# ArcEmu vs RetroAchievementsUI

The clearest difference is price: RetroAchievementsUI at Free against ArcEmu's $1.99. ArcEmu's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (95% vs 56%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of ArcEmu's written reviews are positive against 56% of RetroAchievementsUI's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ArcEmu | RetroAchievementsUI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcemu/id6496282733/reviews)** | [4.0 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retroachievementsui/id6504225426/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.3K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | **94.5% of reviews** | 55.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 172 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Raffaele D'Amato](https://appshunter.io/developer/529947655) | [Michael Rosenberg](https://appshunter.io/developer/1632690709) |

## 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


### RetroAchievementsUI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retroachievementsui/id6504225426)

Browse and discover games with achievements. Track your progress and find new challenges to master. This open-source application is built with SwiftUI.

**Highlights:** Browse games with achievements, Discover new games, Track game progress, Open-source, SwiftUI built

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ArcEmu free?

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

### Is RetroAchievementsUI free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ArcEmu or RetroAchievementsUI?

ArcEmu is rated higher. ArcEmu averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while RetroAchievementsUI averages 4.0 from 9 ratings.

### Do ArcEmu or RetroAchievementsUI have ads?

Neither ArcEmu nor RetroAchievementsUI shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ArcEmu or RetroAchievementsUI?

ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, and RetroAchievementsUI every 2 weeks. Most recently, ArcEmu was updated on October 15, 2026 and RetroAchievementsUI on October 4, 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.*