# Arcade Card Reader vs picaroa

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Arcade Card Reader at none against picaroa's 3. Arcade Card Reader also leads on iOS requirement (13.2 vs 26.5). picaroa's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. picaroa sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Arcade Card Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

Arcade Card Reader ships an update every 2 months, picaroa every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Arcade Card Reader | picaroa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcade-card-reader/id6740752614/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **5** | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 40 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.2** | 26.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rem Tech AS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1791441825) | [Sven Uwe Hanold](https://appshunter.io/developer/1887623795) |

## What reviewers say

### Arcade Card Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcade-card-reader/id6740752614)

This utility app uses NFC to scan and save data from various arcade and transit cards. It supports a wide range of card types, including e-amusement passes, FeliCa-based travel cards, and amusement IC cards. All scanned data can be stored within the app for quick retrieval.

**Highlights:** Read card numbers and serial numbers, Scan access codes, Identify card types, Save scanned data, Supports e-amusement passes, Supports FeliCa-based travel IC cards, Supports Amusement IC cards

**In-app purchases:** none


### picaroa

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/picaroa/id6777667802)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| File | $1.99 | one-time |
| Folder | $3.99 | one-time |
| Drive | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Arcade Card Reader free?

Arcade Card Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is picaroa free?

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

### Do Arcade Card Reader or picaroa have ads?

Neither Arcade Card Reader nor picaroa shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Arcade Card Reader or picaroa?

Arcade Card Reader ships an update every 2 months, and picaroa every 4 days. Most recently, Arcade Card Reader was updated on October 21, 2026 and picaroa on October 28, 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.*