Comparison

iCollect Video Games vs Arcade Reference

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

iCollect Video Games

Manage your video game collection with this comprehensive inventory app. Catalog games for various consoles, track personal details, and sync across devices. Features barcode scanning, cloud backup, and customizable layouts.

Highlights
  • Manage video game collections for all systems
  • Barcode scanning and database search
  • Cloud backup and sync across devices
  • Customizable layouts and fields
  • Track personal game details and estimated value
  • Import collections from other apps
Features
Read full description

iCollect Video Games is the #1 app on the Apple App Store for managing your video game collections and inventory. This app works on all device sizes and syncs directly with our iPhone, iPad, Mac apps, as well as our apps on other platforms. Scan in or search our database for any video game you own or want and add them to your lists. Full of incredible features! • Manage and inventory any video game for systems and consoles such as Switch, Playstation, Xbox, Windows PC's, and many more, including old legacy systems! Supports the latest consoles. • Loaded with millions of video games from around the world in our database. • Full barcode scanning and database search. • Cloud Backup • Sync across multiple devices, including iPad, iPhone, Mac, and more. • Supports input in any language and allows selections of any country and currency. • Filters, sorting, and importing. • Three different custom layouts. • Exporting • Multi-level sorting • Shake to Select • Default Field Data • Customize which fields are displayed • Section Counts • Share your video game collection with friends or on social media like Facebook and Twitter. • Format your Titles with A, An, or The removed. • Extra features like colored Themes, Dark Mode support, and more. • Every field is editable. • Store up to four pictures per video game, including front, back, and inside images of games. • Personal details per game including Loaned, Purchase Price, Purchase Date, Date Added, Personal Rating, Last Played, Storage Location, Opened, Notes, Estimated Value, and more. • Index bars and search for quick access in large game collections. This app is a completely new collecting experience, written from the ground up for iOS 18, the latest devices like iPhone 16, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, SE 2, iPad Pro, and full Universal iPhone/iPad support built-in and syncs directly to our Mac app. Our app was created with a cloud database backend designed specifically to allow each item to be stored with its own individual attributes. We can import your game collection from nearly anywhere: CLZ Games, Delicious Library, Gameye, Price Charting, and much more. Just send us your import file and we'll get you rolling. This app is for anyone who reads IGN, uses CLZ Games, likes video game reviews from IGN, uses UPC barcode scanners, buys video games at Gamestop, or likes to catalog & collect video games. Great for the latest video game releases. Note: Large collections require an in-app purchase to unlock unlimited storage. You will be prompted when you reach the limits of your selected collectible type. Data provided by Amazon, Google, eBay, and users like you. ------- PRIVACY INFO ------- All of these are OPTIONAL when using our app. Email Address: We only collect this if you enable Cloud Sync as a login user ID. Contacts: We only use your contacts if you want us to for "Loaned To" fields. Photos or Videos: We only use photos that you choose for your item details. Camera: We only use this for barcode scanning. None of your data is sold. See our Privacy Policy URL for details. We do use Google Firebase and Facebook SDK's for analytics and crash data. See their policies for additional details on what they may track about your device. ------- TERMS OF USE: https://www.icollecteverything.com/privacy-policy/

About

Arcade Reference

Access comprehensive information on classic arcade games from the 70s to the 2000s. This app provides a detailed guide with tips and data compiled from enthusiast communities, focusing on video games and excluding gambling machines.

Highlights
  • Extensive arcade game database
  • Information compiled from Mame data
  • Tips and reference material
  • Organized game data
  • Covers 70s-2000s titles
  • Excludes gambling machines
Features
Read full description

Every information about the "arcade" games just with a tap! Please note: this app does not contains any games, but information about games! This app takes all the data exported from Mame(c) and from various files created and updated by enthusiasts, it groups it together and it organizes it in order to have all the information in your device as a guide or simply as a reference for reading information and tips. Note: As a functional choice, only the "Parent" set are shown. In addition, all "mechanical" machines and all the "Gambling" games (Video Poker, Blackjack etc.) have been eliminated. The result is a list of about 3600 Arcade titles from the 70s to the 2000s. Credits: All trademarks used belong to their respective owners. See the section Info in the App for all details about the Credits.

Screenshots

iCollect Video Games4 screens
Arcade Reference4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iCollect Video Games at 4.6 against Arcade Reference's 3.1. iCollect Video Games also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 52) and review sentiment (55% vs 46%). Arcade Reference's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. iCollect Video Games sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year and Arcade Reference sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iCollect Video Games holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iCollect Video Games has 1.8K ratings behind it against 52, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of iCollect Video Games's written reviews are positive against 46% of Arcade Reference's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iCollect Video Games ships an update every 5 weeks, Arcade Reference every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
iCollect Video Games versus Arcade Reference: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriCollect Video GamesArcade Reference
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.8K ratings) — better3.1 (52 ratings)
Positive reviews54.6% of reviews — better46.2% of reviews
Number of ratings1.8K — better52
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB170 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperiCollect Everything, LLCNicola Canali

Customer experience

iCollect Video Games

All ratings1,846 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews326 reviews
Positive54.6%
Neutral11.3%
Negative34.0%

Arcade Reference

All ratings52 ratings
Positive48.1%
Neutral9.6%
Negative42.3%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive46.2%
Neutral6.2%
Negative47.7%

Bugs and requests

iCollect Video Games

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Deleted user's entire game collection
  • Inconsistent data and cover art
  • Sync and login issues
  • Frequent crashes and app instability

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to organize by console/platform
  • Improved search and filtering options
  • Integration with other services (e.g. Steam)
  • Notifications for price changes or new releases
  • Export/backup collection data

Arcade Reference

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

iCollect Video Games

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Video Games$29.991 Year
  • Pro User - Yearly$79.991 Year
One-time4
  • 50 AI Identification Scans$9.99
  • 250 AI Identification Scans$44.99
  • Add Unlimited Video Games$49.99
Show 1 more
  • 500 AI Identification Scans$79.99
1 purchases

Arcade Reference

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99

Questions

Is iCollect Video Games free?
iCollect Video Games is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Arcade Reference free?
Arcade Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iCollect Video Games or Arcade Reference?
iCollect Video Games is rated higher. iCollect Video Games averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Arcade Reference averages 3.1 from 52 ratings.
Do iCollect Video Games or Arcade Reference have ads?
Neither iCollect Video Games nor Arcade Reference shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iCollect Video Games or Arcade Reference?
iCollect Video Games ships an update every 5 weeks, and Arcade Reference every 5 days. Most recently, iCollect Video Games was updated on October 15, 2026 and Arcade Reference on October 7, 2026.

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