# ArcEmu vs DeckHunter

The clearest difference is price: DeckHunter at Free against ArcEmu's $1.99. ArcEmu's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (5 vs 3). On update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

DeckHunter is free to download; ArcEmu costs $1.99 up front. DeckHunter sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. ArcEmu asks for nothing beyond the download.

ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, DeckHunter every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ArcEmu | DeckHunter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcemu/id6496282733/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.3K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 94.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 172 MB | 270 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Raffaele D'Amato](https://appshunter.io/developer/529947655) | [Linking Lotus Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1830286207) |

## 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


### DeckHunter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deckhunter/id6749386470)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ArcEmu free?

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

### Is DeckHunter free?

DeckHunter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do ArcEmu or DeckHunter have ads?

Neither ArcEmu nor DeckHunter shows ads.

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

ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, and DeckHunter every 11 days. Most recently, ArcEmu was updated on October 13, 2026 and DeckHunter on October 9, 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.*