# Sakura! vs Photon Player

The clearest difference is price: Photon Player at Free against Sakura!'s $0.99. Photon Player also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 months) and device support (5 vs 2). Sakura!'s advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Photon Player is free to download; Sakura! costs $0.99 up front. Sakura! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Photon Player sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Sakura! ships an update every 2 months, Photon Player daily. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sakura! | Photon Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sakura/id6764421795/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **10** | — |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 84 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dylan Mathurin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1755943099) | [Oliver Walton](https://appshunter.io/developer/6797878404) |

## What reviewers say

### Sakura!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sakura/id6764421795)

This app allows you to play your favorite PlayStation One games on your iPhone or iPad. It offers extensive customization for controls, graphics, and performance, providing a console-like experience.

**Highlights:** PlayStation One emulation on iOS, Customizable on-screen controls, Physical gamepad support, Extensive graphics and performance tuning, Support for various game disc formats, Recursive folder scanning for games

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tip 1$ | $0.99 | one-time |


### Photon Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-player/id6804291311)

**Features:** SharePlay

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Photon Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Photon Pro Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Photon Pro Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sakura! free?

Sakura! costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Photon Player free?

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

### Do Sakura! or Photon Player have ads?

Neither Sakura! nor Photon Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sakura! or Photon Player?

Sakura! ships an update every 2 months, and Photon Player daily. Most recently, Sakura! was updated on October 17, 2026 and Photon Player on October 14, 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.*