# System Design Arcade vs System Design Refresher

The clearest difference is update cadence: System Design Arcade at every 2 weeks against System Design Refresher's monthly. System Design Arcade also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

System Design Arcade ships an update every 2 weeks, System Design Refresher monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | System Design Arcade | System Design Refresher |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/system-design-arcade/id6759821733/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **6** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 38 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 26.2 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Harsha Hassan Somashekara](https://appshunter.io/developer/1842004703) | [Saurabh Sharma](https://appshunter.io/developer/1883599017) |

## What reviewers say

### System Design Arcade

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/system-design-arcade/id6759821733)

Learn complex system design concepts through engaging, bite-sized arcade-style games. Master building blocks, design full systems, and practice with real infrastructure tools. Progress is saved locally and no account is required.

**Highlights:** Arcade-style mini-games for system design concepts, End-to-end system design challenges, Hands-on drills with infrastructure tools, Narrative-driven story mode, Varied challenge types (multiple choice, puzzles, builder), Daily challenges with streak tracking, Offline progress saving

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### System Design Refresher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/system-design-refresher/id6760277935)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is System Design Arcade free?

System Design Arcade is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is System Design Refresher free?

System Design Refresher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do System Design Arcade or System Design Refresher have ads?

Neither System Design Arcade nor System Design Refresher shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, System Design Arcade or System Design Refresher?

System Design Arcade ships an update every 2 weeks, and System Design Refresher monthly. Most recently, System Design Arcade was updated on September 14, 2026 and System Design Refresher on September 12, 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.*