# The Assembler vs Opcodes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Assembler at none against Opcodes's 1. Opcodes's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Opcodes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Assembler asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for The Assembler against 4.8 for Opcodes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 6 respectively.

The Assembler ships an update every 5 months, Opcodes every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Assembler | Opcodes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-assembler/id1631691804/reviews) | [4.8 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opcodes-retro-cpu-reference/id6760205834/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **10** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 7 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lena Mattea Stoexen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1503902552) | [John Kennedy](https://appshunter.io/developer/284943103) |

## What reviewers say

### The Assembler

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-assembler/id1631691804)

Learn Assembly programming and binary operations by creating pixel art. Each chapter introduces new operations, using 8-bit registers as your canvas to manipulate values and paint an 8x8 image. This app offers a fun, introductory approach to coding fundamentals.

**Highlights:** Learn Assembly programming, Understand binary operations, Create pixel art on registers, Ten chapters with progressive learning, Interactive 8x8 canvas, Introduction to programming fundamentals

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Opcodes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opcodes-retro-cpu-reference/id6760205834)

This app provides a comprehensive reference for retro CPU opcodes, including detailed descriptions, assembly examples, and historical context. It covers eighteen iconic processors and offers features like search, sorting, and filtering for easy exploration of historical computing information.

**Highlights:** Opcode reference for 18 iconic processors, Detailed instruction descriptions, Hex, octal, decimal values, Flags affected, addressing modes, cycle counts, Assembly code examples, CPU history and pinout diagrams, Simple assembler/disassembler

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy Me a Coffee | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Assembler free?

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

### Is Opcodes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, The Assembler or Opcodes?

The Assembler and Opcodes are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 10 and 6 ratings respectively.

### Do The Assembler or Opcodes have ads?

Neither The Assembler nor Opcodes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Assembler or Opcodes?

The Assembler ships an update every 5 months, and Opcodes every 8 days. Most recently, The Assembler was updated on September 27, 2026 and Opcodes on October 7, 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.*