Arcade1Up vs ION Sound Control™
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Arcade1Up
Enhance your retro arcade experience with this companion app. Track leaderboards, connect with other fans, register for warranties, and get exclusive news and game strategies.
- Track online leaderboards
- Register for extended warranty
- Connect with friends and community
- Discover game secrets and strategies
- Get latest news and offers
- Add arcades to collection
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The Arcade1Up companion app is designed with you, the fan, in mind! Get the most out of your Arcade1Up arcades: track online leaderboards, connect with new friends, register for an extended warranty and discover the latest news - all from the palm of your hand. Here is what you can expect from the app: - Add your arcades to your collection – Benefit from an extended warranty by registering your products! - Connect your Wi-Fi enabled cabinet – See how you stack up and share your high scores on social media. - Learn from the best – Discover secrets and strategies for all of your favorite games from developers and top players themselves. - Bond with the A1UP Community – Create a profile, play alongside other retro gaming fans, and send messages (or braggable high scores). - Be the first to know – Get early access to the latest news, product announcements, events, and special offers. DOWNLOAD TODAY!
ION Sound Control™
Control compatible ION speakers remotely to adjust volume, lighting, and equalizer settings. Stream music from other apps, manage radio stations, and check battery status from up to 100 feet away. Requires Bluetooth connection.
- Remote volume control
- Adjust lighting effects
- Customize equalizer settings
- Change input sources
- Check battery status
- Manage radio stations and presets
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Enhance your Sound Experiences™ with the ION Sound Control™ app. Quickly access the functionality of your compatible* ION speaker from anywhere up to 100 feet away to adjust volume, lighting, equalizer settings, change input sources, check your battery status, dial in your favorite radio stations, save radio presets, and more! *Note: Please refer to list below for compatible product. Some features in the app may not be available for all products. This app controls music that streams from other apps on your device. You must first connect your device to speaker via Bluetooth® before connecting with the app to control your streaming music remotely. Compatible Products: • Pro Glow Ultra • Pro Glow Express • Total PA Ultimate • Game Day Primetime • Sport Boom • Party Boom Plus • Block Rocker • Total PA Titan • Sport 320 • Party Splash • Uber Boom • Pathfinder Go • Explorer Express • Geode Rock Speaker • Tailgater Tough • Total PA Freedom • Tailgater Boom • Aquaboom X • Trouper 100 • Trouper 300 • Tahiti Link • Party Splash Link • Sol Stone Link • Trailblazer Roar • Block Rocker Icon • Glow Stone Link • Wave Rider X • Tailgater TD • Total PA Apex • Luma Duo • Trailblazer Summit • Tailgater XL • Glow Tone • Total PA Quake • Tailgater Classic
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Arcade1Up at 67% against ION Sound Control™'s 20%. Arcade1Up also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.5) and ratings volume (4.5K vs 96). ION Sound Control™'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Arcade1Up holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Arcade1Up has 4.5K ratings behind it against 96, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Arcade1Up's written reviews are positive against 20% of ION Sound Control™'s.
Arcade1Up ships an update every 3 months, ION Sound Control™ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Arcade1Up | ION Sound Control™ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (4.5K ratings) — better | 2.5 (96 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 20.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4.5K — better | 96 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Wish Factory LLC | ION Audio |
Customer experience
Arcade1Up
ION Sound Control™
User reviews
Arcade1Up
From 4.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Nostalgic arcade experience
- 👍 Great for home entertainment
- 👍 Excellent game selection
- 👍 Seamless online connectivity
- 👍 Helpful community features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Prone to crashing
- 🐛 Login issues
- 🐛 Incomplete cabinet database
- 🔧 Requires maintenance and repairs
ION Sound Control™
From 96 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Works with Bluetooth
- 👍 Good speaker quality
- 👍 Can control volume
- 👍 App works as expected for some users
- 👍 Reliable connection for some
Room to improve
- 🐛 FM input bugs
- 🐛 App features not working
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 LED control locked
- 🐛 Pairing issues
Bugs and requests
Arcade1Up
Reported bugs
3 issues- Logging in issues
- Crashing and freezing
- Inconsistent QR code recognition
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for Partycades and Countercades
- Ability to add custom cabinets to the app
- Improved app stability and reliability
- Expand game selection and content updates
ION Sound Control™
Reported bugs
25 issues- App hops back and forth in FM frequency
- App loses mind in FM input
- App loses functionality after update
- Cannot change LED color/pattern
- App doesn't work with specific speakers
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- App interferes with Bluetooth pairing
- App distorts audio
- App locks out without location services
- App requires location services but no setting
- App doesn't connect to speaker
- App shows 'can't find speaker' when connected
- App settings don't save
- Sound gets choppy after 10 minutes
- App doesn't support older speakers
- App doesn't find speaker even when phone is connected
- App asks for purchase date and store
- App has connection issues
- App doesn't pair
- App gets stuck on loading/bluetooth screen
- App doesn't sync two speakers
- App has glitches/stutters when playing music
- App indicates firmware available when it's not
- App takes multiple tries to connect
- App is incompatible with specific models
- App charges for a paid version without clear pricing
Requested features
11 requests- Improve EQ with more bands
- Allow editing device names
- Make lights react to music
- Show volume number
- Turn speaker on from app
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Add ability to turn on speaker voice
- Improve speaker light sync to music
- Add firmware update option
- Allow control without location services
- Add 5-7 band EQ
- Make volume slider live
In-app purchases
Arcade1Up
No in-app purchases
ION Sound Control™
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Arcade1Up free?
Is ION Sound Control™ free?
Which has better reviews, Arcade1Up or ION Sound Control™?
Do Arcade1Up or ION Sound Control™ have ads?
Which is updated more often, Arcade1Up or ION Sound Control™?
Other comparisons
