Compare
iFly vs Provenance
Both are built by the same team on the same Flycast lineage. The difference is scope: one app for Dreamcast, or one app for 38+ systems including Dreamcast.
iFly and Provenance are built by the same person, and both use Flycast for Dreamcast emulation. Provenance wraps 38+ systems (NES, SNES, N64, GBA, PS1, Saturn, Genesis, Dreamcast, and more) into one multi-system frontend. iFly is a dedicated, single-system app built only for Dreamcast, NAOMI, and Atomiswave. Facts about Provenance below come from Provenance's own Dreamcast system page; facts about iFly come from iFly's own site.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | iFly | Provenance (Dreamcast core) |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Single system: Dreamcast, NAOMI, Atomiswave | 38+ systems in one library, including Dreamcast |
| Dreamcast core | Flycast, ARM64-optimized interpreter, JIT-less | Flycast |
| Platforms | iOS, iPadOS, tvOS | iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, macOS |
| Distribution | Sideload (AltStore/SideStore) today; App Store planned | App Store and sideload |
| Price | Free; Plus is optional | Free; Plus is optional |
| Graphics backend | Custom Metal renderer with HDR upscaling | Not documented on iFly’s site |
| Shaders | 1,000+ native Metal shaders | CRT filters and upscaling options (per Provenance’s Dreamcast page) |
| VMU tooling | Floating VMU window, VMU Watch companion (Apple Watch), native VMU file manager | VMU emulation for in-game saves (per Provenance’s Dreamcast page) |
| Save states | Yes, with off-thread auto-saves | Yes |
| iCloud sync | Saves, VMUs, and BIOS sync across devices; ROMs stay local | iCloud sync for save states is a Provenance Plus feature |
| Cheat codes | Automatic cheat code downloads | Cheat code support (per Provenance’s Dreamcast page) |
| Open source | Not documented on iFly’s site | Yes (MIT License) |
Where Provenance Stands Out
Provenance covers Dreamcast alongside 37+ other systems — PlayStation, Sega Genesis, Saturn, Atari, and many more — in one library. It is already on the App Store, is open source under the MIT license, and Provenance Plus adds iCloud sync for Dreamcast save states on top of the free core. If you want one app to cover your whole retro library instead of one per console, Provenance is the broader choice.
Where iFly Stands Out
iFly is built from the ground up as a single-system Dreamcast app, which lets it go deeper on that one platform: a custom Metal renderer with HDR upscaling, 1,000+ native shaders, automatic cheat code and artwork downloads, a floating VMU window, a native VMU file manager, and a VMU companion app for Apple Watch. iFly Plus layers CRT and filter shader packs, HD texture packs, per-game tuning profiles, watermark-free clips, and unlimited Handoff on top of that. iFly is currently sideload-only (AltStore/SideStore), with an App Store release planned. Sideloaded and self-built copies include every Plus feature at no cost. Plus purchases apply to the App Store build.
Which Should You Pick?
If you want Dreamcast alongside dozens of other systems in one App Store app, Provenance is the fit. If Dreamcast is your primary focus and you want the deepest Dreamcast-specific tooling — VMU management, Apple Watch support, and Apple-silicon-tuned rendering — iFly is built for exactly that, and it is free to sideload today. There is no technical reason you cannot use both.
Try iFly
iFly is free to install and free to play. See what else it offers, or see how it compares to running Flycast in RetroArch.