Top BlueStacks Alternatives That You Should Try

BlueStacks is among the best Android emulators available for PCs out there. However, it’s not the only reasonable option in the market. If you’re an existing BlueStacks user, then we’ve prepared a list of top BlueStacks alternatives that you should try.

Android emulators are opening a new door of possibilities, letting you do more on a PC. BlueStacks is popular for almost all possibilities, but it also runs into issues often for some users. Likewise, the following list includes Android emulators that you can use on your Windows and macOS devices.

Reasons why you should look for an alternative!

While BlueStacks pretty much does the job, there can be several reasons you want an alternative. Recently, many users reported that the app became a memory hogger and consumed a lot of system resources. There have also been reports of the BlueStacks engine simply not starting.

On the other hand, your PCs might probably not meet BlueStacks’ minimum system requirements, and they require a lightweight option. Or you might just be worried if the BlueStacks app is safe or not?

BlueStacks alternatives for Windows

While several Android emulators can serve as BlueStacks alternatives, we’ve shortlisted four of them.

1. NoxPlayer – The overall best BlueStacks alternative

NoxPlayer is one of the most popular Android emulators out there right now. It came out recently and managed to become popular in a short time. Likewise, the emulator primarily focuses on gaming and offers several gaming-related features.

NoxPlayer has many features, including keyboard mapping, multi-instances, and a macro recorder. You can run several Android instances using NoxPlayer, similar to a virtual machine manager. It also comes with the Google Play Store, so you don’t have to worry about sideloading apps and games.

System requirements:

• Windows 7 and above
• Intel Core i5-4460 and above
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 / AMD Radeon R7 250 and above
• 8GB RAM
• 64GB storage

2. LDPlayer

LDPlayer is yet another Android emulator that focuses on gaming, making it a suitable BlueStacks alternative. It’s also a recently-launched app that quickly became famous due to its vast range of features. LDPlayer runs an Android Nougat instance, similar to BlueStacks, to run apps and games.

While the emulator does not have a Google Play Store integration, it has its app store. Some of the emulator’s features include virtualization support, multi-instances, and script automation.

System requirements:

• Intel or AMD x86/x64 processor
• Windows XP and above
• 2GB RAM and above
• 36GB storage
• Virtualization enabled (Intel VT-x/AMD Hyper-V)

3. MEmu Play

MEmu Play is a solid Android emulator competitor for BlueStacks and NoxPlayer. It houses a ton of valuable features that make it a perfect BlueStacks alternative.

It offers several features like multi-instance, key mapping, and enhanced graphics support. Moreover, it uses an Android Lollipop instance to run Android apps and games.

System requirements:

• Intel or AMD x86/x86_64 processor with 2 cores and above
• Windows XP and above
• DirectX 11 with OpenGL 2.0
• 2GB RAM and above
• 5GB storage and above
• Virtualization enabled (Intel VT-x/AMD Hyper-V)

4. Genymotion

Finally, Genymotion makes it to the list of BlueStacks alternatives. While it’s not exactly an Android emulator that you can use to play games, it’s one for advanced users. Genymotion supports all major operating systems, and you can run a customizable Android instance.

Genymotion supports Android versions up to Android Nougat. Moreover, you can run several Android instances using Genymotion and integrate them with other projects. For Windows, it comes in two variants: with VirtualBox and without VirtualBox.

System requirements:

• Intel or AMD x86_64 CPU
• Windows 8 and above
• GPU with hardware acceleration
• 4GB RAM
• 400MB storage
• Virtualization enabled (Intel VT-x/AMD Hyper-V/SVM)

BlueStacks alternatives for macOS

We’ve shortlisted two Android emulators for macOS that serve as BlueStacks alternatives.

1. NoxPlayer

The best app among BlueStacks alternatives for Windows also makes it to the macOS list. As discussed before, NoxPlayer offers a variety of features like keyboard mapping, multi-instances, and a macro recorder. NoxPlayer is among the best Android emulators for macOS.

System requirements:

• Mac OS X 10.9 and above
• 2GB RAM
• 4GB storage

2. Genymotion

Secondly, we have Genymotion, which was also among the best BlueStacks alternatives for Windows. Genymotion is also available for macOS and Linux, making it a fairly decent Android emulator. While Genymotion is not optimized for gaming, it offers several features like running multiple instances and integration support.

System requirements:

• macOS 10.13 High Serirra and above
• x86_65 CPU
• 4GB RAM
• 400MB storage
• VirtualBox 6.1.16 installed

Frequently Asked Questions