# Empire Cinemas vs Privistar

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Empire Cinemas at none against Privistar's 8. Empire Cinemas also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Privistar's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Privistar sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Empire Cinemas asks for nothing beyond the download.

Empire Cinemas ships an update every 10 days, Privistar fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Empire Cinemas | Privistar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.3 (201 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/empire-cinemas/id1459864736/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **201** | — |
| Positive reviews | 11.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 109 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Binary Numbers ITZone LLP](https://appshunter.io/developer/1328822739) | [Privistar, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6803435959) |

## What reviewers say

### Empire Cinemas

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/empire-cinemas/id1459864736)

Easily book movie tickets and discover showtimes for films playing in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Lebanon. Explore diverse cinema experiences and pre-order food and drinks for a seamless movie night.

**Highlights:** Book movie tickets, Check showtimes, Discover upcoming movies, Pre-order food and drinks, Explore cinema experiences, Scan e-tickets, View movie trailers and info

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works perfectly on iPhone 11 Pro Max
- 👍 Works perfectly on iPhone 12
- 👍 Amazing app for Middle East users
- 👍 Helpful for Kurdistan users
- 👍 Great experience at Andalus Mall

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Cannot change language
- 🐛 Problems with profile, payments, reservations
- 🐛 Cannot sign in, OTP not working
- 🐛 App never loads
- 🐛 App is confusing and badly designed

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot change language
- Problems with profile, payments, reservations
- Cannot sign in, OTP not working
- App never loads
- App is confusing and badly designed

**Requested features**

- Add Apple Pay support
- Add PayPal support
- Add ticket prices to the app
- Add time filters for movies
- Allow setting nearest cinema


### Privistar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/privistar/id6803435957)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wallet $9.00 | $9.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $19.00 | $19.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $49.00 | $49.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $99.00 | $99.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $199.00 | $199.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $499.00 | $499.00 | one-time |
| Become a Star | $999.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $999.00 | $999.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Empire Cinemas free?

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

### Is Privistar free?

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

### Do Empire Cinemas or Privistar have ads?

Empire Cinemas shows ads; Privistar does not.

### Which is updated more often, Empire Cinemas or Privistar?

Empire Cinemas ships an update every 10 days, and Privistar fortnightly. Most recently, Empire Cinemas was updated on October 20, 2026 and Privistar on October 12, 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.*