NoxPlayer vs Bluestacks: Which is the Best Android Emulator? Bluestacks vs NoxPlayer: An Android emulator lets you run a smartphone on your computer and play mobile games. Emulators can be fun and easy to use. BlueStacks and Nox are two of the most popular emulators for Android games on PC. BlueStacks vs NoxPlayer has been a heated debate for some time now. This is because these two emulators are the best available today.
It can be a difficult decision between these two. You don’t have to worry because you will find the answer in this article.
What is Android Emulator and How it Works?
To emulate is to imitate or match. This definition can be applied to operating systems and you will see the idea behind emulators. An emulator is a small version of a system that can be stored in a program to make it portable.
This idea changed the game industry forever because it allowed old gaming consoles to become immortalized. You can now simply load an emulator on your PS1 to play the classics you grew up playing. Emulators can also be used to install mobile operating systems on PCs.
Android is a popular target for emulator developers due to its flexibility and diversity as a mobile operating platform. Many Android emulators are competing to become the best. BlueStacks and Nox are leading the charge, however.
What is BlueStacks?
BlueStacks allows users to run mobile applications on Windows and Mac. It was created to give mobile gamers a fullscreen experience. Since its launch, it has been the standard for Android emulators.
System Requirements
The latest version of BlueStacks is compatible with both Windows and Mac. The software will run on Windows PCs running any version of Windows 7 or later. Any Intel or AMD processor will suffice for the processor requirement. The processor will determine the game’s performance. The minimum memory requirements are 2GB RAM and 5GB free disk space. You should have 8GB RAM and an SSD for the best results. All graphic drivers should be current.
On one hand, OS Sierra is the minimum OS that Macs need. Again, any Intel or AMD Dual-Core Processor will do the job perfectly. Minimum memory requirements are 4GB RAM and 8GB of disk space. Performance will be better if you have more memory than these requirements.
Gaming Performance
BlueStacks is six times faster than any other mobile device. Although this is a bold claim, everybody has a reason to believe that this legendary Android emulator is in it again for their 4th installment.
Games are available to be downloaded from the Play Store to your BlueStacks Dashboard. APKs may also be used. BlueStacks can play any Android game as long as it is compatible with the device. BlueStacks’ patented LayerCake technology gives it an edge over other emulators in terms of gaming performance, even though the game’s overall performance will depend on your device.
More details will be discussed in this article.
What Is NoxPlayer?
NoxPlayer Limited was a Hong Kong-based group of developers who aimed to be the emulator to choose from in the East. They released Nox back in 2015 and has since been used by over 150 million users across 150 countries.
Their main product, Nox Player was released four years after BlueStacks first version. Despite the seemingly large head start of BlueStacks, Nox was still able to catch up since it has been downloaded over 150 million times already.
Nox’s huge list of features is the reason for its rapid success. While both Android emulators, Nox Limited and BlueStacks are quite different. Nox Limited is not as large and complex as BlueStacks but they have enough to continue the BlueStacks vs Nox debate.
Challenging BlueStacks is the heir to the throne. It’s an Android emulator that allows you to play mobile games in the form APKs on Windows and Mac. It’s a lightweight emulator that is free and can run faster than BlueStacks.
BlueStacks app player was developed by a technology company with the same brand. The company was founded back in 2009 by Jay Vaishnav, Suman Saraf, and Rosen Sharma. These three developers worked previously for Cloud.com and McAfee.
BlueStacks’ first product was an app player, which was formally released in public back in 2011. Because of its longevity and stability, the app player is synonymous with Android emulators. This emulator has a track record of success, so you should download it now.
Bluestack’s LayerCake application embedding tech, which allows PCs to run mobile apps, is the driving force behind this software. BlueStacks can run small-system mobile apps with larger and more powerful desktop systems thanks to this technology. This results in a much faster gaming experience than even the largest phones.
Currently, BlueStacks’ free version has been downloaded over 210 million times already. Advanced features can be unlocked through monthly subscriptions, but its free version alone can run more than 150 million apps already. BlueStacks 4 is the latest version of this program.
System Requirements
Nox has a reputation for being stronger than BlueStacks. It is actually so lightweight that even a Windows XP computer could run it. It’s also supported by Windows Vista, and all subsequent versions. Any dual-core Intel or AMD processor should suffice for the CPU requirement. The better the CPU, again, the higher the performance.
This is a lightweight application. Its memory requirements are one of the main reasons it is so popular. The program requires that your computer have at least 1.5 GB RAM and 3 GB storage to run it. Imagine what Nox could accomplish with 8GB RAM and an SSD.
Nox is a completely different Mac version of its Windows counterpart. Nox was designed and built primarily from Windows. Nox’s first Windows launch was a year ago. The Mac version was then released. To run it, you should have Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) or higher.
Gaming Performance
Don’t let Nox’s low memory requirements discourage you from playing high FPS games. It can certainly handle them. In fact, you can even play up to four games simultaneously with multi-instances – a feature that will be discussed more in detail later.
Games are preloaded with Nox. You can also check their website to see what mobile games they will include. You can also load additional games using APK files. Nox supports gamepad mapping and keypad navigation. The settings allow you to modify graphics and frame rates.
Nox is a top-notch gaming platform.
Features of BlueStacks
BlueStacks is still the standard for Android emulators. Many of its features are also available in other emulators. BlueStacks is the first and most stable emulator you can download, revolutionizing mobile gaming.
BlueStacks allows
Keymapping. BlueStacks allows you to easily modify the controls and assign them whichever keys you like. For those who wish to excel in FPS games, you will also be allowed the mouse to operate. This cursor to crosshair feature can be done through BlueStacks’ feature called Smart Controls.
Playing multiple games through split-screening can also be done through BlueStacks’ Multiple Instance feature. This feature allows you to play the same game simultaneously with multiple accounts. Just recently, BlueStacks also added the Multi-Instance Sync sub-feature, which allows you to sync your movements across all split-screen panels.
Other than those features, basic things such as recording and taking screenshots are permitted. Both the disk cleanup function as well as multiple Android profile support are very useful.
Features of NoxPlayer
Nox is a lot lighter compared to BlueStacks – 100 MB lighter to be exact. Nox retains some of the best features of BlueStacks despite its smaller size and higher memory requirements. Nox allows both keyboard and controller mappings, just like BlueStacks.
Multiple-instance gaming is also available in Nox. However, multi-sync has yet to be made an official feature of the emulator. Nox also has macro and script recording features. These features enable users to record movements and operations for future execution, which is a valuable feature for strategy games.
One of Nox’s pride is its Virtualization Technology or VT. This allows programs to run separate systems on a single server. Nox’s resource utilization efficiency is largely due to VT. Using single server hardware can increase the game’s performance, as every command is executed under the same roof.
Comparison: BlueStacks vs NoxPlayer
Here’s a comparison of BlueStacks and Nox and a discussion about them in four categories: legality, performance, user-interface and security.
Performance
The best way to compare performance is to look at the benchmark scores for the program or device. BlueStacks and Nox use the same formula to compute benchmark scores for Android emulators. They add scores from each program’s performance in CPU/RAM usage and FPS.
According to the most recent benchmarking results, BlueStacks4 outperforms Nox across all categories. This isn’t necessarily the end of Nox, as it is a young program with a strong base. It is possible that the debate over BlueStacks vs. Nox will soon swing in favor of Nox. Users report that Nox makes them feel lighter and more responsive once they start using it.
User Interface
BlueStacks has more features and a more complex user interface. As mentioned earlier, BlueStacks is 100 MB larger and it would require you to have at least 2 GB of RAM instead of Nox’s minimum requirement of 1 GB. There was a discrepancy between them and BlueStacks was able to do more with the resources it has.
However, NoxPlayer’s interface is simpler and lighter than BlueStacks. NoxPlayer is lighter and more intuitive than BlueStacks. When it comes to the interface, the verdict on BlueStacks vs. Nox would ultimately be decided by the user.
Security
This one is a bit tricky. Android emulators don’t have the best security measures. Everyone knows that restrictions are not a concern with the Android OS. Companies can also easily access this permission. Android emulators run a bootleg Android version, which may be dangerous security-wise.
Before installing BlueStacks you will need to first disable your firewall. BlueStacks is safe to use? Nox, on the other hand would not ask you to disable any security features before installing the app. Nox wins the debate about security in BlueStacks vs. Nox.
Legality
This is another difficult topic to talk about. One, Android emulators don’t run the official Android version. This is because emulators aren’t under the OS’s jurisdiction. Emulators are accepted by the general public and are created by large teams of developers.
In this sense, Android emulators can be considered illegal and legal. This does not apply to Nox and BlueStacks. These two emulators are legal and can be used legally as any other. It is important to note that BlueStacks is supported by companies like AMD and Samsung, while Nox by Tencent and game developers like Tencent.
NoxPlayer vs BlueStacks: Final Verdict
Finally, the moment of truth.
Judging NoxPlayer vs BlueStacks in general is difficult. BlueStacks, an Android emulator that is reliable and robust, has been around for nearly ten years. Its performance has earned it trust despite security flaws. Nox, on the other hand is a contender to the throne and is quickly catching up with BlueStacks’ success. Nox is lighter, and is great for people who don’t care about customization.
BlueStacks remains the best option. BlueStacks is literally years ahead than Nox in terms development, and it’s hard to imagine its innovative nature going away. BlueStacks still holds the crown with its minimalist approach to mobile gaming.