Comparison

Zaparoo vs Consoles

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

Head to head
About

Zaparoo

Organize and launch your game library using NFC cards and your phone. Browse, manage, and control your games with custom layouts and on-screen remotes. Create custom scripts and manage game tags for a personalized gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Launch games with NFC cards
  • Scan NFC, QR codes, and barcodes
  • On-screen remote and keyboard
  • Customizable game layouts
  • Browse and search game library
  • Create custom ZapScripts
  • Manage NFC tags
Features
Read full description

Save your games to NFC cards and launch them with a tap. Zaparoo App is the companion app for Zaparoo Core, the free software that launches games from NFC cards, QR codes, and barcodes on your MiSTer, PC, handheld, or media device. Use it to write cards, browse your library, launch games, and control what's playing. ZAP • Use your phone as a reader. Scan NFC tags, QR codes, and barcodes with your phone and launch them on your device (requires Pro) • See what's playing, with pause, stop, and playlist controls, and favorite, like, dislike, or save a game for later • Use the on-screen remote and keyboard to control your device • Rearrange the Zap page, hide what you don't use, add buttons that run any ZapScript, and add rows of games from a collection or deck. Each device keeps its own layout • On iPad, go full screen to leave the Zap page up as a display LIBRARY • Browse every system and folder on your device, or search across all of them • See artwork, descriptions, and release details. The system, year, developer, genre, and region each open a search for more like it • Favorites, Liked, Disliked, and Play later collections, plus Recently played and Top played • Build decks of games and cards, reorder them, play them as a playlist, or write them to a tag CREATE • Search your library and write a game to an NFC tag • Build custom ZapScript one step at a time, or edit it as text • Manage mappings for NFC toys and barcodes, and read, format, or erase tags with the NFC tools SETTINGS AND DEVICES • Find Zaparoo devices on your network, or add one by IP address, and switch between them in one sheet • Set playtime limits and a launch guard, and use profiles • Layouts made for both iPhone and iPad • Choose a light, dark, or system theme and adjust text size. VoiceOver and reduced motion are supported WHAT YOU NEED Zaparoo Core running on your device. Managing Core, browsing your library, and writing tags are always free. Using your phone as a reader (NFC, camera, barcodes, and shake to launch) is a one-time Pro purchase. Some features need a recent Core. Recently played and Top played need Core 2.12 or newer. Liked, Disliked, Play later, and decks need Core 2.18 or newer. Zaparoo is open source. Docs and support are at zaparoo.org.

About

Consoles

Relive classic gaming with this app that emulates multiple retro consoles. Turn your device into a nostalgic gaming hub, offering pixel-perfect experiences from beloved old-school titles. Seamlessly switch between devices and continue your game.

Highlights
  • Emulates multiple classic consoles
  • Supports Atari, Game Boy, NES, Genesis, SNES, and more
  • Pixel-perfect retro graphics
  • Cross-device save game syncing
  • Authentic retro gameplay experience
Features
Read full description

Consoles brings all your favorite classic gaming experiences together in one simple and convenient app. Relive timeless titles from beloved retro hardware and rediscover the joy of old-school gaming. Embrace nostalgia and turn your Apple device into the ultimate classic gaming hub, with each pixel-perfect memory at your fingertips. Move seamlessly from one device to another and pick up right where you left off! Included in Consoles is support for: Atari 2600 Atari 7800 Atari Lynx Famicom Disk System Game Boy (and Color) Game Boy Advance Game Gear Neo Geo Pocket NES 32X Genesis SNES Virtual Boy Bandai Wonderswan Rediscover your childhood favorites and experience authentic retro gameplay at a fraction of the price. For a limited time, early adopters can purchase Consoles at an unbeatable value. Dive into the golden age of gaming at an incredible discount! Don’t miss out on this special offer. **This app does not include any game content. You must provide your own legally obtained files. We do not support or encourage piracy—please respect all copyright and licensing laws.

Screenshots

Zaparoo4 screens
Consoles4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Zaparoo at Free against Consoles's $7.99. Zaparoo also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.4) and review sentiment (86% vs 58%). Consoles's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On ads and iOS requirement 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

Zaparoo is free to download; Consoles costs $7.99 up front. Zaparoo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Consoles asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Zaparoo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 39 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Zaparoo's written reviews are positive against 58% of Consoles's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zaparoo ships an update every 2 months, Consoles weekly. Both last shipped on November 4, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Zaparoo versus Consoles: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZaparooConsoles
PriceFree — better$7.99
Rating5.0 (10 ratings) — better3.4 (39 ratings)
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews — better58.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1039 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS15.5 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWizzo Pty LtdJuice Co

Customer experience

Zaparoo

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

Consoles

All ratings39 ratings
Positive59.0%
Neutral7.7%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive58.3%
Neutral10.4%
Negative31.3%

Bugs and requests

Zaparoo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Consoles

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Some games experience performance issues
  • Difficulty registering controller inputs
  • ROM loading not working for some users

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for more retro consoles (e.g., N64, Sega CD)
  • Implement save state functionality
  • Allow manual metadata and artwork editing
  • Add portrait mode support on mobile

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Zaparoo

One-time1
  • Zaparoo Launcher$6.99
None

Consoles

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Zaparoo free?
Zaparoo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Consoles free?
Consoles costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Zaparoo or Consoles?
Zaparoo is rated higher. Zaparoo averages 5.0 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Consoles averages 3.4 from 39 ratings.
Do Zaparoo or Consoles have ads?
Neither Zaparoo nor Consoles shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zaparoo or Consoles?
Zaparoo ships an update every 2 months, and Consoles weekly. Most recently, Zaparoo was updated on November 4, 2026 and Consoles on November 4, 2026.

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