# Retro Pal vs SpatialEMU

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SpatialEMU at 100% against Retro Pal's 57%. SpatialEMU also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Retro Pal's advantage is ratings volume (19 vs 2) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Retro Pal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. SpatialEMU asks for nothing beyond the download.

SpatialEMU holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retro Pal has 19 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Retro Pal's written reviews are positive against 100% of SpatialEMU's.

Retro Pal ships an update every 9 days, SpatialEMU every 11 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Retro Pal | SpatialEMU |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-pal-ds-gba-emulator/id6769407672/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spatialemu/id6771768889/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **19** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Size | 93 MB | 388 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Antoine Ghiassi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896655463) | [晓东 傅](https://appshunter.io/developer/328047099) |

## What reviewers say

### Retro Pal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-pal-ds-gba-emulator/id6769407672)

Play your favorite classic Nintendo handheld games on your iPhone. This emulator supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS ROMs. Enjoy features like save states, controller support, and customizable skins.

**Highlights:** Supports GB, GBC, GBA, and DS ROMs, Bluetooth controller support, iCloud save sync, Customizable console skins, Rewind functionality, Gameplay clip recording

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Retro Pal Pro Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Retro Pal Pro, yearly | $4.99 | per year |
| Retro Pal Pro Lifetime | $8.99 | one-time |


### SpatialEMU

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spatialemu/id6771768889)

This app allows you to play your personal retro game collection on iPhone and iPad. It supports a wide range of classic systems and offers flexible control options, including virtual buttons and physical controllers. You can load games locally or connect to a self-hosted server for library management.

**Highlights:** Play retro games on iOS devices, Supports NES, SNES, PlayStation, PSP, and more, Load local game files or use a self-hosted server, Virtual and physical controller support, Customizable controller mapping, Local save states and progress syncing

**Features:** Game Controller support, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Retro Pal free?

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

### Is SpatialEMU free?

SpatialEMU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Retro Pal or SpatialEMU?

SpatialEMU is rated higher. Retro Pal averages 4.6 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while SpatialEMU averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Retro Pal or SpatialEMU have ads?

Neither Retro Pal nor SpatialEMU shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Retro Pal or SpatialEMU?

Retro Pal ships an update every 9 days, and SpatialEMU every 11 days. Most recently, Retro Pal was updated on October 31, 2026 and SpatialEMU on October 31, 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.*