Comparison

Afterplay vs FlashArch Player

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

Head to head
About

Afterplay

Purchase and play classic and new retro games from independent publishers without complex setup. Sync your progress and saves across devices, with enhanced features like rewind and AI translation. You can also add your own game files from numerous supported systems.

Highlights
  • Buy and play retro games in one app
  • Cloud sync for cross-device play
  • Autosave and save states
  • Rewind, slow-motion, and fast-forward
  • CRT scanlines and upscaling filters
  • Add and play your own game files
  • AI game translation
Features
Read full description

Buy retro games. Play anywhere. Afterplay is a store and player for retro games. Buy new and classic games from independent publishers, and play them straight away on your phone, tablet or computer. No emulator to set up, nothing to configure. BUY AND PLAY, ALL IN ONE APP • Browse a growing catalogue of games for the consoles you grew up with • Your purchase goes straight into your library, ready to play • Some publishers also let you download the game files to keep • No subscription required to buy and play PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF • Your games and saves sync across your phone, tablet and computer • Start on the bus, finish on the sofa • Autosaves mean you never lose progress YOUR GAMES, UPGRADED • Rewind a bad jump, slow down a tricky moment, or fast-forward the grind • Save states whenever you like • Classic looks: CRT scanlines, handheld LCD grids and smooth upscaling • Cheats, hotkeys and button macros • Capture screenshots and record clips • Translate games into your language with AI ALREADY HAVE GAMES? Add your own game files from 39 systems and keep them alongside your store purchases in one library. Import your existing saves too. Adding your own games is free. Supported systems include Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, NES, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, Neo Geo, PC Engine, Atari, Amiga, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, arcade and more. AFTERPLAY+ Afterplay is free, with cloud sync included. Afterplay+ adds rewind and slow motion, faster fast-forward, unlimited save states, shaders, core options, cheats, hotkeys and macros, screenshots and video. Our mission is to make every game playable again, working with publishers to bring gaming history to modern devices, legally and faithfully. Afterplay does not include or provide copyrighted games you have not bought. Questions or problems? Visit afterplay.io/support. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://app.termly.io/policy-viewer/policy.html?policyUUID=21c4d778-684e-4e6a-a393-1a9639ce06b5

About

FlashArch Player

This application emulates Shockwave Flash (SWF) files, allowing you to play Flash games and animations. It supports offline playback, enables you to build a personal Flash library, and offers customization options for the player. Explore content and find information on the dedicated wiki.

Highlights
  • SWF file emulation
  • Offline playback support
  • Build custom Flash libraries
  • Player customization
  • Access FlashArch wiki
Features
Read full description

FlashArch Player is a Flash emulator that can run Shockwave Flash (SWF) files. Play nostalgic Flash games and animations on your mobile device. You can also search the vast FlashArch archive for the Flash games you’re looking for. - Run local Flash files in the player. Offline mode is also supported. - Browse through an archive containing tens of thousands of items. Find Flash content that suits your tastes. - Customize the player to your liking. - Supports various control methods, including virtual gamepads, Bluetooth gamepads, and hardware keyboards. Easily customize these control methods to suit your preferences. - Build your own Flash library. Then launch it quickly anytime, anywhere. No internet connection is required, and there’s no need for a complicated setup process. ############### Please Read ############### 1. Flash files are run through an emulator. Although the emulator is constantly being improved, some content may not yet be fully compatible. Please do not report issues in reviews or ratings; instead, contact us via email or through the support section on our website. 2. Flash files are not included by default.

Screenshots

Afterplay4 screens
FlashArch Player4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FlashArch Player at none against Afterplay's 10. FlashArch Player also leads on rating (3.8 vs 3.4) and review sentiment (54% vs 41%). Afterplay's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. Afterplay sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. FlashArch Player asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FlashArch Player holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 49 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Afterplay's written reviews are positive against 54% of FlashArch Player's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Afterplay ships an update every 9 days, FlashArch Player monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Afterplay versus FlashArch Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAfterplayFlashArch Player
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (44 ratings)3.8 (49 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.5% of reviews53.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4449 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size585 MB77 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAfterplay.ioJoo Yeon Lee

Customer experience

Afterplay

All ratings44 ratings
Positive54.5%
Neutral6.8%
Negative38.6%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive41.5%
Neutral9.8%
Negative48.8%

FlashArch Player

All ratings49 ratings
Positive73.5%
Neutral12.2%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive53.7%
Neutral22.0%
Negative24.4%

User reviews

Afterplay

From 44 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and accessible UI
  • 🚀 Cloud saves for cross-device play
  • 👍 Convenient emulator with good features
  • 👍 Allows playing retro games easily

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔒 Requires sign-up before testing
  • 🐛 Resets game progress after saving
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content

FlashArch Player

From 49 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for revisiting old flash games
  • 👍 Amazing for .swf files
  • 👍 Revives old SWF files
  • 👍 Good emulation quality for working games
  • 👍 Works well with some games (Henry Stickmin)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unusable after v1.9.0 update
  • 🐛 Critical 40s timeout bug
  • 🐛 Player load timed out
  • 🐛 WebView graphics context failed
  • 🐛 Gamepad option auto reverts

Bugs and requests

Afterplay

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Resets game progress after saving
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

2 requests
  • Add more emulator cores for different systems
  • Improve free tier to make it more accessible

FlashArch Player

Reported bugs

22 issues
  • v1.9.0 update broke local SWF playback
  • 40s timeout bug on player initialization
  • WebView graphics context failed to initialize
  • Gamepad setting auto reverts to virtual keypad
  • Emulated mouse left-clicks when finger touches screen
Show 17 more
  • Keyboard buttons cannot be pressed simultaneously
  • Controller softlocks in Super Mario 63
  • Super Smash Flash 2 does not work
  • Some point-and-click games are unresponsive or stuck
  • Games with separate external files are not fully supported
  • Numberpad controls are not working
  • Some games do not display all elements (e.g., maze in Suite Life)
  • Chinese characters are not displayed correctly
  • Files are reported as 'not a valid file' after initial run or renaming
  • Papa's Pizzaria SWFs fail or get stuck on 'Download the newest Flash Player' screen
  • Plants vs. Zombies is broken due to inability to add files to one SWF
  • Newgrounds versions of Infiltrating the Airship and Escaping the Complex work, but Stickpage versions do not
  • Cannot run Scratch 2.0
  • Learn to Fly 2 softlocks after the title screen
  • SWF files are not playing with the updated engine
  • Wiki page flooded with strange or inappropriate content
  • App closes easily when playing sideways

Requested features

24 requests
  • Add gamepad support
  • Disable mouse functionality option
  • Fix emulated mouse click-and-drag issue
  • Add controller support (PS5, Xbox, MFI)
  • Add 5-10 more custom buttons
Show 19 more
  • Organize files
  • Save between sessions
  • Add virtual keyboard
  • Add full screen option
  • Move options to main menu
  • Expand controller options (import/export, sync iCloud)
  • Rearrange and resize controls
  • Map to external controllers
  • Support for external data in games
  • Add zoom function
  • Remove button cap
  • Button changes based on bundle
  • Add FLA support
  • Change names and icons
  • Add a 2nd d-pad
  • Clicking controllers doesn't interact with screen
  • Run from URL
  • Support for newer flash games (ActionScript3)
  • Add more custom buttons

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Afterplay

Subscriptions3
  • Premium$3.991 Month
  • Premium$19.991 Year
  • Premium$24.991 Year
One-time7
  • Game Purchase ($1.99)$1.99
  • Gift 1 Month$3.99
  • Game Purchase ($4.99)$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Game Purchase ($9.99)$9.99
  • Gift 3 Months$9.99
  • Gift 1 Year$24.99
  • Game Purchase ($29.99)$29.99
None

FlashArch Player

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Afterplay free?
Afterplay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FlashArch Player free?
FlashArch Player is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Afterplay or FlashArch Player?
FlashArch Player is rated higher. Afterplay averages 3.4 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while FlashArch Player averages 3.8 from 49 ratings.
Do Afterplay or FlashArch Player have ads?
Neither Afterplay nor FlashArch Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Afterplay or FlashArch Player?
Afterplay ships an update every 9 days, and FlashArch Player monthly. Most recently, Afterplay was updated on November 4, 2026 and FlashArch Player on October 30, 2026.

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