UTM SE vs Remote Gamepad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
UTM SE
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.
- Run classic software and games
- VGA and terminal modes
- Emulates x86, ARM, PPC, RISC-V
- Pre-built or custom machine configurations
- Built from QEMU
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UTM SE is a PC emulator that allows you to run classic software and old-school games. * Supports both VGA mode for graphics and terminal mode for text-only operating systems * Emulates x86, ARM, PPC, and RISC-V architectures * Run pre-built machines or create your own configuration from scratch * Built from QEMU, a powerful and widely used emulator
Remote Gamepad
Transform your smartphone into a versatile game controller for your PC. Enjoy immersive gaming experiences with on-screen controls or by rotating your phone as a steering wheel. Customize your controller layout and connect wirelessly or via USB.
- Use phone as PC game controller
- Steering wheel functionality for racing games
- Customizable on-screen controls
- Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth connection
- Layout editor for custom button configurations
- Shareable controller layouts
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Use your phone as a gamepad for your PC. Play games on your PC using your phone as a game controller. Rotate your phone as the steering wheel in racing games. On-screen controls are available similar to a game controller. Supported devices • Windows 10/11 • Linux This app is compatible with all PC games which support game controllers. Use Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth for the connection. No additional hardware is needed. Button presses on game controllers connected to your phone are forwarded. This allows you to use mobile game controllers with your PC. The included layout editor allows you to create and use your own game controller layouts. You can customize the button position, size, color, shape, and more. Layouts can be shared with other users using a link. A trial is available within the app. To continue using the app after the time limit, you can upgrade to the premium version or watch ads.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: UTM SE at none against Remote Gamepad's shown. UTM SE also leads on review sentiment (55% vs 46%) and ratings volume (562 vs 113). Remote Gamepad's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. UTM SE sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Remote Gamepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Remote Gamepad holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 562 and 113 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of UTM SE's written reviews are positive against 46% of Remote Gamepad's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
UTM SE ships an update every 4 months, Remote Gamepad every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | UTM SE | Remote Gamepad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (562 ratings) | 4.0 (113 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.7% of reviews — better | 45.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 562 — better | 113 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.6 GB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Turing Software, LLC | Thomas Vos |
Customer experience
UTM SE
Remote Gamepad
User reviews
UTM SE
From 562 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great app that can run Windows and macOS
- 👍 Useful for nostalgic reasons
- 👍 Can run Linux VMs
Room to improve
- 🐛 Slow performance, especially on older devices
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Display and boot issues
- 🐛 Incompatible with some ISOs and VMs
Remote Gamepad
From 113 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Useful for conventional controller lacking
- 💡 Supports controllers connected to phone
- 🚀 Minimal latency over WiFi/wired
- 👍 Rewarding ad placement
- 👍 Works right out of the box
Room to improve
- 👎 Promises Bluetooth, doesn't deliver
- 👎 Paid features required for use
- 👎 Limited free trial time
- 👎 Ads are intrusive
- 👎 Bad deadzones with no control
Bugs and requests
UTM SE
Reported bugs
3 issues- 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
3 requests- Add support for JIT compilation to improve performance
- Improve Magic Keyboard support
- Allow exporting VMs to run on other platforms
Remote Gamepad
Reported bugs
8 issues- Bug when pressing 2 buttons simultaneously
- Bluetooth not found in app
- Connection failed when scanning QR code
- App crashes when editing custom mapping
- Remote Gamepad PC app not working
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- Steering wheel not perfectly straight
- PES game brings out keeper when playing
- Paid version with unlimited time doesn't work
Requested features
15 requests- Add angle calibration setting
- Optimize Wi-Fi connection for iPad
- Add button name customization
- Make it faster when touching and moving buttons
- Support for macOS
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Add different themes or interface color changes
- Add support for 3D touch for trigger force
- Add touchpad for camera control
- Option to edit extra button input
- Add keyboard input support
- Reduce minimum button size on iPad
- Add Bluetooth support
- Make it playable on TV (Android TV support)
- Remove time limit
- Fix paid version unlimited time issue
In-app purchases
UTM SE
- Transistor$0.99
- Chip$4.99
- Computer$9.99
Remote Gamepad
- Premium$2.99
