Android emulators are a great way to experience Android on your Windows or Mac computer. They allow you to have the mobile feel of an android phone without having to buy a new device. Plus, they’re perfect for playing games that aren’t available in the Apple Store!

So you want to run android apps on your PC? Well, it just so happens that there are a ton of android emulators out there. However, not all android emulators are created equal. Some have limited features while others offer the same functionality as Android devices themselves. In this article, we will discuss our top 10 best android emulators for Windows and Mac!

• A bit different from other Android emulators for Mac, Genymotion is a cloud-based emulator – which allows access through multiple apps. Unlike Bluestacks or Nox that draw attention to the graphics processing capability, being ideal for Android games, Genymotion is more focused on app developers.
• AMIDuOS PRO is an Android emulator to run android apps & games on a PC available for Windows 7, 8, or 10 PC and Tablets. Updates are no longer available. So it is better to try other emulators. Jar of Beans -Portable Android Emulator. Jar of Beans is an easy and portable Android emulator that runs on android version Jelly Bean.

May 02, 2021 GameLoop. GameLoop is one of the most popular android emulators available for PC because of the latest changes which this emulator has introduced. It was previously known as the Tencent Gaming Buddy but since it became the exclusive emulator app for Call of Duty Mobile game, it changed its name to GameLoop android emulator. Bluestacks is one of the most popular Android emulators for Windows and is probably the best Android emulator for macOS, as well. This emulator is built primarily for mobile gamers and claims to provide a “PC-like” gaming experience for your mobile apps.

Hopefully, by the end of this post, you’ll be able to find one that suits all your needs!

Advantages of Android emulators

Android emulators are great tools for developers and android enthusiasts to test out android apps without having an android device. Moreover, the android emulators enable you to enjoy the same experience as if you were using a phone or tablet – meaning that they can be used with keyboard+mouse or touch screen, depending on what suits your needs best.

The android emulators also offer an opportunity to test out different builds of android without having access to a variety of devices – meaning that they can be pretty handy if you need a place to tinker with new android versions and new builds of android.

Mostly the android emulators are also compatible with a variety of other operating systems, meaning that you can use them on your Windows or Mac machine without the need for any specialized software – just download the emulator like normal and away you go! Android emulators provide an opportunity for people who don’t like owning their own android devices to still be able to use Android apps or games on a computer.

Developers are able to test their app’s compatibility with various versions of Android as well as screen sizes and resolutions without having an actual phone. Android emulation allows developers to test out their apps on various devices without having access to each individual device separately.

Emulation also offers users an opportunity to run android apps that may not be compatible with specific OS’s, meaning that Android can be used on a variety of different computers.

BlueStacks

The number one Android emulator on this list is BlueStacks. This versatile emulator comes with a variety of benefits such as the ability to run pretty much any version of android you want, compatibility with Windows and Mac operating systems (as well as Linux), an intuitive user interface that’s super easy to use and lots more.

BlueStacks comes with an inbuilt app store, meaning that after installation, you can go ahead and download any of your favorite apps without the need for a separate app market.

The emulator also includes integrated Google Play services, making it compatible with all Android games as well! This is one of the safest android emulators on the market for Mac and Windows. This is a great option if you’re looking to avoid downloading any malware.

The emulator also offers the ability to record gameplay on your computer without having any additional software – perfect for gamers who want to show off their gaming skills!

However, one of the most notable features of this software is it, instance manager. With it, you’re able to launch multiple android instances at the same time. This is great if you need more than one emulator for different purposes – such as testing out a new game or working on an app that needs two versions of Android in order to work properly.

BlueStacks is one of the best android emulators out there and will allow you to access pretty much anything that Android has to offer, including all your favorite apps!

Pros:

• Great for beginners.
• Fits on most screens (meaning that you can enjoy Android without having to buy a whole new computer).
• Ability to test out different versions of android and operating systems.

Cons:

• Doesn’t work with all games – especially ones that require an accelerometer or gyroscope.
• Doesn’t work with some apps and games that require Android OS versions lower than Jellybean.
• Requires a powerful computer to run smoothly.

NoxPlayer

NoxPlayer is another one of the best Android emulators for Windows and Mac. It’s not as popular as BlueStacks, but it has a lot to offer – like support for hardware acceleration! As we all know, there are many games that require good graphics card and processor power in order to run smoothly. So if you’re looking for a way to optimize your emulator experience, NoxPlayer might be the best option.

What makes it stand out from other Android emulators? Well, first of all – its performance! It can easily run games with the highest graphics settings without any hiccups or long loading times. Secondly, it’s very user-friendly and easy to use – perfect for beginners!

Lastly, it has a big advantage over most of the other emulators on this list. NoxPlayer is also available as an Android app which means that you can install and run it directly from your phone or tablet if you’re running low on space. That’s pretty neat, right?

Pros

• Easy to use
• Free for personal and commercial purposes.
• High-performance emulation (runs Android apps at near native speeds)
• Completely cross-platform (supports Windows, Mac and Linux)

Cons

• Runs on Android 5, which is too outdated to enjoy new games.
• Comes with some bloatware, i.e., difficult-to-delete software.
• Some antivirus software may detect its files as suspicious.

LDPlayer

LDPlayer is a powerful Android emulator that lets you run your favourite apps on Windows. It has been around for more than five years, and it comes with a user-friendly interface.

LDPlayer includes a built-in web browser, so you can surf the internet right from your desktop computer running Windows or Mac OS X. What’s more, this Android emulator introduces support for multi-touch – it supports up to ten points of input at once!

What’s more, one of the most prominent features in LDPlayer is its compatibility with thousands of Android games and applications. In addition to that, we must mention that even if your computer doesn’t meet the requirements for this emulator; you may still be able to run it.

Pros:

– LDPlayer is compatible with thousands of Android games and applications. It includes a built-in web browser, so you can surf the internet right from your desktop computer running Windows or Mac OS X.

What’s more, it supports up to ten points of input at once!

Cons:

• The emulator is not free.
• It takes a while to set up the emulator and get it running smoothly on your computer, depending on how powerful it is.
• LDPlayer doesn’t come with any keyboard shortcuts by default.

Andy Android Emulator

Andy is one of the best on this list. It has a lot of features and it’s pretty fast, requires just minimum system requirements to install on your computer. With Andy you can experience the same Android as on an actual device but without having to actually own one. This emulator also allows for multiple users accounts which makes great for testing apps or games.

The emulator also supports sync with Dropbox which is very convenient when you want to access your files from any device.

Andy allows you to sync the folders and system settings with a computer, while this may not sound like much it can come in handy at times where all other Android Emulators fail.

Pros:

Great for testing apps and games. Multiple accounts

Cons:

Expensive service, Requires more system resources so it’s not as fast as some other emulators in this list

MEmuPlay

One of the top rated Android emulators on our list is MEmuPlay. It is specifically created for gaming and offers an amazing user interface.

MEmuPlay is a highly customizable Android emulator which is available for Windows and Mac.

It has many features that make it one of the most desirable emulators on our list, including:

– It can be used to play games in high performance with its frame rate limit feature

– Ability to change screen size

– Optimized graphics engine for smoother HD graphics

– The emulator is quite lightweight and can be used on a wide range of PC’s

– It offers the ability to change the orientation of your screen from portrait to landscape while you are playing games. This allows users to play in either position which may come up depending on what they want to do with their device at that moment.

Pros:

– Its frame rate limit feature allows you to play games on a high-performance level. With this, gamers can enjoy smoother HD graphics and never experience lag when playing their favourite game.

You have the ability to customize your resolution which means that MEmuPlay will be perfect for any type of computer.

This emulator is also quite lightweight and can be used on a wide range of PC’s, regardless of the hardware specifications.

Emulator Android For Virtual Machine

Ability to change screen orientation from portrait to landscape.

Cons:

– There is a lack of customization when it comes to the home screen

– The emulator may be difficult to use for gamers who are new to these types of programs.

Android Studio Emulator

The Android Studio is the official development environment created by Google. It has an inbuilt powerful emulator that lets you test and debug your applications without the need for a physical device.

The emulator has been designed to be as close as possible to an actual phone, which allows app developers to detect problems before they are deployed on a real-world system. It also enables the testing of different devices with one single installation of Android Studio.

The inbuilt emulator has been designed with some of the following features to make it as realistic as possible:

• Emulates phone calls and sensors like GPS, accelerometer, etc.
• Supports hardware acceleration
• Includes support for USB devices such as keyboard, gamepad, mouse and other peripherals to make testing apps more realistic.
• Provides an easy way to take screenshots at any time

It also comes pre-installed with Android SDKs so you can start developing right away without having to install it separately in your computer. It also has built-in tools like DDMS (Dalvik Debug Monitor Server) and CPU/Memory profiler, which can be used by developers as well as power users to debug and analyze applications.

The emulator lets developers test their apps on different system architectures (x86 or ARM) as well as different Android versions to ensure that it will work across all devices.

The emulator is versatile and has a lot of features for developers such as creating multiple virtual screens, generating pre-defined screen sizes (Smartphone, TV), adding/removing system overlays like battery level or using Google Play Store to download apps into the device.

Lastly, the Android Studio Emulator is enabled with Google Play Services and it can be accessed by logging into your account.

ARChon

ARChon (also known as ARChon Runtime for Chrome) is a versatile custom extension for Chrome or Chromium browser that can easily run Android apps straight on Windows PC and a wide variety of other supported platforms.

ARChon is an open-source, free Android emulator that allows users to emulate the android experience on their PC. Unlike other emulators mentioned above, ARCHON isn’t a traditional emulator, it is installed as a chrome extension. Hence, the extension must be downloaded and installed on Chrome browser. When installed, it gives chrome the ability to run android apps and games.

ARChon works with any operating system that can run an instance of Chrome, including macOS, Linux, Windows, etc.

How to download and install ARChon on Chrome.

• Download the ARChon.zip file and unzip it via Winrar or 7zip.
• Open Google Chrome browser on your windows.
• Click on the 3 dot option key at the top right corner of the browser. Select tools> Extension.
• You can also type chrome://extensions// on the address bar to take you directly to the extension tab.
• Once on the extension tab, enable the “developer mode” option at the top right.
• Select the developer mode and click on “load unpacked extension”. Select the unzipped ARChon folder.
• ARChon should start installing on your chrome browser. You may come across a warning after the installation but just ignore it.

Once you’re done with everything, you can then download any apk file of your choice, unzip it, and follow the same process as you install ARChon.

You should then find the app on your chrome://apps folder.

Beware that note all files are compatible with chrome. So ensure that the one you’re using is compatible and also update your browser to the latest version.

GameLoop

GameLoop is a free Android emulator software which you can play mobile games on your Windows computer.

However, as the name suggests, GameLoop was specifically built for gamers. It was formerly known as TenCent Gaming Buddy, and was developed by TenCent, a company that also created and distributed the Android version of the popular game “PUGB”.

With its help, gaming enthusiasts can discover, download, and play almost all available Android games on their PCs instantly!

Like other Android emulators, GameLoop allow users to install and play mobile games directly from its game store. You can instantly start playing any game you find without additional configuration.

Additionally, whenever a new game is updated or released, you can immediately access it using GameLoop.

While you can’t use the emulator to play all Android games, GameLoop does have a massive library of gaming apps. Once installed, you can use it to play many popular games, the likes of Clash of Clans, Call of Duty Mobile, Candy Crush Saga, and lots more! As soon as these games get emulated on your Windows laptop or desktop, you can start using your mouse or keyboard for control.

In this era of mobile technology, there is hardly any person who has never used any mobile device. Among Android, iOS and other mobile devices, which makes the remarkable position among them are Android devices. When more and more people are using Smartphones as the best affordable solution to meet their needs, Android OS has become most popular around the world because of its amazing functionalities and features to the users.

Whether you want to play games, want to communicate with others, want to learn something, want to prepare documents, want to manage your data or anything related to the technical world, Android users can easily access all such apps on their devices.

No doubt, many of these apps are available for free, but some are paid. It means to access these apps, you need to pay some amount or you can go for their paid versions, once you are fully satisfied with their free trials.

But, do you know that you can use these Android apps on your Windows PC and Mac OS?

These apps are exclusively developed to use on Android devices, so you cannot use them directly on your system. But, it doesn’t mean having to follow some complex or paid procedure to get these apps on PC. We have one free solution with the help of which you can perform this task easily and stress-free.

Using this solution, you can also play mobile-based online games on your PC/Mac and can gain excellent gaming experience on the big screen than your mobile phones.

Yes, it is possible. Only you require is the Android emulator.

Contents

• 4 How to Install the Android app on PC using BlueStacks?

BlueStacks – Most Popular and Reliable Android Emulator to Meet Gaming needs on PC

Now, you may be thinking of how this android emulator can help you to install and run Android apps on your system.

Android emulator is actually third-party software that works great in emulating the Android environment on Windows OS and enables you to get all its apps on Windows PC and Mac systems.

Some of the popular Android emulators are BlueStacks, Nox App Player, Genymotion, MEmu, Andyroid, and many others.

Here, in this guide, we are going to get all the essential information about one of the most popular and trusted emulators – BlueStacks.

You know what? Millions of people around the world have used this emulator for different purposes, where the main reason involves their gaming needs. Yes, no matter what game you want to play on your PC, with the help of BlueStacks, you can get your desired game on your PC/Mac and that too with better performance and quality.

If you are an action game lover, you must use BlueStacks to install Clash Royale, State of Survival, Crystal Borne, Raid Shadow Legends, Clash of Clans or any Android game on your desktop.

Before moving to the installation steps of BlueStacks, it would be good to be more familiar with this emulator through its wonderful features.

Features of BlueStacks – How it Stands Out?

Let’s have a look at some of the amazing features of BlueStacks that makes it stand out from other android emulators out there in the market.

• This emulator allows you to set the customized keymap based on your needs. BlueStacks also has a default keymap for its users, but you can choose to set your keys, which is quite simple using drag and drop function.
• Do you want to play various games on PC simultaneously? Yes, BlueStacks supports multiple instances that enable you to play many games using different Google accounts or many games using the same Google account, all at the same time. All these games can be played in separate windows.
  
• If we talk about its performance, you will be amazed to know that BlueStacks perform 6 times faster and much better than Android devices. Due to this reason, BlueStacks is widely used to play games on Windows PC.
• BlueStacks has a simple and user-friendly interface; it means even if you are using this emulator for the time, you will not find any difficulty in accessing apps on this emulator.
• It is also recommended to use the latest version of BlueStacks. It is so because it performs 8 times faster than its prior versions.
• Moreover, there is no need to worry about your system’s resource consumption, as this emulator is well-known for its lower memory and CPU consumption.

Let’s learn how to get BlueStacks on your PC and Mac.

Steps to Install BlueStacks on PC/Mac

Installing BlueStacks on Windows and Mac does not hold any kind of long or complex process, nor, you have to take the help of any paid tool. The whole process is quite simple and straightforward.

All you have to do is just use these steps and get this top-rated emulator on your computer/laptop.

• The first very step is to download BlueStacks using the download link given here.
• After this emulator is downloaded, you have to double-click this downloaded file to install the BlueStacks.
• After taking your confirmation, the installation process will get started.
  
• Make sure to follow the on-screen instructions attentively.
• The completion of the installation process may take a few minutes, so wait for it.
• Once it is installed completely, your system is ready to install and use Android apps on it.

Now, once BlueStacks is installed on your PC, you can use it to install any Android app or game without any hassle.

Android Software For Mac

Let’s learn how to get the Android app on BlueStacks so that you can use it effortlessly on your PC.

How to Install the Android app on PC using BlueStacks?

Now, it’s time to install and run Android apps on your PC with the help of BlueStacks.

As you have already learned the steps of getting BlueStacks on your system, now learn to get an app/game using BlueStacks.

It can be done in two ways. One is using the APK file of that particular app and another one is using Google Play Store.

In order to make you understand it in a better way, here we are going to install ‘Clash Royale’ with both these methods.

Installing Android app on BlueStacks using APK

• Download BlueStackson your PC/Mac with the help of the available download link.
• After this, you have to install by clicking its .exe file.
• Now, open the BlueStacks.
• In the next step, you have to download Clash Royale APK using the download link given here.
• Once it is downloaded, double-click this file.
• You will get a pop-up window, asking you to confirm the installation of this online game on your PC.
• After its installation, go to the main page of BlueStacks.
• You will find an icon of Clash Royale and click on it.
• Now, your game is ready to play on your system.

Installing Android app on BlueStacks using Google Play Store

• Download BlueStacks on your PC/Mac with the help of the available download link.
• After this, you have to install by clicking its .exe file.
• Now, open the BlueStacks.
• In the next step, you have to sign-in to the Google account with the aim to access apps available in the Google Play Store.
• No worries if you have no Google account, you can create the new to move further.
• Open the Google Play Store and type ‘Clash Royale’ keyword in the search bar.
• Now, select the topmost result and click its Install button.
  
• Once it is installed completely, its icon will be available on the main page of BlueStacks.
• That’s it, start playing your favorite game on the large screen of your computer.

BlueStacks – Is it safe to use?

No matter which Android app you want to install on your system, BlueStacks makes the entire process easier and smoother by letting you use any kind of Android app effectively on your PC.

Even though it is the most popular android emulator around the world, many users are still confused about their system’s privacy and security when it comes to getting third-party software on it.

Android Emulator For Mac Big Sur

It has been reported that this emulator is completely safe to use and you can blindly rely on it to meet your gaming needs on your PC.

More to this, the latest version of BlueStacks has overcome all downsides or errors which had been reported by some of its users. Some had complained of it as an insecure emulator and also reported some kind of warning message indicating it as an emulator with some viruses.

Moreover, this emulator does not contain any kind of malware. But still, if you are not satisfied with the answer, you are advised to go for its premium version instead of its free version.

Alternatives of BlueStacks

The above information about BlueStacks will surely encourage you to install this emulator on your PC/Mac and enjoy your desired apps on it.

Here are some of the alternatives to BlueStacks, which you can try to have a somewhat similar or better experience than BlueStacks.

• Genymotion
• Remix OS Player
• LDPlayer
• And many more…

No matter which emulator you will choose to get Android apps on your PC, each one of them will work great and will never disappoint you in terms of their performance.

System Requirements for Installing BlueStacks

It is really good that you have decided to go with BlueStacks on your PC. But, have you checked whether your system is capable enough to install and use BlueStacks without getting any issue?

For this, you must check these minimum system requirements and determine if your system meets these requirements or not.

Bluestacks mac 64 bit. Operating System – Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7
Processor – Intel or AMD Processor
RAM – at least 2 GB
HDD – 5 GB of free disk space
Graphics Card – latest Graphics drivers
DX – Version 9.0c

Note:
The system with better PC specifications than these minimum requirements always performs better and incomparable.

Emulator Android For Mac

Final Words

Emulator Android For Macbook

If you are wondering how to get your favorite mobile-based game on your PC/Mac, this guide will help you to answer all of your queries with a 100% satisfied solution.

Simply, get BlueStacks on your system and gain fantastic gaming experience on the larger screen than your Android device, and that too with superior performance and speed.

What are you thinking?

Use this guide to install BlueStacks and start playing your favorite game on your computer/laptop and have more fun with your friends.