# ArcEmu vs Lathe Master

The clearest difference is price: Lathe Master at Free against ArcEmu's $1.99. ArcEmu's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, Lathe Master monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ArcEmu | Lathe Master |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 172 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Raffaele D'Amato](https://appshunter.io/developer/529947655) | [Olha Kadushkevych](https://appshunter.io/developer/6777969083) |

## 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


### Lathe Master

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lathe-master-turning-workshop/id6777969081)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ArcEmu free?

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

### Is Lathe Master free?

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

### Do ArcEmu or Lathe Master have ads?

Neither ArcEmu nor Lathe Master shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ArcEmu or Lathe Master?

ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, and Lathe Master monthly. Most recently, ArcEmu was updated on October 21, 2026 and Lathe Master on October 15, 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.*