# UTM SE vs RetroPod

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RetroPod at none against UTM SE's 3. UTM SE's advantage is ratings volume (565 vs 33) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 12 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. UTM SE sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. RetroPod asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.8 for UTM SE against 3.7 for RetroPod. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UTM SE has 565 ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of UTM SE's written reviews are positive against 59% of RetroPod's.

UTM SE ships an update every 4 months, RetroPod every 12 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | UTM SE | RetroPod |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.8 (565 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utm-se-retro-pc-emulator/id1564628856/reviews)** | [3.7 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retropod/id6450168785/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **565** | 33 |
| Positive reviews | 54.7% of reviews | **58.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 1.6 GB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Turing Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1534511649) | [Yash Tak](https://appshunter.io/developer/1685072692) |

## What reviewers say

### UTM SE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utm-se-retro-pc-emulator/id1564628856)

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.

**Highlights:** Run classic software and games, VGA and terminal modes, Emulates x86, ARM, PPC, RISC-V, Pre-built or custom machine configurations, Built from QEMU

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Transistor | $0.99 | one-time |
| Chip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Computer | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app that can run Windows and macOS
- 👍 Useful for nostalgic reasons
- 👍 Can run Linux VMs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Slow performance, especially on older devices
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Display and boot issues
- 🐛 Incompatible with some ISOs and VMs

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Add support for JIT compilation to improve performance
- Improve Magic Keyboard support
- Allow exporting VMs to run on other platforms


### RetroPod

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retropod/id6450168785)

Experience the nostalgic feel of the iPod Classic with a virtual click wheel and modern streaming service integration. Control playback with intuitive gestures and customize wheel sensitivity for a personalized music experience.

**Highlights:** Virtual click wheel interface, Wheel sensitivity adjustment, Volume control via click wheel, Spotify integration, Apple Music integration, Playlist and album access

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is UTM SE free?

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

### Is RetroPod free?

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

### Which has better reviews, UTM SE or RetroPod?

UTM SE is rated higher. UTM SE averages 3.8 out of 5 from 565 ratings, while RetroPod averages 3.7 from 33 ratings.

### Do UTM SE or RetroPod have ads?

Neither UTM SE nor RetroPod shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, UTM SE or RetroPod?

UTM SE ships an update every 4 months, and RetroPod every 12 months. Most recently, UTM SE was updated on November 3, 2026 and RetroPod on November 3, 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.*