Systems9 of 17
Virtual machines12 of 27
Devices8 of 24
Openness and upkeep10 of 14
Price18 of 18
virtual machine program · Google
Android Emulator
Google's Android virtual devices, included with Android Studio on Windows, macOS and Linux.
In short
- It comes with Android Studio and runs on 64-bit Windows 10 or higher, macOS 12 or higher, and Linux1.
- The Android SDK licence is royalty-free, and no price is listed7.
- General snapshots and a Quick Boot snapshot save the full state of a virtual device3.
- Version 37.2.12 was released on October 1, 20265.
- Source code is public under the Android Open Source Project, in a QEMU-based repository under GPL v28,9.
Android Emulator suits developers who want Android virtual devices at no cost, with snapshots and host GPU acceleration1,2,3. It runs Android only, not Windows or Linux guests, and its documentation says it has no virtual USB hardware1,6,10. On Windows it relies on Microsoft's Windows Hypervisor Platform2.
Best for: Android developers who need free virtual phones, tablets and TVs.
Where the points come from
Systems 9 of 17 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Guest systems | NoneThe documentation covers Android virtual devices only, including phones, tablets, Wear OS, Automotive and TV; no Windows or Linux guests1. | 0 / 8 |
| Also runs on other hosts | macOS, LinuxThe emulator page lists macOS 12 or higher and Linux as host systems, besides Windows1. | 4 / 4 |
| Works on Windows Home | YesRequires 64-bit Windows 10 or higher, with no edition limit; Windows Hypervisor Platform is the recommended accelerator1,2. | 5 / 5 |
Virtual machines 12 of 27 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Snapshots | YesA snapshot preserves the full state of a virtual device; you can take and load general snapshots3. | 8 / 8 |
| Virtual TPM and Secure Boot | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's emulator pages1,3. | 0 / 5 |
| Network modes | NoneEach instance has a virtual router on 10.0.2/24; the docs do not describe NAT, bridged or host-only modes4. | 0 / 6 |
| Nested virtualization | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's pages. They only say a VM-accelerated emulator cannot run inside another VM2. | 0 / 4 |
| Starts from a ready-made image | YesDevice Manager creates a virtual device by picking a system image, which it downloads from the vendor's list6. | 4 / 4 |
Devices 8 of 24 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 3D graphics for guests | YesThe Hardware graphics option uses the computer's graphics card for rendering6,2. | 8 / 8 |
| USB devices in the guest | NoThe emulator documentation lists USB among the virtual hardware the Android Emulator does not include10. | 0 / 6 |
| Shared folders | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's emulator pages1,3,6. | 0 / 6 |
| Shared clipboard | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's emulator pages1,6. | 0 / 4 |
Openness and upkeep 10 of 14 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | YesEmulator source is public in the Android Open Source Project; the repository's licence file is the QEMU GPL v2 text8,9. | 6 / 6 |
| Security advisories published | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's pages1,3,5. | 0 / 4 |
| Updated in the last 12 months | YesRelease notes list version 37.2.12 dated October 1, 20265. | 4 / 4 |
Price 18 of 18 points
The rule behind each line: how we score virtual machine programs.
Plans and prices
As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.
| Plan | Price as listed | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android Emulator (with Android Studio)Developers | Free1,7 | $0 | Royalty-free SDK licence; no price listed |
The SDK licence grants use to develop Android applications and lists no price7.
Strengths
Limits
- Runs Android virtual devices only; the documentation lists no other guest systems1,6.
- A VM-accelerated emulator cannot run inside another VM, such as VirtualBox or VMware2.
- The old Android Emulator hypervisor driver is being sunset on December 31, 2026, so Windows users move to Windows Hypervisor Platform2.
- The documentation says the emulator has no virtual USB hardware, and does not cover shared folders or clipboard sharing1,3,6,10.
What Google says
Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.
- Google says the emulator provides almost all the capabilities of a real Android device1.
Other virtual machine programs
- 1
Oracle VirtualBoxPeople who want a free, open-source virtual machine app on Windows92/100$0cheapest licence for work use - 2
VMware Workstation ProWindows users who want a free hypervisor with snapshots and shared folders79/100$0cheapest licence for work use - 3
NanaBoxWindows users who want a light Hyper-V front end with GPU and TPM options74/100$0cheapest licence for work use - 4
Microsoft Hyper-VWindows Pro users who want virtual machines without extra software73/100$0cheapest licence for work use
Sources
- Run apps on the Android Emulator, Android Developers. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Configure hardware acceleration for the Android Emulator, Android Developers. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Use emulator snapshots, Android Developers. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Network address space, Android Developers. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Android Emulator release notes, Android Developers. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Create and manage virtual devices, Android Developers. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Android Studio and SDK licence agreement, Android Developers. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- platform/external/qemu LICENSE, Android Open Source Project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Welcome to the Android Emulator (README), Android Open Source Project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Advanced emulator usage, Android Developers. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Website: developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Google.