# Arcaea vs Phigros

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Phigros at none against Arcaea's 3. Phigros also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 78%). Arcaea's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (25K vs 2.9K). On price, rating, ads and chart position there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Arcaea sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Phigros asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Arcaea against 4.8 for Phigros. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Arcaea has 25K ratings behind it against 2.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Arcaea's written reviews are positive against 87% of Phigros's.

Arcaea ships an update every 8 days, Phigros every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Arcaea | Phigros |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (25K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcaea/id1205999125/reviews) | [4.8 (2.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phigros/id1454809109/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **25K** | 2.9K |
| Positive reviews | 78.4% of reviews | **87.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | #85 | **#47** |
| Size | 1.2 GB | 1.7 GB |
| Requires iOS | **12.4** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [lowiro](https://appshunter.io/developer/1381393762) | [Xiamen Pigeon Games Network Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1489812265) |

## What reviewers say

### Arcaea

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcaea/id1205999125)

**Currently charting:** #85 Top Free · Music, #89 Top Grossing · Music (US App Store)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 Memories | $0.99 | one-time |
| 510 Memories | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1020 Memories | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Phigros

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phigros/id1454809109)

**Currently charting:** #47 Top Free · Music (US App Store)

Experience a "laneless" rhythm game with dynamic judgment lines and unique note types. Explore a vast library of over 200 licensed tracks across diverse genres, each accompanied by stunning, mood-enhancing cover art.

**Highlights:** Laneless gameplay, Dynamic judgment lines, Four note types, 200+ licensed music tracks, Diverse music genres, Beautiful cover art

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Entirely free with no ads or in-app purchases
- 🎨 Unique and creative gameplay with moving judgment line
- 👍 Wide variety of songs and difficulties
- 🎶 Great music selection
- 🔍 Interesting story and lore elements

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues with cloud save and account syncing across devices
- 🔍 Lore and story elements can be confusing or hard to understand
- 🔍 Difficulty progression can feel grindy at times

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional crashes or freezes, especially when switching songs
- Audio desync issues for some users
- Trouble unlocking certain songs/chapters

**Requested features**

- Add more well-known or popular songs
- Improve cloud save functionality
- Provide option to adjust background blur/dimming
- Translate more of the story/lore content to English


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Arcaea free?

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

### Is Phigros free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Arcaea or Phigros?

Arcaea and Phigros are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 25K and 2.9K ratings respectively.

### Do Arcaea or Phigros have ads?

Neither Arcaea nor Phigros shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Arcaea or Phigros?

Arcaea ships an update every 8 days, and Phigros every 3 weeks. Most recently, Arcaea was updated on September 25, 2026 and Phigros on September 23, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Arcaea or Phigros?

Arcaea currently peaks at #85 in the App Store charts, and Phigros at #47. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*