# Arcade1Up vs ION Sound Control™

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Arcade1Up | ION Sound Control™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcade1up/id1633227704/reviews)** | [2.5 (96 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ion-sound-control/id6443914976/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.5K** | 96 |
| Positive reviews | **66.7% of reviews** | 20.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 12 MB | 79 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Wish Factory LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1633227856) | [ION Audio](https://appshunter.io/developer/456471027) |

## What reviewers say

### Arcade1Up

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcade1up/id1633227704)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Nostalgic arcade experience
- 👍 Great for home entertainment
- 👍 Excellent game selection
- 👍 Seamless online connectivity
- 👍 Helpful community features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Prone to crashing
- 🐛 Login issues
- 🐛 Incomplete cabinet database
- 🔧 Requires maintenance and repairs

**Reported bugs**

- Logging in issues
- Crashing and freezing
- Inconsistent QR code recognition

**Requested features**

- 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™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ion-sound-control/id6443914976)

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.

**Highlights:** Remote volume control, Adjust lighting effects, Customize equalizer settings, Change input sources, Check battery status, Manage radio stations and presets

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works with Bluetooth
- 👍 Good speaker quality
- 👍 Can control volume
- 👍 App works as expected for some users
- 👍 Reliable connection for some

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 FM input bugs
- 🐛 App features not working
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 LED control locked
- 🐛 Pairing issues

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Improve EQ with more bands
- Allow editing device names
- Make lights react to music
- Show volume number
- Turn speaker on from app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Arcade1Up free?

Arcade1Up is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ION Sound Control™ free?

ION Sound Control™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Arcade1Up or ION Sound Control™?

Arcade1Up is rated higher. Arcade1Up averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4.5K ratings, while ION Sound Control™ averages 2.5 from 96 ratings.

### Do Arcade1Up or ION Sound Control™ have ads?

Arcade1Up shows ads; ION Sound Control™ does not.

### Which is updated more often, Arcade1Up or ION Sound Control™?

Arcade1Up ships an update every 3 months, and ION Sound Control™ every 2 months. Most recently, Arcade1Up was updated on October 20, 2026 and ION Sound Control™ on October 21, 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.*