Comparison

iMSX2 vs Parlor

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

iMSX2

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a portable MSX2 emulator. Relive classic gaming by loading ROMs and disk images, with support for custom controllers and save states. Enjoy an authentic retro experience with customizable filters and fast-forward options.

Highlights
  • Emulate MSX and MSX2 games
  • Load ROM, MX1, MX2, DSK, ZIP files
  • Save and load game states
  • Bluetooth keyboard and controller support
  • Customizable button layouts
  • CRT and scanline screen filters
  • Fast forward mode
Features
Read full description

Experience Classic MSX and MSX2 Games on your iPhone/iPad with iMSX2! Turn your iPhone/iPad into a portable MSX2 emulator with iMSX2! Emulate classic MSX and MSX2 games in ROM, MX1, MX2, DSK or ZIP format Key Features: · Play Classic Games: Relive the nostalgia of playing your favorite MSX and MSX2 games right on your iPhone/iPad. · Run Your Cartridges: Reproduce MSX and MSX2 cartridges from ROM, MX1, MX2, DSK and ZIP files and enjoy them on your device anytime, anywhere. · Save States: Save and load game states and the configuration type easily (iCloud) · Bluetooth Compatibility: Support for Bluetooth keyboards and game controllers. · Customizable button layouts: Edit the button positions for each orientation and enjoy full compatibility with shells like GAMEBABY and PlayCase. · Choose Your ROM Type: If your rom is not loaded correctly, try to select from various ROM configurations including "Normal", "Type K", "Type K SCC", "Type ASC16", "Type ASC16 SRAM", "Type ASC8", "Type ASC8 SRAM" and "Type ASCII16-X". · Screen filters: Enjoy a more authentic and customizable retro experience with CRT and scanline filters. · Fast forward: Speed through gameplay with the new fast forward mode. · Load Your Own BASIC Programs: Run your own programs in BASIC format directly on your iPhone/iPad. · Powered by C-bios: iMSX2 is built using C-bios for the utmost accuracy and compatibility. · Custom BIOS support: Import your own BIOS files to enhance compatibility and personalize your emulation experience. · Improved Disk Support: Play more MSX disk games with improved DSK compatibility, multi-disk support, on-the-fly disk swapping, and user disks for saving data in supported games. · Auto-fire: Added switches to enable auto-fire for the A and B buttons. · Designed to be very basic: With a beautiful and user-friendly interface for both portrait and landscape orientations. · The app does not require an internet connection, contains no ads, and does not store user data. It also takes up little space. What's Next: Stay tuned for even more enhancements! Constantly working on improving iMSX2 and adding new features to provide you with the best MSX experience on iOS. LZ4 Library Copyright (c) 2011-2020, Yann Collet C-BIOS Copyright (c) 2002-2005 BouKiCHi. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2003 Reikan. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2004-2006,2008-2010 Maarten ter Huurne. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2004-2006,2008-2011 Albert Beevendorp. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2004-2005 Patrick van Arkel. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2004,2010-2011 Manuel Bilderbeek. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2004-2006 Joost Yervante Damad. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2004-2006 Jussi Pitkänen. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2004-2007 Eric Boon. All rights reserved. emu2413 Copyright (c) 2001-2019 Mitsutaka Okazaki Z80 Emulator micro MSX2+ Copyright (c) 2023 Yoji Suzuki.

About

Parlor

Play classic Game Boy, DS, and 3DS games on your Apple devices. Supports a wide range of controllers and syncs saves across all your screens via iCloud. Enjoy enhanced visuals and convenient features for a seamless retro gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Plays GBA, GBC, DS, and 3DS games
  • Supports various Bluetooth controllers
  • Automatic iCloud save syncing
  • Play on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac
  • Customizable screen layouts for DS games
  • Fast forward and visual filters
  • No accounts or tracking
Features
Read full description

Parlor plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, DS and 3DS games. iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac. 3DS is on iPhone and iPad. Full speed, and it works with the Bluetooth controller you already have. Bring the games you own. There is a free homebrew title included so you can try it. Parlor does not include, download or link to commercial games. CONTROLLERS PlayStation DualSense and DualShock 4, Xbox, Switch Pro, Joy-Con, 8BitDo, Backbone, and any other MFi controller. Connect one and the on-screen buttons get out of the way. Remap anything. Keyboards work on iPad and Mac. YOUR SAVES Your saves sync across all your devices automatically, through your own iCloud. Start on your phone, pick up on the TV or the Mac. Only Apple has that data. We never see it. PLAY ON A TV AirPlay from your iPhone or iPad. Or plug in an HDMI cable. Or use the Apple TV app. All three work, so you can play on the big screen. DS Stack the screens, put them side by side, pin one in the corner, or show one at a time. Two-finger double-tap to swap. Each game remembers its layout. Touch on iPhone and iPad, mouse on Mac, right stick on Apple TV. No BIOS files. ALSO • Fast forward at 2×, 4× or 8× • Sharp, LCD and CRT filters, plus Game Boy palettes • Box art and titles filled in automatically • Favorites, sort and filter, play time per game • Zip and 7z archives • Siri, Spotlight, a Continue Playing widget, Handoff • Game Center achievements for using the app, not for beating a particular game • A Mac app with menus, keyboard shortcuts and proper window sizes • Send feedback to the developer from inside the app NO ACCOUNTS, NO TRACKING No analytics. If you send feedback, it is just your message and the app version. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. Family Sharing, no in-app purchases. Parlor plays game files you already own. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any console manufacturer.

Screenshots

iMSX24 screens
Parlor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Parlor at 100% against iMSX2's 59%. Parlor also leads on price ($0.49 vs $1.99). iMSX2's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

iMSX2 costs $1.99 and Parlor $0.49 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iMSX2 ships an update every 5 weeks, Parlor every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
iMSX2 versus Parlor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMSX2Parlor
Price$1.99$0.49 — better
Rating3.4 (10 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews59.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB36 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperEnrique EnguixDBL Studio

Customer experience

iMSX2

All ratings10 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral30.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral22.2%
Negative18.5%

Parlor

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

iMSX2

No in-app purchases

None

Parlor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iMSX2 free?
iMSX2 costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Parlor free?
Parlor costs $0.49, with no in-app purchases.
Do iMSX2 or Parlor have ads?
Neither iMSX2 nor Parlor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iMSX2 or Parlor?
iMSX2 ships an update every 5 weeks, and Parlor every 3 weeks. Most recently, iMSX2 was updated on November 4, 2026 and Parlor on October 31, 2026.

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