# Moon Child vs ArcEmu

The clearest difference is price: Moon Child at Free against ArcEmu's $1.99. Moon Child also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.5). ArcEmu's advantage is review sentiment (95% vs 57%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 15 months). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Moon Child is free to download; ArcEmu costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Moon Child against 4.9 for ArcEmu. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Moon Child's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.

Moon Child ships an update every 15 months, ArcEmu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Moon Child | ArcEmu |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/moon-child/id501943416/reviews) | **[4.9 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcemu/id6496282733/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 13 | **1.3K** |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | **94.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 15 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 88 MB | 172 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Proof of Concept](https://appshunter.io/developer/1293750743) | [Raffaele D'Amato](https://appshunter.io/developer/529947655) |

## What reviewers say

### Moon Child

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/moon-child/id501943416)

Embark on a retro-inspired platforming adventure as a magical elf. Utilize a unique touch control system to navigate vibrant pixel art levels, collect scattered gems, and defeat a techno-virus threatening the planet. Experience smooth scrolling and a captivating soundtrack.

**Highlights:** Pixel art graphics, Elastimotion touch controls, Collect Dark Diamonds, Save planet Utopia, Retro-techno soundtrack, Hand-crafted levels

**In-app purchases:** none


### ArcEmu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcemu/id6496282733)

Experience retro gaming on your Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad. This emulator supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. Enjoy features like multiplayer, cheats, and customizable controls.

**Highlights:** Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation, Multiplayer support, Cheat codes, Customizable on-screen controls, Save State sharing, iCloud support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Game Controller support, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fully functional
- 🚀 Impressive emulation on Apple Watch
- 👍 Great emulator for both phone and watch
- 👍 Seamless save state transfer between devices
- 👍 Customizable controls and layout

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Compatibility issues with some games
- 🐛 Audio quality problems on certain games
- 👎 Limited functionality on Apple Watch
- 👎 Difficult controls for action-heavy games on watch

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional crashes
- Graphical glitches with certain ROMs
- Save data not transferring properly between devices

**Requested features**

- Add cheat/GameShark support
- Improve volume controls
- Implement fast forward/slow motion options
- Allow multiple save slots per game
- Improve Game Boy Color support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Moon Child free?

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

### Is ArcEmu free?

ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Moon Child or ArcEmu?

ArcEmu is rated higher. Moon Child averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Moon Child or ArcEmu have ads?

Neither Moon Child nor ArcEmu shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Moon Child or ArcEmu?

Moon Child ships an update every 15 months, and ArcEmu every 2 weeks. Most recently, Moon Child was updated on October 23, 2026 and ArcEmu on October 25, 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.*