# UTM SE vs PaperVN

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PaperVN at 100% against UTM SE's 55%. PaperVN also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.8) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). UTM SE's advantage is ratings volume (565 vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. UTM SE sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and PaperVN sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.59 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PaperVN holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UTM SE has 565 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of UTM SE's written reviews are positive against 100% of PaperVN's.

UTM SE ships an update every 4 months, PaperVN weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | UTM SE | PaperVN |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (565 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utm-se-retro-pc-emulator/id1564628856/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papervn/id6793787678/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **565** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 54.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 1.6 GB | 204 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Turing Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1534511649) | [训杰 潘](https://appshunter.io/developer/6793770620) |

## 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


### PaperVN

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papervn/id6793787678)

Discover and track visual novels with this companion app. Browse titles, learn about characters, and manage your personal library. Features daily selections, personalized recommendations, and extensive search capabilities.

**Highlights:** Discover visual novels, Track play progress, Manage personal library, Daily visual novel selections, Personalized recommendations, Extensive search functionality, Character and title details

**Features:** iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PaperVN Senkou | $0.59 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is UTM SE free?

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

### Is PaperVN free?

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

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

PaperVN is rated higher. UTM SE averages 3.8 out of 5 from 565 ratings, while PaperVN averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do UTM SE or PaperVN have ads?

Neither UTM SE nor PaperVN shows ads.

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

UTM SE ships an update every 4 months, and PaperVN weekly. Most recently, UTM SE was updated on November 3, 2026 and PaperVN on November 6, 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.*