# swipe vs ArcEmu

The clearest difference is price: swipe at Free against ArcEmu's $1.99. swipe also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.5). ArcEmu's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

swipe is free to download; ArcEmu costs $1.99 up front. swipe sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. ArcEmu asks for nothing beyond the download.

ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.4K and 1.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of swipe's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.

swipe ships an update every 4 months, ArcEmu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | swipe | ArcEmu |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swipe/id954384146/reviews) | **[4.9 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcemu/id6496282733/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.4K** | 1.3K |
| Positive reviews | 89.8% of reviews | **94.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 31 MB | 172 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Briegers GbR](https://appshunter.io/developer/1653446086) | [Raffaele D'Amato](https://appshunter.io/developer/529947655) |

## What reviewers say

### swipe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swipe/id954384146)

Navigate a white circle through challenging mazes to collect blue coins. This minimalist puzzle game offers intuitive gameplay with a modern, colorful design and a level editor for creating and sharing your own challenges.

**Highlights:** Minimalist puzzle gameplay, Level editor with share function, Intuitive controls, Modern, colorful design, 100 challenging levels, 10 optional themes, Customizable themes

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2 hints | $0.99 | one-time |
| Themes | $1.99 | one-time |
| 5 hints | $1.99 | one-time |
| 10 hints | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Smooth gameplay
- 🎮 Great on Apple Watch
- 🎨 Simplistic and modern design
- 🔓 No ads or data harvesting
- 💡 Unique gesture-based controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Limited number of hints
- 🤯 Some levels are very difficult
- 🔧 Level editor could be improved
- 🔊 Sound issues on certain devices

**Reported bugs**

- Level editor crashes
- Hints not always working as expected

**Requested features**

- More levels and content
- Ability to reverse moves
- Syncing progress across devices
- Customizable themes and visuals


### ArcEmu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcemu/id6496282733)

Experience retro gaming on your Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad. This emulator supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. Enjoy features like multiplayer, cheats, and customizable controls.

**Highlights:** Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation, Multiplayer support, Cheat codes, Customizable on-screen controls, Save State sharing, iCloud support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Game Controller support, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fully functional
- 🚀 Impressive emulation on Apple Watch
- 👍 Great emulator for both phone and watch
- 👍 Seamless save state transfer between devices
- 👍 Customizable controls and layout

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Compatibility issues with some games
- 🐛 Audio quality problems on certain games
- 👎 Limited functionality on Apple Watch
- 👎 Difficult controls for action-heavy games on watch

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional crashes
- Graphical glitches with certain ROMs
- Save data not transferring properly between devices

**Requested features**

- Add cheat/GameShark support
- Improve volume controls
- Implement fast forward/slow motion options
- Allow multiple save slots per game
- Improve Game Boy Color support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is swipe free?

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

### Is ArcEmu free?

ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, swipe or ArcEmu?

ArcEmu is rated higher. swipe averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do swipe or ArcEmu have ads?

Neither swipe nor ArcEmu shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, swipe or ArcEmu?

swipe ships an update every 4 months, and ArcEmu every 2 weeks. Most recently, swipe was updated on October 20, 2026 and ArcEmu on October 19, 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.*