Comparison

Retro Cloud Player vs RetroHandheld

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

Head to head
About

Retro Cloud Player

Play classic games on your Apple devices with this emulator. It utilizes iCloud for ROM storage and requires a companion app for collection management. A gamepad or keyboard is necessary for gameplay.

Highlights
  • Legacy gaming emulation
  • iCloud ROM storage
  • Libretro cores integration
  • Companion app for ROM management
  • Gamepad/keyboard support
Features
Read full description

The Retro Cloud Player is an emulator for legacy gaming systems. The ROMs are stored in iCloud. The Retro Cloud Companion app is needed in order to manage your collection of ROMs. A gamepad or keyboard is also required. This emulator include cores from the Libretro project.

About

RetroHandheld

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a classic gaming console. Play popular retro systems like Game Boy, NES, and PlayStation with controller support and save states. Bring your own legally owned game files for an offline, ad-free experience.

Highlights
  • Plays 8 classic consoles
  • Controller support
  • Save states and auto-save
  • Offline play
  • Cheat code support
  • iCloud backup
Features
Read full description

Retro Handheld turns your iPhone and iPad into a real retro gaming machine, and it plays the consoles most iPhone emulators leave out. Start for free with the classic lineup: Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, NES, and Super NES. Unlock Nintendo 64, PlayStation, GameGear, DreamCast and Sega Genesis with one purchase — no subscription and no ads, ever. PlayStation works the moment you import a game. OpenBIOS is bundled, so there is no BIOS file to hunt down and no setup to wade through. Every emulator core ships inside the app, ready to play. WHAT YOU GET Eight consoles in one app, from Game Boy to PlayStation Auto cover art box art downloads automatically when you add a game A native, uncluttered interface built for iPhone and iPad Xbox, PlayStation, Switch Pro, and MFi controller support with automatic per-console mapping Game Genie, GameShark, and Action Replay cheat code support Save states anywhere, auto-save on exit, and one-tap resume Fast-forward for speeding through slow sections Screenshot capture to save your best moments iCloud backup for save data across devices Retro TV shell on iPad, plus haptic feedback Play time tracking for every game Fully offline. No accounts, no internet, no tracking. BRING YOUR OWN GAMES Retro Handheld does not include any games. You must own the original cartridge or disc to legally use game files with the app. Import your library from the Files app and keep it on your own device. Built on proven open-source emulation cores, compiled and bundled so there is nothing extra to download before you play.

Screenshots

Retro Cloud Player1 screens
RetroHandheld4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Retro Cloud Player at 5.0 against RetroHandheld's 3.7. Retro Cloud Player also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). RetroHandheld's advantage is ratings volume (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, monetization model 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. RetroHandheld sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Retro Cloud Player asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Retro Cloud Player holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Retro Cloud Player versus RetroHandheld: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro Cloud PlayerRetroHandheld
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequency—Every 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJulien EyrièsDavid Margot

Customer experience

Retro Cloud Player

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

RetroHandheld

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Retro Cloud Player

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

RetroHandheld

One-time1
  • Full Unlock$2.99

Questions

Is Retro Cloud Player free?
Retro Cloud Player is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RetroHandheld free?
RetroHandheld is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Retro Cloud Player or RetroHandheld?
Retro Cloud Player is rated higher. Retro Cloud Player averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while RetroHandheld averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Retro Cloud Player or RetroHandheld have ads?
Neither Retro Cloud Player nor RetroHandheld shows ads.

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