# Cupcakes! XL vs Emoquest

The clearest difference is price: Emoquest at Free against Cupcakes! XL's $1.99. Emoquest also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). Cupcakes! XL's advantage is ratings volume (51 vs 2) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Emoquest is free to download; Cupcakes! XL costs $1.99 up front. Cupcakes! XL sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Emoquest sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Emoquest holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cupcakes! XL has 51 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Cupcakes! XL ships an update every 3 months, Emoquest every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cupcakes! XL | Emoquest |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.2 (51 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cupcakes-xl/id368202814/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emoquest/id6473683023/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **51** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 88.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 64 MB | 167 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Maverick Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/284540824) | [Harrison Shu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1719466839) |

## What reviewers say

### Cupcakes! XL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cupcakes-xl/id368202814)

Virtually bake and decorate an assortment of cupcakes with various liners, batters, frostings, and toppings. Share your creations or serve them on decorative plates. Blow out virtual candles by blowing on your device.

**Highlights:** Bake virtual cupcakes, Decorate with frostings and toppings, Choose from various liners and batters, Share creations via email or social media, Serve on virtual plates, Blow out virtual candles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Holiday Expansion Pack | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Great for all ages, especially young children
- 🎨 Extensive variety of customization options (batters, frostings, toppings, fillings, candles, liners)
- ⏰ Highly addictive and time-consuming gameplay
- 📧 Ability to share cupcakes with friends and family via email
- 🏆 Hall of Fame feature for submitting and voting on cupcakes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😴 Gets boring after extended play without updates
- 🐛 Accessibility issues on iPad compared to iPhone version
- 💸 Requires repurchasing holiday extension pack after updates
- 📱 Inconsistent feature parity between iPad and iPhone/iPod versions
- ⚫ Black background instead of white (older design preference)

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when pressing 'Make More' button
- Frosting selection goes blank after updates
- Candles don't work properly
- Game Center achievements not syncing
- Kilo Cupcake achievement not unlocking despite making 1000+ cupcakes

**Requested features**

- More cupcake flavors and frosting varieties
- More topping options
- Fondant feature for custom designs
- Ability to create custom icing colors
- Multiple undo functionality


### Emoquest

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emoquest/id6473683023)

Interactive stories designed to help children improve social skills and manage emotions. Users make choices within scenarios to guide characters through social situations. Offers a variety of stories covering topics like sharing, anger management, and personal space.

**Highlights:** Interactive social stories, SEL activities, Emotion management, Social skills improvement, Choice-based scenarios, Special education focus

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emoquest Pro Monthly | $17.99 | per month |
| pro | $19.99 | per month |
| Emoquest Pro Annual | $139.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cupcakes! XL free?

Cupcakes! XL costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Emoquest free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Cupcakes! XL or Emoquest?

Emoquest is rated higher. Cupcakes! XL averages 4.2 out of 5 from 51 ratings, while Emoquest averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Cupcakes! XL or Emoquest have ads?

Neither Cupcakes! XL nor Emoquest shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cupcakes! XL or Emoquest?

Cupcakes! XL ships an update every 3 months, and Emoquest every 5 weeks. Most recently, Cupcakes! XL was updated on October 24, 2026 and Emoquest on October 16, 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.*