Comparison

RetroArch vs Consonance

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

Head to head
About

RetroArch

This application serves as a versatile frontend for emulators and game engines, supporting a vast array of systems through downloadable cores. It offers advanced features like netplay, save states, and customizable controls for an enhanced gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Supports numerous gaming systems via libretro cores
  • Netplay for multiplayer gaming
  • Save states and fast forward/rewind
  • Controller support and key remapping
  • Customizable shaders and overlays
  • RetroAchievements integration
  • AI translations for games
Features
Read full description

RetroArch is a free, ad-free, open source, and cross platform frontend/framework for emulators, game engines, video games, media players, and other applications. Supported systems come in the form of libretro cores. The following systems are supported through various cores: * 2048 * Acorn - BBC Micro * Amstrad - CPC/GX4000 * Anarch * Arcade * Arduboy * Atari - 2600 * Atari - 5200 * Atari - 7800 * Atari - Jaguar * Atari - Lynx * Bandai - WonderSwan/Color * Cave Story * Coleco - ColecoVision * Commodore - Amiga * Commodore - C128 * Commodore - C64 * Commodore - C64 SuperCPU * Commodore - CBM-II 5x0 * Commodore - CBM-II 6x0/7x0 * Commodore - PET * Commodore - PLUS/4 * Commodore - VIC-20 * Dinothawr * Doom * DOS * Fairchild ChannelF * Flashback * GCE - Vectrex * Game Music Emu * Handheld Electronic * MSX/SVI/ColecoVision/SG-1000 * Mattel - Intellivision * Mega Duck / Cougar Boy * Mr.Boom * NEC - PC Engine / SuperGrafx / CD * NEC - PC-FX * NEC - PC-98 * Nintendo - DS * Nintendo - Game Boy / Color * Nintendo - Game Boy Advance * Nintendo - NES / Famicom * Nintendo - Nintendo 64 * Nintendo - Pokemon Mini * Nintendo - SNES / SFC * Nintendo - Virtual Boy * Palm OS * PocketCDG * Quake * Quake II * Rick Dangerous * SNK - Neo Geo AES/MVS * SNK - Neo Geo CD * SNK - Neo Geo Pocket / Color * ScummVM * Sega - MS/GG/MD/CD/32X * Sega - MS/GG/SG-1000 * Sega - Saturn * Sharp - X68000 * Sinclair - ZX Spectrum * Sony - PlayStation * Sony - PlayStation Portable * Texas Instruments TI-83 * The 3DO Company - 3DO * Thomson - MO/TO * Vircon32 * VirtualXT * WASM-4 * Watara - Supervision RetroArch supports a broad range of features, including: * Netplay * Soft patching * RetroAchievements * Save states * MFi controller support * Key remapping per core or per game * Gyro * Cheats * Custom overlays * Shaders * Fast forward and rewind * Game artwork * AI translations * Advanced latency management **RetroArch and Libretro are in no way affiliated with Nintendo. The name "Nintendo" and all associated game console names are registered trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd.**

About

Consonance

Unscramble jumbled letters to find hidden words while avoiding decoy letters. Engage in daily challenges to maintain your win streak or practice endlessly to hone your skills and unlock achievements.

Highlights
  • Unscramble letters to find words
  • Avoid decoy letters
  • Daily challenges
  • Practice mode
  • Unlock achievements
  • Hints and help
Features
Read full description

Strengthen your unscrambling skills and find words while avoiding cunning decoy letters! Conquer daily challenges of wordplay and keep your win streak alive, or sharpen your wordsmith skills by playing practice mode and unlocking achievements. Challenge your mind and delight your senses. Unscramble the jumbled letters to reveal hidden words, and experience the satisfaction of bringing order out of chaos. - Daily Challenges: Test your skills with new and exciting puzzles every day. Can you achieve perfect harmony and keep your streak alive? - Practice Mode: Hone your abilities with unlimited puzzles. Perfect for a quick brain workout anytime, anywhere. -Hints and Help: Stuck on a tricky word? Use hints to get back on track and keep the harmony flowing. - Achievements: Earn and unlock achievements as you progress, keeping you motivated and engaged. Join a community of word enthusiasts and find your balance with Consonance. Whether you're a casual player looking for a relaxing pastime or a word game aficionado seeking your next challenge, Consonance offers endless fun and fulfillment. Download now and start unscrambling your way to harmony!

Screenshots

RetroArch4 screens
Consonance4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: RetroArch at none against Consonance's shown. RetroArch also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 5) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Consonance's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 69%) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Consonance holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RetroArch has 1.8K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of RetroArch's written reviews are positive against 100% of Consonance's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RetroArch ships an update weekly, Consonance every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
RetroArch versus Consonance: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetroArchConsonance
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (1.8K ratings)4.6 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.8K — better5
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size652 MB10 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperLibretroPhilip Cowles

Customer experience

RetroArch

All ratings1,547 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral6.9%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews1,459 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral11.3%
Negative19.5%

Consonance

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

RetroArch

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • N64 games not loading textures properly
  • Crashes when changing settings or cores
  • Bios files not being recognized
  • Inconsistent performance across devices
  • Saved settings not persisting

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for PS2, GameCube, and 3DS emulation
  • Improve iCloud/cloud storage integration
  • Implement customizable button layouts
  • Add a more user-friendly setup wizard
  • Provide better documentation and tutorials

Consonance

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

RetroArch

No in-app purchases

None

Consonance

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RetroArch free?
RetroArch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Consonance free?
Consonance is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RetroArch or Consonance?
Consonance is rated higher. RetroArch averages 4.3 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Consonance averages 4.6 from 5 ratings.
Do RetroArch or Consonance have ads?
Consonance shows ads; RetroArch does not.
Which is updated more often, RetroArch or Consonance?
RetroArch ships an update weekly, and Consonance every 3 days. Most recently, RetroArch was updated on October 2, 2026 and Consonance on June 11, 2026.

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