# Retroman vs Stack Pals

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Stack Pals at 100% against Retroman's 46%. Stack Pals also leads on price (Free vs $1.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.4). Retroman's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (101 vs 4). On update cadence, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Stack Pals is free to download; Retroman costs $1.99 up front. Retroman sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Stack Pals sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Stack Pals holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retroman has 101 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Retroman's written reviews are positive against 100% of Stack Pals's.

Retroman ships an update every 2 weeks, Stack Pals every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Retroman | Stack Pals |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.4 (101 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retroman-gameboy-nes-emulator/id6502994389/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stack-pals/id6748839302/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **101** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 45.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 7 MB | 227 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Konstantinos Papadakis](https://appshunter.io/developer/506133922) | [PillowBit Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1827581143) |

## What reviewers say

### Retroman

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retroman-gameboy-nes-emulator/id6502994389)

Experience classic Game Boy, GBA, and NES games on your iPhone or iPad. This app offers smooth gameplay with virtual controls, optimized audio, and support for all game types. Easily load your legally owned ROMs and enjoy a seamless retro gaming experience.

**Highlights:** Game Boy, GBA & NES emulation, Virtual controls, Optimized audio rendering, iCloud Sync for saved states, Bluetooth gamepad support, Easy ROM loading

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Legacy User Upgrade | $0.99 | one-time |


### Stack Pals

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stack-pals/id6748839302)

A charming tower-building game where players tap to drop blocks, aiming for perfect alignment to stack higher and earn rewards. Collect adorable pals, unlock new themes, and compete on global leaderboards for the ultimate stacking challenge.

**Highlights:** Tap to drop blocks, Perfect alignment bonuses, Collect and play with cute pals, Global leaderboards, Unlock themes and environments, Enter Fever Mode for rewards

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tiny Gold Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Small Gold Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Ad Skip | $5.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $6.99 | one-time |
| Medium Gold Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Large Gold Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Huge Gold Pack | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Retroman free?

Retroman costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Stack Pals free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Retroman or Stack Pals?

Stack Pals is rated higher. Retroman averages 4.4 out of 5 from 101 ratings, while Stack Pals averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Retroman or Stack Pals have ads?

Stack Pals shows ads; Retroman does not.

### Which is updated more often, Retroman or Stack Pals?

Retroman ships an update every 2 weeks, and Stack Pals every 9 days. Most recently, Retroman was updated on October 17, 2026 and Stack Pals on October 10, 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.*