Afterplay vs Sakura!
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
Sakura!
This app allows you to play your favorite PlayStation One games on your iPhone or iPad. It offers extensive customization for controls, graphics, and performance, providing a console-like experience.
- PlayStation One emulation on iOS
- Customizable on-screen controls
- Physical gamepad support
- Extensive graphics and performance tuning
- Support for various game disc formats
- Recursive folder scanning for games
Read full descriptionHide full description
Sakura is a PlayStation One & PSP emulator frontend built on top of the Beetle PSX and PPSSPP cores for iPhone and iPad. Add your own system BIOS and disc backups & customize your library then play with on-screen controls or a physical gamepad/controller for a console-like experience! • Add your own PS1 BIOS (.bin) file(s) and choose a default in Settings; PSP games boot without one. • Add games under the app’s Documents folder in Files, or use in-app import. Sakura scans folders recursively, including multi-disc setups and M3U playlists. • Supported formats CUE/BIN, CHD, PBP, M3U, ISO/IMG, MDS/MDF, NRG, CDI, ECM, CSO/ZSO • One library for both systems, with a system switch in the library bar that picks which settings you get and which system Boot System starts. CONTROLS • Full touch overlay with layout editor: move, scale, and theme controls to fit your hands. • Digital and DualShock-style modes, with optional per-game auto-switching. • MFi and Bluetooth gamepads with remappable buttons; haptics and rumble where supported. • Analog deadzone, axis scale, and gate compensation on both systems. GRAPHICS & PERFORMANCE • Internal resolution scaling, fit vs fill framing, and multiple texture filtering paths from crisp pixel modes through sharpened upscalers. • FXAA, CAS, optional PGXP-style geometry options, widescreen-related tweaks, color and dither controls, and frame blending where you want a softer or more authentic look. • Libretro Shaders: load your own slang presets, pick a built-in CRT or TV preset, or pull the shared pack from inside the app. • Fast Boot and host-side run speed for slow-mo or fast-forward-style pacing alongside core tuning for CPU, GPU, and disc access. QUALITY OF LIFE • In-game menu for graphics, performance HUD, save slots (when enabled in Settings), controller remapping, and stopping a session. • Optional performance overlay, notification cards, and extensive UI customization: accents, backgrounds, typography, accessibility options, and optional background music including your own tracks. LEGAL Sakura does not include games, a PlayStation or PSP BIOS, firmware, or other copyrighted material you don’t have rights to use. You are responsible for complying with the laws that apply to you. “PlayStation”, “PSP” and related names are trademarks of Sony; this app is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sakura! at 90% against Afterplay's 40%. Sakura! also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.4) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Afterplay's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases 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
Afterplay is free to download; Sakura! costs $0.99 up front. Afterplay sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Sakura! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Sakura! holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Afterplay's written reviews are positive against 90% of Sakura!'s.
Afterplay ships an update every 9 days, Sakura! every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Afterplay | Sakura! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 3.4 (44 ratings) | 4.5 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.5% of reviews | 90.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 44 — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 585 MB | 84 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Afterplay.io | Dylan Mathurin |
Customer experience
Afterplay
Sakura!
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
Sakura!
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Afterplay
- Premium$3.991 Month
- Premium$19.991 Year
- Premium$24.991 Year
- Game Purchase ($1.99)$1.99
- Gift 1 Month$3.99
- Game Purchase ($4.99)$4.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Game Purchase ($9.99)$9.99
- Gift 3 Months$9.99
- Gift 1 Year$24.99
- Game Purchase ($29.99)$29.99
Sakura!
- Tip 1$$0.99









