Comparison

Retro Pal vs Plume!

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

Head to head
About

Retro Pal

Relive your favorite classic games on your mobile device. This app emulates a wide range of consoles, allowing you to play your ROMs with customizable controls and features. Enjoy your childhood favorites anywhere, anytime.

Highlights
  • Emulates 13+ classic consoles
  • Supports Bluetooth and USB-C controllers
  • Cloud save synchronization
  • Customizable touch controls
  • Rewind functionality
  • Console skins and themes
  • Gameplay clip recording
Features
Read full description

The console of your childhood, now in your pocket. Retro Pal plays your Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Super Nintendo, NES, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Mega Drive / Genesis, Master System, Game Gear, PSP and Nintendo 3DS ROMs on your iPhone and iPad. Your old games, on the screen you always have with you. No ads. Free to use. Pro is optional: pay once for life, or month by month if you prefer. WHAT'S INCLUDED (FOR FREE) • Native emulation via mGBA, melonDS, MesenCE, PCSX-ReARMed, Mupen64Plus-Next, BlastEm, PPSSPP and Azahar • Bluetooth and USB-C controllers (Xbox, PlayStation, MFi): up to four players, and the app's menus work with one too • Local-first iCloud save sync across your devices • Save import from other emulator apps • PlayStation discs as .chd, as a .cue with its .bin, or as a zip, with the discs of one game grouped into a single entry • PSP games as .iso, .cso, .chd or .pbp • Nintendo 3DS games as .3ds, .cci, .cxi or .3dsx (decrypted games only) • Stereo sound, mixable with background music (Spotify, Apple Music, podcasts) • Touch controls: D-pad and action buttons • Console skins: pick a built-in look, or import and share custom ones • Portrait and landscape modes • Two save slots + auto-save with image preview • Rewind up to 5 seconds, on all thirteen consoles • Capture and share gameplay clips as a video card • Screenshot sharing with a styled card • Your Retro story: your play time, your games and your badges, and your year in review every December LOCALIZED, NOT TRANSLATED Retro Pal is available in fifteen languages, from French and German through to Japanese, Korean and Traditional Chinese. Each is written, not run through a translator at the last minute. RETRO PAL PRO (OPTIONAL) One-time purchase, yours forever. Or a yearly or monthly subscription if you prefer to spread the cost. You will see the price on the app's page. • All speeds (0.25× to 4×) • Five save slots • 30-second rewind • Cheat codes (Action Replay, Game Genie, GameShark and more) • Full controls editor: move, resize, fade or hide every button and the screens, with unlimited presets per console • Create and edit your own custom console skins A subscription can be cancelled at any time from the App Store. You can switch from a subscription to the lifetime purchase whenever you want. Terms of Use: https://retropal.fr/en/terms Privacy Policy: https://retropal.fr/en/privacy MADE IN EUROPE. No ads, no ad profiling. To improve the app, Retro Pal sends only anonymous usage statistics, no personal data, no advertising IDs. Your ROMs, your saves and your progress stay on your device. The app contains no games. You must provide your own ROM files, which you certify you legally own. Need to reach us? We reply within a day: support@retropal.fr Website: retropal.fr Retro Pal integrates the open-source emulator cores mGBA (MPL-2.0 license), melonDS (GPL-3.0), MesenCE (GPL-3.0), PCSX-ReARMed (GPL-2.0 or later), Mupen64Plus-Next (GPL-2.0 or later), BlastEm (GPL-3.0 or later), PPSSPP (GPL-2.0 or later) and Azahar (GPL-3.0 or later). melonDS, MesenCE, Mupen64Plus-Next, BlastEm, PPSSPP and Azahar are used with changes of ours, each published as a patch file alongside the source. The app's complete source code is published under GPL-3.0: github.com/Larvouu/RetroPal. Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64 and Nintendo 3DS are trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd. This application is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Nintendo. PlayStation and PSP are trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. This application is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Mega Drive, Genesis, Master System and Game Gear are trademarks of SEGA Corporation. This application is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by SEGA.

About

Plume!

This app allows you to play classic Dreamcast games on your iPhone. It offers a polished library, customizable graphics, and flexible control options for both handheld and TV play. Easily import your game titles and enhance their visuals for a modern gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Dreamcast emulation on iPhone
  • Customizable on-screen controls
  • Bluetooth gamepad support
  • Console mode for TV play
  • Advanced graphics tuning
  • Save states and VMU support
  • RetroAchievements integration
Features
Read full description

Plume is a Dreamcast emulator for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. A polished library, deep graphics options, and controls for handheld play and couch co-op. Add games through the Files app, AirDrop, or the Share sheet. Supported formats include GDI, CDI, CHD, CUE, ISO, M3U, ELF, ZIP, and 7Z. Retail BIOS files are optional. Turn on Fast Boot to skip the splash, or add dc_boot.bin and dc_flash.bin from hardware you own for the full boot sequence. LIBRARY Your collection lives in one place with cover art, metadata, favorites, and play time. Every menu can show as Tiles or a List. After you run a game, Plume grades how it performs on your device (Excellent, Good, Playable, and more) so you know what to expect before you boot. Add any game to your Home Screen. CONTROLS Use fully customizable on-screen controls, or pair a Bluetooth gamepad in iOS Settings and remap every button in Plume. Dreamcast has four controller ports, and each port can hold a standard controller, arcade stick, twin stick, racing controller, fishing controller, light gun, maracas, train, rhythm or dance controller, keyboard, or mouse, each with its own touch layout. Touch controls fill port 1 when nothing else is connected. Rumble and haptics are built in. CONSOLE MODE Mirror your screen to a TV over AirPlay or HDMI. In Console mode the game renders on the big screen while your iPhone stays the controller. GRAPHICS AND PERFORMANCE Tune internal resolution, aspect ratio, CRT shaders, texture filtering, HDR, and upscaling. MetalFX upscaling and FSR 3 frame generation are available on supported devices. HD texture packs, neural upscale models, and Upscale Studio help older games look sharper. A live HUD shows FPS, frame time, CPU, RAM, and more. SAVE STATES AND VMU Save and load states from the in-game menu. Slots appear on library covers for quick resume. Per-game VMU files keep memory cards where they belong. CHEATS Add cheat codes by hand or import them for each game. RETROACHIEVEMENTS Sign in to RetroAchievements and earn badges while you play. Hardcore mode disables save states for a classic challenge. EXTRACT Hold a game in the library to extract its music, videos, and pictures from your own disc. CAPTURE AND SHARE Take screenshots and record gameplay in-game. Save them to Documents or Photos, or attach a capture to a save-state slot as a visual bookmark. SOUND AND STYLE Menu music from downloadable tracks, your own imports, or songs from your Apple Music library. Themes give you control over colors, fonts, corners, and accessibility, including Bold Text and Button Shapes when iOS has them on. REQUIREMENTS Plume runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later, and on Mac computers with Apple silicon running macOS 14 or later. Your device may warm up during play, and heavy 3D games may not reach full speed on older devices. LEGAL Plume does not include commercial games or a retail BIOS. You are responsible for content you import. Only use game files and firmware you legally own. Dreamcast is a trademark of SEGA. Plume is not affiliated with or endorsed by SEGA.

Screenshots

Retro Pal4 screens
Plume!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Retro Pal at Free against Plume!'s $0.99. Retro Pal also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). Plume!'s advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 57%) and chart position (#53 vs unranked). On ads, 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

Retro Pal is free to download; Plume! costs $0.99 up front. Retro Pal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Plume! 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

Retro Pal holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 7 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Retro Pal's written reviews are positive against 83% of Plume!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Pal ships an update every 10 days, Plume! every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Retro Pal versus Plume!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro PalPlume!
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.8 (21 ratings) — better4.4 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings21 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#53 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size111 MB135 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAntoine GhiassiDylan Mathurin

Customer experience

Retro Pal

All ratings20 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral14.3%
Negative28.6%

Plume!

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Retro Pal

Subscriptions2
  • Retro Pal Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Retro Pal Pro, yearly$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Retro Pal Pro Lifetime$8.99
1 purchases

Plume!

One-time1
  • Tip $1$0.99

Questions

Is Retro Pal free?
Retro Pal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Plume! free?
Plume! costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Retro Pal or Plume!?
Retro Pal is rated higher. Retro Pal averages 4.8 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Plume! averages 4.4 from 7 ratings.
Do Retro Pal or Plume! have ads?
Neither Retro Pal nor Plume! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro Pal or Plume!?
Retro Pal ships an update every 10 days, and Plume! every 2 months. Most recently, Retro Pal was updated on November 9, 2026 and Plume! on November 11, 2026.

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