Comparison

Pixel vs PixelDock

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

Head to head
About

Pixel

Experience a vast collection of 170 retro-style arcade games in a single application. Enjoy diverse genres like action, sports, puzzles, and card games, all playable offline with simple touch controls and smooth performance. New games are added regularly through free updates.

Highlights
  • 170 bite-sized pixel-art games
  • Playable offline, no internet required
  • Variety of genres: action, sports, puzzles, cards
  • Simple touch controls
  • Smooth 60fps performance
  • New games added via free updates
  • Local multiplayer support
Features
Read full description

Pixel Pack is a love letter to the arcade. A single app packed with 250+ bite-sized pixel-art games you can pick up and play in seconds. Choose a cartridge from the launcher, drop in, play. No downloads between games, no internet required. Everything runs offline, right on your phone, and plenty of games support local multiplayer on a shared screen. WHAT YOU GET A genuinely huge variety across every genre in tiny-bit size: Arcade and action — dodge, blast, dash, and survive in Star Fury, Astral Drift, Neon Arena, Dragon Soar, Void Eater, Vektor Rush, and Blade Dance. Racing and speed — Astro Racing, Rad Highway, Turbo Trail, Chicken Race, Ramp Rider, and Ski Free. 3D worlds — Mecha Spider, Parkour Run, Pixel Cube, Armadillo Dreams, Ball Strike 3D, and Paper Toss 3D. Sports and trick runs — Air Hockey, Mini Golf, Pixel Baseball, Foosball, Bowl Bash, Sumo, Pool, Star Kick, and Shuffleboard. Brain and board — 3D Picross, Pixel Sudoku, Arcane Chess, Backgammon, Checkers, Reversi, Mancala, Chinese Checkers, Minesweeper, and Hexis. Word and trivia — Word Search, Wordhive, Hangman, Trivia Roulette, and What Am I. Puzzle and merge — Melon Merge, Fuse Frenzy, Block Bash, Bubble Lagoon, Crystal Clash, Fluid Sort, and Threadweave. Cards and table games — Picture Poker, Spidey Solitaire, Wildcard Wanted, Pachinko, Shadow Deal, and Left Center Right (just for fun — no real wagering). Reflex and timing — Dont Drop It, Dont Tap, Hat Stack, Rope Skipper, Quick Claw, Balloon Blast, and Rapid Rabbits. Creative and calm — Pixel Canvas, Zen Garden, Bonsai Shapes, Pixel Masterpiece, Scene Builder, and Lull. Toys and oddities — Pixel Camera turns your world into live pixel art, Compass points you north, and Chatterbird and Prismwave react to sound around you. ...and a whole lot more waiting in the launcher. DESIGNED TO FEEL GOOD Crisp pixel art at every size, no blurry scaling. Smooth 60fps action. Simple touch controls that actually work. Every game is tuned to be easy to start and easy to put down. PLAY YOUR WAY Pick up for thirty seconds in a checkout line, or sink into a high-score chase on the couch. Your best scores save right on your device. There is always another game one tap away. NO STRINGS ATTACHED No ads. No pop-ups. No accounts or logins. Just games. GROWING OVER TIME New games arrive in free updates, so the collection keeps getting bigger. One tap, and over two hundred ways to play. Welcome to Pixel Pack.

About

PixelDock

This app consolidates numerous classic game consoles and computers into a single application. It features automatic cover art, quick save states, and organized game libraries. Premium features include cloud sync and social functionalities.

Highlights
  • Multi-console support
  • Automatic cover art
  • Quick save/load states
  • Bluetooth/MFi controller support
  • Wi-Fi file transfer
  • Cloud save synchronization (premium)
  • Social chat and voice calls (premium)
Features
Read full description

PixelDock brings together dozens of classic consoles and computers in one app, with a visual library, automatic cover art, quick save states and effortless organization. SUPPORTED SYSTEMS • Nintendo: NES, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Virtual Boy • Sega: Master System, Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Gear, Mega-CD, 32X, Saturn, Dreamcast, NAOMI, Atomiswave • Sony: PlayStation, PSP • Atari: 2600, 5200, 7800, Lynx, Jaguar, 8-bit line, ST • SNK Neo Geo and Neo Geo Pocket Color • NEC: PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine CD, PC-FX, PC-98 • Commodore 64, 128, VIC-20 and Amiga • Classic computers: ZX Spectrum, ZX81, MSX/MSX2, Amstrad CPC, Sharp X68000, Apple II, Macintosh, Thomson TO7/TO8 • Arcade and more: Vectrex, WonderSwan, ColecoVision, Intellivision, Panasonic 3DO, Pokémon Mini, Odyssey² • MS-DOS and classic adventure engines via ScummVM (SCUMM, SCI, AGI), plus Doom and Quake LIBRARY & GAMEPLAY • Automatic cover art for your whole collection, sorted by system • Fast save/load states with visual thumbnails for every save • Bluetooth/MFi controller support and external display via AirPlay or cable • Wi-Fi upload portal: transfer your own files from a computer, no cables or iTunes needed CLOUD & FRIENDS (premium) • Sync your save states across all your devices • Add friends with a unique nickname, chat, make voice calls, and send games or save states directly SUBSCRIPTION PixelDock Premium unlocks cloud save sync, the full social features and cover art for your entire library (the free tier shows cover art for your first 5 games). Available monthly and yearly with a 7-day free trial, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. • Monthly: $3.99/month • Yearly: $24.99/year • Lifetime: $44.99 one-time payment (not a subscription) Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account upon confirming purchase. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your device Settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when a paid subscription is purchased. LEGAL LINKS EULA (Terms of Use): https://emulator.it-systems.es/terms.php Privacy Policy: https://emulator.it-systems.es/privacy.php IMPORTANT NOTICE PixelDock does not include or distribute any games, BIOS files or copyrighted content. You must only use software copies you legally own. The app includes open-source emulation components; you can review all licenses from Settings.

Screenshots

Pixel4 screens
PixelDock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PixelDock at Free against Pixel's $1.99. PixelDock also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1). Pixel's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On update cadence, 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

PixelDock is free to download; Pixel costs $1.99 up front. PixelDock sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Pixel asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pixel holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel ships an update every 5 days, PixelDock every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 3 level
Pixel versus PixelDock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixelPixelDock
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.0 (3 ratings)
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB429 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperCameron BurkeJose Antonio Salinas Garcia

Customer experience

Pixel

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

PixelDock

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Pixel

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

PixelDock

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$22.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is Pixel free?
Pixel costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PixelDock free?
PixelDock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pixel or PixelDock?
Pixel is rated higher. Pixel averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while PixelDock averages 3.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Pixel or PixelDock have ads?
Neither Pixel nor PixelDock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixel or PixelDock?
Pixel ships an update every 5 days, and PixelDock every 3 days. Most recently, Pixel was updated on October 8, 2026 and PixelDock on October 15, 2026.

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