Is it possible to download iPhone apps without an actual iPhone? Surprisingly, yes! You can use emulators to run iOS apps on your PC. Whether you want to play Apple Arcade or test OS-specific apps as a developer, you'll find them useful. However, not all platforms are reliable or safe. Save yourself the hassle -- here are the best options to bring the Apple experience to your computer.
Price: 1-hour free testing and later you must upgrade to any subscription plan. Paid accounts start from $49 per month per user for the Live Testing plan.
SauceLabs is a leading mobile app testing and distribution platform. You can access it as a web app on any popular web browser. Therefore, you often save some time which you would otherwise invest in configuring the tool on the PC. Its straightforward interface is also easy to navigate.
This iOS emulator is intended for Manual testing, Automated testing, and Visual testing. So, it allows you to choose from a range of iOS devices to begin your tests. Beyond that, it allows you to create a library of iPhone or iPad apps for testing purposes. Apps can be uploaded directly from your PC as IPA files, mimicking the sideloading process on an actual iOS device. Additionally, you can import test projects from cloud repositories containing iOS apps.
If you only wish to play iOS games or use apps exclusively available on the App Store you can utilize these app testing features. However, the UX is not as extensive as an Android emulator. You're restricted to mouse-based navigation on SauceLabs. You can, however, use other useful features in this virtual iOS emulator, like Set GPS Location, Camera Upload, Biometric Authentication, VoiceOver, Audio, and Performance Mode.
Price: You can try it out if it suits your requirements by signing up for a 30-minute free trial allowing up to two active virtual iOS devices. If you like it, you can buy a paid plan. Paid subscriptions start from $59/month.
Appetize is another web-based mobile app testing and live preview platform. And since it's a web app, you simply need to sign up with a work or personal email to create a free account. Afterward, you can upload your own apps from a PC or Mac and test those in a fully web-based iOS emulator. It's also a no-code app testing platform that requires little to no manual configuring.
Appetize iOS emulator is suitable for both lightweight consumer apps and games. Its Device Sandbox is the emulator hub that hosts independent virtualized iPhones (iPhone 8 to iPhone 16 Pro Max) and iPads (iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPad, and iPad Mini).
Price: 1 virtual iOS parallel test is free. You can subscribe to a paid subscription starting from $19/month to get more parallel tests and features.
LambdaTest is a full-service iOS and Android mobile app testing platform accessible online on most popular browsers, e.g., Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Safari. Its capabilities include online app testing on any browser, test management, Selenium testing, real devices cloud, accessibility testing, iOS emulator for PC, and more. Furthermore, it offers detailed technical documentation for its testing platform and API.
The best thing about LambdaTest is that it has an extensive collection of virtualized iPhones and iPads in different iOS and iPadOS versions. So, if an app or game works only on a specific iPhone and iOS, check out LambdaTest and see if it meets your requirements.
LambdaTest's iOS emulator allows you to upload your own IPA file or import from a cloud app development project storage. Once imported, the virtual iPhone or iPad automatically installs your IPA file. Mostly, the swipe navigations on the virtual iPhone work with mouse clicks and drag. However, there could be a bit of sluggishness since the emulator works from a distant cloud server.
Price: It offers a case-by-case basis subscription offers.
You can also try out Smartface to use virtual iPhone and iPad devices on a Windows PC. It's a desktop IDE so you must install and configure the tool before you can start app testing, manage app development lifecycles, and preview iOS apps on iPhone and iPad.
Its virtual iOS devices come in different screen sizes, models, and iOS editions. Therefore, no need to worry if certain apps will install or not. Just simply switch to the appropriate iOS edition and device model. The virtual iOS devices are mostly accessible from a premium subscription, like enterprise or more-level licenses.
So, these are some of the best and most reliable iOS emulators for PC. You can use these platforms mostly for iOS app development, testing, feedback collection, and deployment. If you're really into emulators, you might want to explore GBA emulators that you can run without jailbreaking.