Comparison

Arcaea vs MuseDash

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

Head to head
About

Arcaea

Experience a unique rhythm game that blends challenging gameplay with an immersive story. Progress through a narrative driven by your performance, unlock new difficulties, and compete with others online. Enjoy a vast library of music, with more available through content packs.

Highlights
  • Novel gameplay mechanics
  • Immersive sound and story
  • High difficulty ceiling
  • Over 350 songs
  • 3 rhythm difficulty levels per song
  • Real-time online multiplayer
  • Rich Main Story and Side Stories
Read full description

New Dimension Rhythm Game - Experience sound and story unlike ever before. "A harmony of Light awaits you in a lost world of musical Conflict." In a world of white, and surrounded by “memory”, two girls awaken under glass-filled skies. Arcaea is a mobile rhythm game for both experienced and new rhythm game players alike, blending novel gameplay, immersive sound, and a powerful story of wonder and heartache. Experience gameplay that reflects the story’s emotions and events—and progress to unlock more of this unfurling narrative. Challenging trials can be discovered through play, higher difficulties can be unlocked, and a real-time online mode is available to face off against other players. Arcaea does not require an internet connection for play, and is fully playable both on smartphones and tablets. On install the game includes a large library of free playable songs, and more can be made available by acquiring additional songs and content packs. ==Features== - A high difficulty ceiling - experience personal growth as you develop skills in arcade-style progression - Over 350 songs from more than 200 artists famous across other games - 3 rhythm difficulty levels for every song - An expanding music library through regular content updates - Collaborations with other beloved rhythm games - Online friends and scoreboards - Real-time online multiplayer - A Course Mode that tests endurance through gauntlets of songs - A rich Main Story that features two protagonist’s perspectives across a powerful journey - Additional Side and Short Stories of varying styles and perspectives featuring the game’s characters that build upon the world of Arcaea - A vast array of original characters and guest characters from collaborations to accompany you, level up, and alter your play through many game-changing skills - Stunning, never-before-seen connections to storylines via gameplay, challenging the very paradigm of play ==Story== Two girls find themselves in a colorless world full of memory, and with no memory of themselves. Each alone, they set out into places often beautiful, and just as often dangerous. Arcaea’s story is interwoven throughout Main, Side, and Short stories which each focus on individual, playable characters. While separate, they all share the same space: the world of Arcaea. Their reactions to it, and its reactions to them, form an ever-shifting narrative of mystery, sorrow, and bliss. As they explore this heavenly place, follow their steps down paths of glass and grief. --- Follow Arcaea & News: Twitter: http://twitter.com/arcaea_en Facebook: http://facebook.com/arcaeagame

About

MuseDash

Engage in a vibrant rhythm parkour game where you dance to music and battle enemies. Even without a strong sense of rhythm, you can enjoy the action by dodging obstacles. Collect lovely girls and enjoy the blend of music and combat.

Highlights
  • Rhythm-based combat
  • Parkour gameplay
  • Obstacle dodging
  • Character collection
  • Beginner-friendly
  • Multiple languages supported
Features
Read full description

"Hitting while listening to music." "Is that the call from another world?" [Game Starts Now—!!] Lovely girls or rhythmic music? If there’s a place for you to have them both… It must be the paradise of parkour & rhythm game — Muse Dash!! Huh?! Not your forte? It doesn’t matter! Who says you must have a strong sense of rhythm to win? Avoid is also a valid option (?) As long as you have 100% of passion, courage, and… love for lovely girls~ Rhythm and fight won’t be an issue [Gameplay] Dance to the music and beat enemies in the air and on the ground. Also, watch out for the obstacles!! What an easy, beginner-friendly rhythm game [Media Review] 可愛らしいビジュアルのキャラクターが躍動する、新感覚の2Dアクションスタイルのリズムゲーム ——IGN Japan “A bright exterior hides a surprisingly deep and engaging mash up”——POCKET GAMER Languages Supported: English 简体中文(Simplified Chinese) 繁体中文 (Traditional Chinese) 日本語(Japanese) 韩语 (Korean) Feedback: https://service.peropero.net/ Twitter:@MuseDash_EN @PeroPeroGuys

Screenshots

Arcaea4 screens
MuseDash4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Arcaea at Free against MuseDash's $2.99. Arcaea also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly). MuseDash's advantage is chart position (#9 vs #84). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Arcaea is free to download; MuseDash costs $2.99 up front. Arcaea sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and MuseDash sells 19 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Arcaea against 4.9 for MuseDash. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25K and 8.4K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 78% and 78% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Arcaea ships an update every 8 days, MuseDash monthly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Arcaea versus MuseDash: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArcaeaMuseDash
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.8 (25K ratings)4.9 (8.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews — better78.2% of reviews
Number of ratings25K — better8.4K
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#84#9 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.4 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB2.0 GB
Age rating12+17+
Developerlowiroperopero

Customer experience

Arcaea

All ratings24,557 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews1,249 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral6.8%
Negative14.9%

MuseDash

All ratings8,393 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews1,059 reviews
Positive78.2%
Neutral7.9%
Negative13.9%

User reviews

Arcaea

From 25K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Unique gameplay mechanics
  • 🎨 Beautiful visuals and art
  • 🎶 Excellent music selection
  • 👍 Smooth and responsive controls
  • 💯 Challenging yet rewarding difficulty

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessive paywall for content
  • 🔁 Repetitive grind in World Mode
  • 🐛 Occasional note registration issues
  • 🔊 Audio desync when multitasking
  • 🤖 Lack of practice mode or tutorial

MuseDash

From 8.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful art style and animations
  • 🎶 Captivating music and rhythmic gameplay
  • 🕹️ Simple yet challenging gameplay
  • 🔥 Addictive and fun experience
  • 💰 Great value for the price

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive DLC and in-app purchases
  • 🔞 Sexualized character designs
  • 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
  • 🔇 Audio glitches and sound quality problems

Bugs and requests

Arcaea

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues and account sync problems
  • Compatibility problems on certain devices
  • Crashes and freezes during gameplay

Requested features

5 requests
  • Multiplayer mode to compete with friends
  • Ability to earn premium currency through gameplay
  • More free song options to explore the game
  • Customizable note speed and offset settings
  • Improved story mode and character development

MuseDash

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to restore in-app purchases
  • Freezing and crashes after completing songs
  • Inconsistent controls and unresponsive inputs

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add a random mode for favorite songs
  • Implement cloud save sync across devices
  • Add more difficulty options and modifiers
  • Introduce a story mode or campaign

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Arcaea

One-time3
  • 100 Memories$0.99
  • 510 Memories$4.99
  • 1020 Memories$9.99
19 purchases

MuseDash

One-time19
  • Welcome to the Blue Hole!$2.99
  • Muse Dash・Legend$2.99
  • Happy Otaku SP$3.99
Show 16 more
  • Song of Determination&Power(20%off)$3.99
  • Muse Radio FM101$3.99
  • Let's GROOVE$3.99
  • Touhou Mugakudan -Ⅰ-$3.99
  • Valentine Stage$3.99
  • Touhou Mugakudan -Ⅱ-$3.99
  • Rin·Len's Mirrorland$4.99
  • Miku in Museland$5.99
  • cyTus$5.99
  • Rin·Len's Mirrorland$5.99
  • Miku in Museland$8.99
  • Rin·Len's Mirrorland$8.99
  • unlockall_3$20.99
  • unlockall_12$23.99
  • unlockall_0$27.99
  • unlockall_29$33.99

Questions

Is Arcaea free?
Arcaea is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MuseDash free?
MuseDash costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Arcaea or MuseDash?
MuseDash is rated higher. Arcaea averages 4.8 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while MuseDash averages 4.9 from 8.4K ratings.
Do Arcaea or MuseDash have ads?
Neither Arcaea nor MuseDash shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Arcaea or MuseDash?
Arcaea ships an update every 8 days, and MuseDash monthly. Most recently, Arcaea was updated on October 25, 2026 and MuseDash on October 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, Arcaea or MuseDash?
Arcaea currently peaks at #84 in the App Store charts, and MuseDash at #9. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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