We get it, iOS is so great that you want it on every device you own, including your Windows PC. Well, maybe your reasons are a bit more complicated. Still, if you’re looking to test Apple apps on your desktop or play exclusive games, then an emulator is a wonderful tool to do so.
Now it’s just a question of which emulator to choose.
Fear not. This article will show you some of the top iOS emulator for Windows out there and hopefully, you’ll be able to decide the best for yourself.
With advances in computing power, emulators have not only become more feasible, but numerous too. An iOS emulator allows all the IPA functionality you’d expect from your own Apple smart device and can be an excellent way to test software and access Apple-exclusive content. The best emulator is ultimately the one that suits your needs.
Some Excellent Emulators
If you’re deciding on the right emulator for you, it helps to choose from some of the best out there. We’ve got them listed below.
Appetize.io
If there’s a dominant name for testing iOS apps, it’s this one. This emulator is a comprehensive one, offering real-time testing of apps in an iOS environment. It works on Windows and pretty much any platform, as it’s a web-based tool, negating installation. Simply upload an app and you can test it right away.
Better yet, if you’re not looking to test too frequently, the free tier offers 30 monthly minutes of testing time.
Smartface
If you’ve got the JavaScript or TypeScript know-how and want to design and test your apps, then Smartface is your answer. This is yet another professional tool and one that allows developers both to build and test their apps in iOS. It doesn’t stop there, though. A main selling point is Smartface’s cross-platform capability, allowing for seamless testing of apps on Android (APK) and iOS (IPA). All you need is iTunes installed to be able to recognize your device.
The learning curve is steep for this one but made easier by a simplified user interface and a free version to experiment with before you commit.
Corellium
Corellium changes things up again by being a cloud-based emulator. It’s perfect for developers and those testing security. It helps too that Corellium displays a working version of iOS as opposed to just running tests.
The simplicity of its interface can be deceiving, though. Under the hood, Corellium is highly customizable, allows for a great deal of device and OS version selection, and supports HTTP proxy. That said, such capability is definitely not cheap, although they’ll offer a free trial on request.
iPadian
So far, we’ve focused on options that prioritize development and testing. What if you just want to play iOS games? Well, here’s your answer. iPadian is a simulator, which offers users all the look and feel of iOS, with the ability to play games. Important to remember, that it’s not the actual OS, though, and any games and apps you run from the “App Store” will be clever imitations, but imitations, nevertheless.
If you want to game or just explore what having a larger iPad screen would look like, this is a great option. There isn’t a free trial, but the fee covers lifetime usage.
As an avid gamer, I’ve run into my fair share of error codes and weird faults that have forced me to find fixes to problems I never anticipated. That gave me a passion for sharing those fixes with others so we can all game without feeling like our hardware is rebelling against us.
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