UTM SE vs QR_Controller
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
QR_Controller
Transform your phone into a versatile controller for Windows, Mac, and Linux. This companion app enhances the experience with full-screen mode, haptic feedback, and sensor data passthrough for seamless remote control.
- Phone as PC controller
- Windows, Mac, Linux support
- Full-screen mode
- Haptic feedback
- Accelerometer/Gyro passthrough
- Improved notifications
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Use your phone as a controller for: Windows / Mac / Linux This is a companion app to the QR Controller steam app: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3637240/QR_Controller/ Using this adds the following features vs using QR Controller via the browser: - Full Screen - Haptic feedback - Accelerometer / Gyro pass through, even when using local network mode. - Improved notification management. - Horizontal mode, with locked orientation. - Other small improvements.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: QR_Controller at 5.0 against UTM SE's 3.8. QR_Controller also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months). UTM SE's advantage is ratings volume (560 vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. QR_Controller asks for nothing beyond the download.
QR_Controller holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UTM SE has 560 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
UTM SE ships an update every 4 months, QR_Controller every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | UTM SE | QR_Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (560 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 560 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.6 GB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Turing Software, LLC | Bashar Saada |
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
QR_Controller
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
UTM SE
- Transistor$0.99
- Chip$4.99
- Computer$9.99
QR_Controller
No in-app purchases
