If you are a long-time Android and Windows user, you must be familiar with BlueStacks, an Andoird emulator that lets you run Android apps on a Windows computer. With the introduction of the Windows Subsystem for Android, there is a big question that needs to be answered, which is Windows Subsystem for Andriod vs BlueStacks, which one is better? In this post, we are on a mission to find the answer to this question. So, put your reading glasses on and start reading.
Windows Subsystem for Android vs BlueStacks comparision
In this battle of Windows Subsystem for Android vs BlueStacks, we will compare them on the following parameters.
- App Availability
- Performance
- Gaming
- Programming
Let us talk about them one by one.
1] App Availability
Let us start with something you would want to know right off the bat. What’s the app availability situation on both corners? As you may already know, BlueStacks runs android apps natively on Windows, it’s not easy to miss this feature as that’s what their marketing is based on. However, Windows Subsystem for Android doesn’t run Google Apps and services natively.
You can sideload Android apps to work on Windows 11, but that’s a workaround. But there is a catch, since, WSA doesn’t have GMS or Google Mobile Service, app collection is very limited, and even if you manage to sideload apps, some of them won’t work because of the lack of GMS.
Whereas on BlueStacks, there is no such issue. Since you are running android natively on Windows, you will get all the Android apps thanks to PlayStore.
Also Read: How to get Instagram or Snapchat on Windows PC.
2] Performance
Some might think that Performance depends greatly on the device’s hardware, which is true but not entirely. You see, the better an is optimized, the smoother it will run. Both WSA and BlueStacks are good when it comes to doing the basic tasks, be it using the supported Android apps or watching videos, there is nothing to complain about.
One thing to note here is that WSA takes a huge amount of RAM compared to BlueStacks. BlueStacks was using around 2.4 to 3 GBs of memory when BlueStacks was around 100 – 500 MBs. This might not be a deal breaker for you if you have 8 or 16 GBs of RAM, but if you are planning to run to tool on a 4 GB system, then make sure not to run anything alongside it.
Long story short, BlueStacks is slightly ahead of WSA in terms of performance right now, but as the developer releases newer versions of WSA, this lead can be eliminated.
3] Gaming
Let’s be honest, one of the reasons why you want to run android apps on your computer is to play all the crazy android games on a bigger screen of your PC. There are two things we need to talk about in this section. First, the availability of games, and second, their control.
When it comes to availability, BlueStacks is a hands-down winner. It has PlayStore, hence, more games and apps. For WSA, you have to get games from Amazon Store and Aurora Store, but there are just not enough options.
BlueStacks again takes the lead when it comes to controlling. Since the app has been around for quite some time, it is more advanced in customization and buttons.
If you want to play android games, BlueStacks seems to be the winner here, but WSA will catch up once the developers start putting more time into it.
Read: Play Android games in the cloud on Windows with BlueStacks X
4] Programming
BlueStacks was winning before this round, but in terms of Programming and Software Development, there is no competition, WSA is far better. You can enable Developer Mode and ADB, and then debug programs without relying on emulators, you will get an IDE to do your job.
However, because of the lack of GMS, you may have to use an emulator for testing, but that’s it. You can do everything here. Also, there is a high chance that WSA will start supporting GMS.
Therefore, we can say that Android Subsystem for Android takes the cake in this round.
Is Windows Subsystem for Android better than BlueStacks?
Windows Subsystem for Andriod is in its development phase and should surpass BlueStacks in a given time. But as of now, there are more things that BlueStacks does better than WSA. However, if you are a developer, WSA is a better option.
Is there a better Android emulator than BlueStacks?
Yes, there are a lot of good Android emulators. BlueStacks is just the most famous one. All of them are different than one another. We recommend you check our list of the best Android emulator and download the one you like. BlueStacks is not your only option.
Also read: How to speed up BlueStacks for faster Android emulation.
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