Small business Solo, Small business
Features Mandarine-Neo 1/5 · Citra MMJ 0/5
System software support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Save states Not checked yet Not checked yet
Graphics upscaling ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Cheat support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Online multiplayer Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, Android Windows, Linux, macOS
Our review
Pros
  • Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
  • Android releases include resolution scaling, multiplayer, and driver importing
  • Offers configurable layouts with Vulkan and OpenGL rendering
  • Free, open-source Nintendo 3DS emulation
  • Supports Windows, Linux, and macOS
  • Includes debugging and homebrew application support
Cons
  • Experimental hacks and features may suit users seeking a defined feature set
  • The listed feature set excludes save states and cheats
  • Android support requires Android 9.0 or newer
  • No save states
  • No scaling or cheats
  • No multiplayer support
Our verdict

Mandarine-Neo is an open-source Nintendo 3DS emulator maintained as a continuation of the Mandarine project. Built as a Citra fork, it runs Nintendo 3DS software and provides desktop releases for Windows, macOS, and Linux alongside Android…

Read the review →

Citra MMJ is a public fork of Citra, an experimental Nintendo 3DS emulator and debugger written in C++. It is designed for desktop users who need Nintendo 3DS hardware emulation, homebrew application support, or debugging tools. The…

Read the review →
  1. Mandarine-NeoNintendo 3DS Emulators 8.7Free plan
  2. Citra MMJNintendo 3DS Emulators 7.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Mandarine-Neo — where it wins

    • Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
    • Android releases include resolution scaling, multiplayer, and driver importing
    • Offers configurable layouts with Vulkan and OpenGL rendering

    Where it doesn't

    • Experimental hacks and features may suit users seeking a defined feature set
    • The listed feature set excludes save states and cheats
    • Android support requires Android 9.0 or newer

  • Citra MMJ — where it wins

    • Free, open-source Nintendo 3DS emulation
    • Supports Windows, Linux, and macOS
    • Includes debugging and homebrew application support

    Where it doesn't

    • No save states
    • No scaling or cheats
    • No multiplayer support

More comparisons

All nintendo 3DS emulators comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update