# ArcEmu vs BigPEmu

The clearest difference is price: ArcEmu at $1.99 against BigPEmu's $9.99. ArcEmu also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (1.3K vs 26). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

ArcEmu costs $1.99 and BigPEmu $9.99 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 BigPEmu. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 95% and 94% positive.

ArcEmu ships an update fortnightly, BigPEmu every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ArcEmu | BigPEmu |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$1.99** | $9.99 |
| Rating | [4.9 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcemu/id6496282733/reviews) | **[5.0 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bigpemu/id6737359949/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.3K** | 26 |
| Positive reviews | **94.6% of reviews** | 94.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 172 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **15** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | +9 |
| Developer | [Raffaele D'Amato](https://appshunter.io/developer/529947655) | [Swinecrafters LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/387779001) |

## 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


### BigPEmu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bigpemu/id6737359949)

This application emulates the Atari Jaguar console, offering high accuracy and performance for its entire retail game library. It provides advanced features like saved states, movie recording, and customizable controller support, enhancing the classic gaming experience.

**Highlights:** Full retail library compatibility, High performance emulation, Accurate emulation, Saved states and movie recording, Jaguar CD support, Customizable controller overlays, Fast forward and rewind

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ArcEmu free?

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

### Is BigPEmu free?

BigPEmu costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

BigPEmu is rated higher. ArcEmu averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while BigPEmu averages 5.0 from 26 ratings.

### Do ArcEmu or BigPEmu have ads?

Neither ArcEmu nor BigPEmu shows ads.

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

ArcEmu ships an update fortnightly, and BigPEmu every 4 months. Most recently, ArcEmu was updated on September 24, 2026 and BigPEmu on September 23, 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.*