Comparison

Super Mario Run vs PPSSPP

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Super Mario Run

A new kind of platformer where you control a character by tapping to make them run and jump. Master stylish moves to collect coins, rescue a princess, and build your own kingdom. Try out different modes before purchasing the full game.

Highlights
  • One-handed tap controls
  • Stylish jumps and moves
  • World Tour levels
  • Remix 10 challenges
  • Toad Rally competitions
  • Kingdom Builder customization
Currently charting
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A new kind of Mario game that you can play with one hand. You control Mario by tapping as he constantly runs forward. You time your taps to pull off stylish jumps, midair spins, and wall jumps to gather coins and reach the goal! Super Mario Run can be downloaded for free and after you purchase the game, you will be able to play all the modes with no additional payment required. You can try out all four modes before purchase: World Tour, Toad Rally, Remix 10, and Kingdom Builder. ■World Tour Run and jump with style to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser’s clutches! Travel through plains, caverns, ghost houses, airships, castles, and more. Clear the 24 exciting courses to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser, waiting in his castle at the end. There are many ways to enjoy the courses, such as collecting the 3 different types of colored coins or by competing for the highest score against your friends. You can try courses 1-1 to 1-4 for free. After rescuing Princess Peach, a nine-course special world, World Star, will appear. ■Remix 10 Some of the shortest Super Mario Run courses you'll ever play! This mode is Super Mario Run in bite-sized bursts! You'll play through 10 short courses one after the other, with the courses changing each time you play. Daisy is lost somewhere in Remix 10, so try to clear as many courses as you can to find her! ■Toad Rally Show off Mario’s stylish moves, compete against your friends, and challenge people from all over the world. In this challenge mode, the competition differs each time you play. Compete against the stylish moves of other players for the highest score as you gather coins and get cheered on by a crowd of Toads. Fill the gauge with stylish moves to enter Coin Rush Mode to get more coins. If you win the rally, the cheering Toads will come live in your kingdom, and your kingdom will grow. ■Kingdom Builder Gather coins and Toads to build your very own kingdom. Combine different buildings and decorations to create your own unique kingdom. There are over 100 kinds of items in Kingdom Builder mode. If you get more Toads in Toad Rally, the number of buildings and decorations available will increase. With the help of the friendly Toads you can gradually build up your kingdom. ■What You Can Do After Purchasing All Worlds ・ All courses in World Tour are playable Why not try out the bigger challenges and thrills available in all courses? ・ Easier to get Rally Tickets It's easier to get Rally Tickets that are needed to play Remix 10 and Toad Rally. You can collect them in Kingdom Builder through Bonus Game Houses and ? Blocks, by collecting colored coins in World Tour, and more. ・ More playable characters If you rescue Princess Peach by completing course 6-4 and build homes for Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadette in Kingdom Builder mode, you can get them to join your adventures as playable characters. They play differently than Mario, so why not put their special characteristics to good use in World Tour and Toad Rally? ・ More courses in Toad Rally The types of courses available in Toad Rally will increase to seven different types of courses, expanding the fun! Along with the new additions, Purple and Yellow Toads may also come to cheer for you. ・ More buildings and decorations in Kingdom Builder The types of buildings available will increase, so you'll be able to make your kingdom even more lively. You can also place Rainbow Bridges to expand your kingdom. ・ Play Remix 10 without having to wait You can play Remix 10 continuously, without having to wait between each game. *Internet connectivity required to play. Data charges may apply. May contain advertisements.

About

PPSSPP

Experience your favorite PSP titles on your iOS device with high-definition graphics and enhanced features. This emulator allows you to play a vast library of PSP games with excellent performance. Access your own game files or explore free homebrew titles.

Highlights
  • Play PSP games on iOS
  • High-definition graphics
  • Extra features
  • High performance
  • Supports ISO/CSO files
  • Built-in Homebrew Store
Features
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Play PSP games on your iOS device, in high definition with extra features! PPSSPP is the original and only PSP emulator for mobile devices. It can run nearly all PSP games with great performance on iOS. No games are included with this download. Use your own real PSP games and turn them into .ISO or .CSO files (see the homepage for instructions), or simply play free homemade games, which are available in the built-in "Homebrew Store". PSP is a trademark of Sony. The PPSSPP project is in no way affiliated with Sony.

Screenshots

Super Mario Run4 screens
PPSSPP2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PPSSPP at 4.5 against Super Mario Run's 3.8. PPSSPP also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 45%) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 3 months). Super Mario Run's advantage is ratings volume (79K vs 2.8K) and chart position (#88 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Super Mario Run sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PPSSPP sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PPSSPP holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Super Mario Run has 79K ratings behind it against 2.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Super Mario Run's written reviews are positive against 72% of PPSSPP's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Super Mario Run ships an update every 3 months, PPSSPP every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Super Mario Run versus PPSSPP: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSuper Mario RunPPSSPP
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (79K ratings)4.5 (2.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.3% of reviews72.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings79K — better2.8K
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#88 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size607 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNintendo Co., Ltd.Henrik Rydgård

Customer experience

Super Mario Run

All ratings78,341 ratings
Positive65.9%
Neutral9.0%
Negative25.1%
Written reviews3,206 reviews
Positive45.3%
Neutral12.1%
Negative42.6%

PPSSPP

All ratings2,700 ratings
Positive87.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative8.8%
Written reviews1,448 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral8.6%
Negative19.1%

User reviews

Super Mario Run

From 79K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Great game
  • 🎨 Awesome graphics
  • 🕹️ Smooth gameplay
  • 🕹️ Challenging levels
  • 🕹️ Variety of game modes

Room to improve

  • 💰 Paywall for full game
  • 🔒 Requires internet connection
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🕹️ Lack of character/level variety
  • 🕹️ Repetitive gameplay

PPSSPP

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth performance
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💡 Supports controllers
  • 🎮 Able to play classic PSP games
  • 🔥 Amazing emulation experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🤔 Compatibility problems with certain games
  • 🔇 Sound issues with some games

Bugs and requests

Super Mario Run

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Constant connection errors
  • Levels not loading properly
  • Saved progress not syncing across devices
  • Toad rally issues (losing tickets, unfair matchmaking)

Requested features

5 requests
  • Offline mode
  • More playable characters
  • More level variety
  • Ability to choose characters in Remix 10
  • Better toad rally balancing

PPSSPP

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when trying to load save files
  • Controller mapping not working properly
  • Certain games not launching or freezing

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for PS2 and PS3 emulation
  • Improve save state functionality
  • Implement haptic feedback for on-screen controls
  • Allow customization of button mapping
  • Add portrait mode support

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Super Mario Run

One-time1
  • All 6 Worlds$9.99
1 purchases

PPSSPP

One-time1
  • PPSSPP Gold$3.99

Questions

Is Super Mario Run free?
Super Mario Run is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PPSSPP free?
PPSSPP is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Super Mario Run or PPSSPP?
PPSSPP is rated higher. Super Mario Run averages 3.8 out of 5 from 79K ratings, while PPSSPP averages 4.5 from 2.8K ratings.
Do Super Mario Run or PPSSPP have ads?
Neither Super Mario Run nor PPSSPP shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Super Mario Run or PPSSPP?
Super Mario Run ships an update every 3 months, and PPSSPP every 4 weeks. Most recently, Super Mario Run was updated on November 2, 2026 and PPSSPP on November 2, 2026.

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