# Path Tracer vs UTM SE

The clearest difference is rating: Path Tracer at 4.5 against UTM SE's 3.8. Path Tracer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (79% vs 55%). UTM SE's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 13 months) and ratings volume (563 vs 31). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. UTM SE sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Path Tracer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Path Tracer holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UTM SE has 563 ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Path Tracer's written reviews are positive against 55% of UTM SE's.

Path Tracer ships an update every 13 months, UTM SE every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Path Tracer | UTM SE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/path-tracer/id1090761030/reviews)** | [3.8 (563 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utm-se-retro-pc-emulator/id1564628856/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 31 | **563** |
| Positive reviews | **78.9% of reviews** | 54.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 10 MB | 1.6 GB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [People Tech](https://appshunter.io/developer/566977973) | [Turing Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1534511649) |

## What reviewers say

### Path Tracer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/path-tracer/id1090761030)

Experience real-time, photorealistic computer graphics on your iPhone. This application leverages Apple's Metal graphics platform to render complex lighting effects and scenes instantly, allowing you to create and manipulate stunning visuals directly on your device.

**Highlights:** Real-time path tracing, Realistic global illumination, 30 FPS rendering, Pre-built and custom scenes, Adjustable lighting and camera, Multiple surface texture types

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### UTM SE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utm-se-retro-pc-emulator/id1564628856)

Experience classic computing by running old-school games and software. This emulator supports various display modes and processor architectures, allowing you to run pre-built systems or configure your own.

**Highlights:** Run classic software and games, VGA and terminal modes, Emulates x86, ARM, PPC, RISC-V, Pre-built or custom machine configurations, Built from QEMU

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Transistor | $0.99 | one-time |
| Chip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Computer | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app that can run Windows and macOS
- 👍 Useful for nostalgic reasons
- 👍 Can run Linux VMs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Slow performance, especially on older devices
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Display and boot issues
- 🐛 Incompatible with some ISOs and VMs

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to select .img files as floppy boot images
- Crashes when trying to leave a VM
- Crashes when adjusting virtual CD-ROM drive settings

**Requested features**

- Add support for JIT compilation to improve performance
- Improve Magic Keyboard support
- Allow exporting VMs to run on other platforms


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Path Tracer free?

Path Tracer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is UTM SE free?

UTM SE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Path Tracer or UTM SE?

Path Tracer is rated higher. Path Tracer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while UTM SE averages 3.8 from 563 ratings.

### Do Path Tracer or UTM SE have ads?

Neither Path Tracer nor UTM SE shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Path Tracer or UTM SE?

Path Tracer ships an update every 13 months, and UTM SE every 4 months. Most recently, Path Tracer was updated on October 24, 2026 and UTM SE on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*