Comparison

GenZD vs PocketDOS

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

Head to head
About

GenZD

Run classic idTech 1 games on your iOS device with enhanced modern features. Supports original WAD files and community MODs, offering improved graphics, lighting, and scripting. Requires users to provide their own game content.

Highlights
  • Modern 3D rendering
  • Widescreen graphics
  • Dynamic lighting
  • Scriptable environment
  • Game controller support
  • Customizable touch controls
  • Local multiplayer
Features
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GenZD supports running games using the open-source idTech 1 game engine for iOS, and supports running its "WAD" game files as well as community-developed "MOD" files, all rendered natively using modern technology. It supports several capabilities beyond the original engine, such as modern 3D rendering, widescreen graphics, dynamic lighting, a fully scriptable environment, and much much more. Please note that GenZD does not include content and they must be provided by you. Please use the Files app to move or copy files to the GenZD folder under "On my iPhone" or "On my iPad". Configurations called "Launch Configurations" can be created using a base game file as well as additional MOD files (.pk3 and .zip files). A plethora of content developed by the community is available on the web, and almost all "mods" that use the UDMF or WAD formats are supported. Additional features: - Game controller support: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, mFi - On-screen touch virtual gamepad and virtual keyboard - Customizable touch controls: Rearrange buttons, change color and size. Support for saving multiple layouts. - Gyroscope aiming - Widescreen Metal graphics rendering using MoltenVK - Add your own game and mod files via the Files app - Accessibility: Supports VoiceOver and mods that support accessibility - Local Multiplayer: Host a co-op or deathmatch game, discover hosts running GenZD automatically on the same network and join a game

About

PocketDOS

This app allows you to play classic DOS and Windows 9x games and software on your iPhone. Import your own licensed titles and enjoy them offline with customizable controls and settings. It also features an experimental Windows 98 installation wizard.

Highlights
  • Import DOS & Windows 9x software
  • On-device, offline emulation
  • Customizable touch and hardware controls
  • Session persistence and quick save/load
  • Optional iCloud save sync
  • Experimental Windows 98 installer
  • Open source
Features
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PocketDOS plays the DOS and Windows 9x software you already own, on your iPhone. Import your games and programs from the Files app and they run entirely on-device, offline, at usable speed — no account, no ads, no data collection. PocketDOS ships no games and no Microsoft software. Everything it runs comes from media you supply and are licensed to use. FEATURES - Game library: import .jsdos bundles, .zip archives, or chunked hard-disk machines. Rename, delete, and tune each entry. Your library lives in the Files app, so you can back it up yourself. - Session persistence: autosave every 3 minutes, save on quit and when backgrounding, quick save/load (F6/F7) on a hardware keyboard, and per-game "reset saved session". - iCloud save sync (optional): small save files follow you between installs via your own iCloud Drive. The app works fully offline without it. - Touch controls, three per-game profiles: a D-pad with an action cluster for keyboard-driven games; a tap-to-click mouse mode with a dedicated right-click button for point-and-click adventures; or none. - Hardware keyboards and game controllers are supported, with per-game remapping. - Per-game settings: emulated RAM size and an editable DOS configuration with one-tap presets (Sound Blaster IRQ, General MIDI, MT-32, FM-only). - Sound: Sound Blaster digital audio and AdLib/OPL FM synthesis out of the box, General MIDI via a bundled SoundFont, and Roland MT-32 music with ROMs you supply. - Private by design: every asset is served from inside the app and the emulator cannot reach the network. No telemetry, no analytics. The privacy policy fits on one screen. WINDOWS 98 INSTALL WIZARD (EXPERIMENTAL) Build a real, bootable Windows 98 SE machine from your own Windows 98 SE CD image and your own product key. Entirely on your device, the wizard reads the CD image, extracts its boot floppy, and runs Microsoft Setup unattended — file copy, wizard pages, first boot to the desktop — then installs a mouse-integration driver so your touch input works on the Windows desktop. The finished machine appears in your library like any other entry, with persistent disk state. Honest expectations: a full install runs unattended for 30-60 minutes, and the feature is young — it is labeled Experimental because it means it. If an install fails, it fails cleanly and you can try again. Your CD image is read on-device and never uploaded; your product key is held in memory only and is never stored, logged, or transmitted. OPEN SOURCE PocketDOS is free software (GPL-2.0) built on DOSBox, DOSBox-X, and js-dos. The complete source code, including the exact emulator build recipe, is public: https://github.com/Mantene/PocketDos WHAT POCKETDOS DOES NOT INCLUDE No game content, no operating systems, no product keys, no MT-32 ROMs. You supply your own legally obtained software. DOS, Windows, and all emulated software remain the property of their respective owners. Requires iOS 17 or later. iPhone-first; iPad support is planned.

Screenshots

GenZD3 screens
PocketDOS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PocketDOS at Free against GenZD's $2.99. GenZD's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 3.8) and ratings volume (57 vs 4). On ads and in-app purchases 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

PocketDOS is free to download; GenZD costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GenZD holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GenZD has 57 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
GenZD versus PocketDOS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGenZDPocketDOS
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (57 ratings) — better3.8 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews82.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings57 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 11 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB19 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperInfinite Evolution TechnologiesMatthew Hood

In-app purchases

None

GenZD

No in-app purchases

None

PocketDOS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GenZD free?
GenZD costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PocketDOS free?
PocketDOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, GenZD or PocketDOS?
GenZD is rated higher. GenZD averages 4.5 out of 5 from 57 ratings, while PocketDOS averages 3.8 from 4 ratings.
Do GenZD or PocketDOS have ads?
Neither GenZD nor PocketDOS shows ads.

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