Comparison

GameCache vs Cartridge

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

Head to head
About

GameCache

Consolidate your scattered game libraries from various platforms into a single, organized collection. Track your playtime, rate games, and discover what others are playing. Never miss a release with timely notifications.

Highlights
  • Import Steam and Xbox libraries
  • Manual game addition
  • Track playtime and sessions
  • Rate, review, and rank games
  • Follow other players
  • Release and event notifications
  • Shareable game cards
Features
Read full description

Your games are scattered across storefronts, consoles and a decade of half-finished saves. GameCache brings them together into one library that is finally yours. Import from Steam and Xbox to start with the shelf you already have, not an empty one, then add anything else by hand from a catalogue of hundreds of thousands of games, on any platform you play. Everything else is built on top of that: what you're playing, what you've finished, what's still waiting, and what you're hoping for. BUILD YOUR CACHE Import your Steam and Xbox libraries in a couple of taps, with playtime carried across where it's available. Add PC, console and handheld games by hand from the full catalogue. Sort everything into Owned, Playing and Played, keep a backlog you'll actually look at, and a wishlist for everything still to come. TRACK WHAT YOU ACTUALLY PLAY Log sessions and playthroughs and see where your hours really went; per game, per month, and over time. A sessions calendar shows your year at a glance, and playtime adds up automatically as you go. RATE, REVIEW AND RANK Score what you finish and your CacheScore follows, the running average of every rating you've given. Write reviews other players can read and reply to, and build lists and tier lists from anything in the catalogue. SEE WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS PLAYING Follow other players and keep up with what they're finishing. Compare libraries game by game to find the overlap, and the gaps. Reviews have threaded replies, so recommendations turn into conversations. NEVER MISS A RELEASE Get notified when a wishlisted game comes out, when a gaming event is about to start, and when a game you've been playing has been sitting untouched for a while. EARN YOUR PROGRESS Achievements track the things worth tracking; games mastered, hours logged, reviews written, libraries imported. SHARE IT Turn any game, review, list or profile into a share card built for posting, and let people open it straight in the app. YOUR DATA IS YOURS Export everything you've added at any time, and delete your account and its data from inside the app whenever you want. No waiting on a support request. GameCache is free to use and supported by ads. Game data powered by IGDB.

About

Cartridge

Log your video game backlog, rate and review titles, and organize your gaming library. Discover new games from social media links and connect your gaming accounts to track playtime across platforms. Build custom collections and share your gaming experiences with others.

Highlights
  • Track video game backlog
  • Rate and review games
  • Save games from social media links
  • Connect Steam, Xbox, PlayStation accounts
  • Organize games into custom Stacks
  • Follow other players and view activity
  • Sync playtime across platforms
Read full description

Track your video game backlog, rate what you play and share the games you love. Cartridge keeps your Library, reviews and game collections together on iPhone. SAVE THE GAMES YOU DISCOVER Found a game in a TikTok, YouTube video, Instagram post or Reddit link? Share the link to Cartridge or paste it into the app. Check the identified game and save it to your Library. Social link capture is free. You can also search for a game by name. KEEP YOUR BACKLOG IN ONE PLACE Connect Steam, Xbox or PlayStation to import games, sync available playtime and see what you are playing now. Track games across PC, consoles and other platforms. Mark games Want to Play, Playing or Played, record whether you completed or abandoned them, and decide what to play next. Your Library is saved to your account, so it follows you to a new phone. RATE, REVIEW AND SHARE Record your rating and write a short review. Follow other players and see their public game activity. Build unlimited collections called Stacks, add your own notes, share a Stack as a card or public link, and like or comment on public Stacks. START FREE. PLUS IS OPTIONAL. Your Library, ratings, reviews, unlimited Stacks and social link capture are free. Connecting Steam, Xbox or PlayStation, importing games and viewing each game’s total playtime are also free. Cartridge Plus adds playtime statistics and breakdowns, physical game cover and barcode scanning, game identification from Steam store and other supported non-social links, and personalised lore based on your Library. Requires iOS 26 or later and an account. Link identification requires an internet connection and may not find every game. Connected-platform data depends on each provider's availability and privacy settings. Cartridge tracks games; it does not include playable games. CAPTURE AND PRIVACY When you scan a cover or barcode or submit a link, related images, audio, captions, transcripts or linked content may be processed by our service providers to identify the game. See our Privacy Policy for details. SUBSCRIPTIONS Cartridge Plus is available as monthly and yearly auto-renewable subscriptions, or a one-time Lifetime purchase. Eligible new subscribers can try the yearly plan free for 7 days. Prices are shown in the app before you subscribe. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase, or when a free trial ends. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel in the iPhone Settings app under your name, then Subscriptions. Download Cartridge and start with one game. Terms of Use: https://insertcartridge.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://insertcartridge.app/privacy Game data from IGDB.

Screenshots

GameCache4 screens
Cartridge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GameCache at none against Cartridge's 4. GameCache also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). Cartridge's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. Cartridge sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. GameCache asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cartridge holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GameCache ships an update weekly, Cartridge every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
GameCache versus Cartridge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGameCacheCartridge
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size68 MB61 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperGameCache LLCOnyeka Nwamba

Customer experience

GameCache

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Cartridge

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

GameCache

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Cartridge

Subscriptions3
  • Cartridge Plus Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Cartridge Plus Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Cartridge Plus Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Cartridge Plus Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is GameCache free?
GameCache is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cartridge free?
Cartridge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, GameCache or Cartridge?
Cartridge is rated higher. GameCache averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Cartridge averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do GameCache or Cartridge have ads?
Both GameCache and Cartridge show ads.
Which is updated more often, GameCache or Cartridge?
GameCache ships an update weekly, and Cartridge every 3 days. Most recently, GameCache was updated on October 24, 2026 and Cartridge on October 24, 2026.

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