# ArcEmu vs The Jackbox Party Starter

The clearest difference is price: ArcEmu at $1.99 against The Jackbox Party Starter's $19.99. ArcEmu also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (1.3K vs 2). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

ArcEmu costs $1.99 and The Jackbox Party Starter $19.99 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 — 4.9 for ArcEmu against 5.0 for The Jackbox Party Starter. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, The Jackbox Party Starter every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ArcEmu | The Jackbox Party Starter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$1.99** | $19.99 |
| Rating | [4.9 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcemu/id6496282733/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-jackbox-party-starter/id6501958739/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.3K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 94.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 172 MB | 3.4 GB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPad, Mac, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Raffaele D'Amato](https://appshunter.io/developer/529947655) | [Jackbox Games, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/420528651) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### The Jackbox Party Starter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-jackbox-party-starter/id6501958739)

This collection bundles three popular party games, offering hours of entertainment. Players use their phones or tablets as controllers, supporting large groups and audiences. Enjoy enhanced features like moderation, subtitles, and multilingual support.

**Highlights:** Three beloved party games in one pack, Use phones/tablets as controllers, Supports up to 8 players, Up to 10,000 audience members, Enhanced moderation and content filtration, Multilingual voice acting and subtitles

**Features:** Game Controller support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ArcEmu free?

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

### Is The Jackbox Party Starter free?

The Jackbox Party Starter costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ArcEmu or The Jackbox Party Starter?

The Jackbox Party Starter is rated higher. ArcEmu averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while The Jackbox Party Starter averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do ArcEmu or The Jackbox Party Starter have ads?

Neither ArcEmu nor The Jackbox Party Starter shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ArcEmu or The Jackbox Party Starter?

ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, and The Jackbox Party Starter every 4 months. Most recently, ArcEmu was updated on October 21, 2026 and The Jackbox Party Starter on October 10, 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.*