Comparison

EmuTribe vs Surume

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

Head to head
About

EmuTribe

Organize and play your legally obtained retro game collection on your iPhone or iPad. Customize controls, use save states, apply visual filters, and enjoy 2-player NetPlay. Cloud sync keeps your progress safe.

Highlights
  • Visual game library organization
  • Customizable touch controls
  • Physical controller support
  • Save states and fast-forward
  • Visual filters (HD, CRT, LCD)
  • 2-player LAN NetPlay
  • Optional cloud sync
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a modern home for your legally obtained retro game collection. EmuTribe brings your own game files together in a clean visual library with customizable controls, save states, visual filters, cloud sync, and 2-player LAN NetPlay. YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR WAY • Organize your own game files in one beautiful library. • Find recent titles, revisit favorites, and continue where you left off. • Games, ROMs, and BIOS files are not included. PLAY THE WAY YOU LIKE • Customize touch controls, button positions, and transparency. • Use compatible physical controllers. • Save and resume at any time with save states. • Use fast-forward and cheats when supported. • Choose HD, CRT, or LCD visual filters. PLAY TOGETHER Create a LAN NetPlay room for two players on the same Wi-Fi network when the game and system are compatible. Network quality, device performance, and host stability can affect the session. KEEP YOUR PROGRESS Optional cloud sync keeps compatible saves, save states, and settings available through your EmuTribe account. SUPPORTED SYSTEMS EmuTribe supports a range of classic systems, from 8-bit and 16-bit consoles to later handheld and 3D platforms. Compatibility depends on the selected core, game, settings, and device. More demanding systems may require newer hardware. FREE TO START Core features are available for free. Optional Standard and Plus subscriptions remove ads and unlock additional features such as extra save-state slots, premium filters, cheats, and cloud sync. IMPORTANT EmuTribe does not provide, sell, download, or distribute games, ROMs, BIOS files, or copyrighted content. Import only files you have the legal right to use. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. EmuTribe is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by console manufacturers or game publishers. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://emutribe.com/privacy

About

Surume

Play PS2, PS3, PS4, Vita, and Xbox games directly on your iPhone and iPad. Manage your game library, customize controls, enhance graphics, and connect with friends online.

Highlights
  • Playstation and Xbox game emulation
  • Game library management
  • Customizable controls
  • Graphics enhancement
  • Save and load states
  • Online multiplayer and social features
  • Console Mode for TV output
Features
Read full description

Surume runs PS2, PS3, PS4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox and Xbox 360 games on iPhone and iPad. It also has partial PS1 support through PS2 backwards compatibility. Games run directly on your device. Games and settings • Keep games from each console in one library. Search, filter, change layouts, and edit covers and game details. • Use automatic tuning for supported games, or adjust frame rate, game speed, graphics, audio and controls yourself. Save settings for each game. • Increase rendering resolution and use Upscale Studio to enhance textures and artwork. • Save and load states from the library or in-game menu. • Extract videos, images and soundtracks from supported game discs. Controls and screens • Connect a wired or wireless controller and remap its buttons. • Move and resize individual touch controls. • Change saves, settings, filters and controls while playing. • Connect to a TV and use Console Mode. Layouts adapt to iPhone, iPad and external displays. Online and friends Sign in with Apple to use SharkPond Network. Add friends, manage your profile, earn supported trophies and join supported multiplayer games. Party Chat lets you talk while playing. Online features depend on the console and game. Appearance Choose themes, animated backgrounds, materials, colors, fonts, app icons and library animations. You can receive app announcements and choose whether to share crash and performance reports to help improve Surume. Surume does not include games, BIOS files, firmware or other copyrighted system software. Import your own legally obtained files. Performance and compatibility depend on the game, device and settings. Surume and SharkPond are independent and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Sony or Microsoft.

Screenshots

EmuTribe4 screens
Surume4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: EmuTribe at Free against Surume's $6.95. EmuTribe also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.1). Surume's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#26 vs unranked). On update cadence, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

EmuTribe is free to download; Surume costs $6.95 up front. EmuTribe sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month and Surume sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

EmuTribe holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surume has 36 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
EmuTribe versus Surume: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmuTribeSurume
PriceFree — better$6.95
Rating4.0 (4 ratings) — better3.1 (36 ratings)
Positive reviews—54.2% of reviews
Number of ratings436 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#26 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size280 MB878 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDevStart LabsDylan Mathurin

Customer experience

EmuTribe

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

Surume

All ratings36 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral5.6%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive54.2%
Neutral10.4%
Negative35.4%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

EmuTribe

Subscriptions1
  • EmuTribe Pro$4.991 Month
1 purchases

Surume

One-time1
  • Tip 1$$0.99

Questions

Is EmuTribe free?
EmuTribe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Surume free?
Surume costs $6.95, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, EmuTribe or Surume?
EmuTribe is rated higher. EmuTribe averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Surume averages 3.1 from 36 ratings.
Do EmuTribe or Surume have ads?
EmuTribe shows ads; Surume does not.
Which is updated more often, EmuTribe or Surume?
EmuTribe ships an update every 2 weeks, and Surume every 2 weeks. Most recently, EmuTribe was updated on October 31, 2026 and Surume on November 9, 2026.

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