XP Maker vs Retra
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
XP Maker
Design unique pixel-art avatars with a vast selection of items and color variations. Easily create thousands of distinct character combinations and share your creations.
- Create pixel-art avatars
- 14 item categories
- Color variations
- Thousands of combinations
- Easy to use interface
- Share creations
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Hi peeps! I'm @dave.xp and I can't wait for you to make your own characters! Me and the developer team have carefully crafted this app so you can make the coolest pixel-art avatars on the internet! It's very easy to use, and you'll get amazing results by just picking your favorite items out of 14 different categories. With many different items to choose from and their color variations, you can make thousands of unique combinations and I can't wait to see yours! Tag your portraits with the hashtag #xpmaker and I'll be featuring some of them every week on my Instagram account! Cheers Dave XP
Retra
Experience classic gaming with this retro console emulator. Relive childhood memories with support for multiple consoles, customizable skins, and controller integration. Unlock the full experience through a subscription or a lifetime purchase.
- Support for 5+ retro consoles
- 10+ visual skins
- Customizable settings
- Controller support
- Cloud game saving
- Fast ROM import
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Retra – a retro console emulator crafted with love for classic games. We’re excited to introduce Retra, an app inspired by the authentic style of old-school games that live deep in your childhood memories. We’ve added support for your favorite retro consoles — the ones you spent countless hours with. A wave of unforgettable nostalgia and pure fun awaits you inside the app. We’re happy to share that with a subscription, you’ll unlock the full experience: • Support for 5 retro consoles • 10+ visual skins – both vertical and horizontal layouts • Custom settings tailored to your playstyle • Controller support for a classic feel • cloud game saving Relive the magic. Play your past — today. Subscription & Terms Unlock the full Retra experience with either a weekly subscription ($7.99/week) or a one-time lifetime purchase ($39.99). By upgrading, you gain access to all premium emulator features: • Support for 5+ retro consoles • 10+ visual skins — including vertical and horizontal layouts • Fast and easy ROM import • Save game progress anytime • Full external controller support The weekly subscription auto-renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your Apple ID account will be charged at confirmation. Manage or cancel your subscription anytime via your App Store account settings. The lifetime option is a one-time purchase with no recurring charges. For more details, please review our https://retra.app/Terms/ and https://retra.app/Privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
XP Maker and Retra both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 98% of XP Maker's written reviews are positive against 14% of Retra's. XP Maker also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). Retra's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (3K vs 104). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. XP Maker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Retra sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for XP Maker against 4.8 for Retra. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retra has 3K ratings behind it against 104, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 98% of XP Maker's written reviews are positive against 14% of Retra's.
XP Maker ships an update every 3 months, Retra every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | XP Maker | Retra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (104 ratings) | 4.8 (3K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 98.0% of reviews — better | 14.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 104 | 3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 108 MB | 80 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | David Alvarez | MODERN DEV LP |
Customer experience
XP Maker
Retra
User reviews
XP Maker
From 104 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Great for creating avatars
- ✨ Fun and entertaining
- 🤩 High quality app
- 💖 Intuitive interface
Room to improve
- anúncios when downloading
- 🔒 Many features locked
- 💰 Some content behind paywall
- 💸 Microtransactions for customization
- 🚫 No skirts for free
Retra
From 3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Nostalgic feel
- 👍 Controller support
Room to improve
- 🐛 Difficult to play on mobile
- 💰 Expensive pricing
- 🔒 Suspicious free trial
- 🐛 Freezing issues
- 🐛 Unresponsive controls
Bugs and requests
XP Maker
Reported bugs
2 issues- Cannot delete a duo concept
- A tiny bug emerged
Requested features
17 requests- Add movement options (walking, running)
- Basketball app for NBA characters
- More poses for free
- Wallpaper options
- More hair options (anime/series)
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- More jacket options (anime/series)
- More options for backgrounds
- More faces
- Extended color scheme options
- Animations (AI based on text)
- More simple purchase packages
- More customization options
- Add background music
- More free backgrounds
- More free animations (run, hands in air)
- More choices for creativity
- Updates and new features
Retra
Reported bugs
2 issues- Games freeze
- Inability to play without paying
Requested features
2 requests- Option to exit free trial
- Improve mobile optimization
In-app purchases
XP Maker
- Xp Maker Upgrade$1.99
Retra
- Weekly access to emulator$6.997 Days
- Weekly access to emulator7 Days trial$6.997 Days
- Lifetime access to emulator$39.99
