# Shiny Chain vs Amiibox

The clearest difference is rating: Amiibox at 4.7 against Shiny Chain's 4.0. Amiibox also leads on ratings volume (1.9K vs 65) and device support (6 vs 3). Shiny Chain's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shiny Chain sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Amiibox sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Amiibox holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Amiibox has 1.9K ratings behind it against 65, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 62% and 61% positive.

Shiny Chain ships an update fortnightly, Amiibox every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shiny Chain | Amiibox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (65 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiny-chain/id1185557548/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amiibox-identify-and-write-nfc/id1580281187/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 65 | **1.9K** |
| Positive reviews | **61.7% of reviews** | 60.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 63 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Noxfall Studios SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/1182967307) | [RanduSoft SRL](https://appshunter.io/developer/1132039950) |

## What reviewers say

### Shiny Chain

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiny-chain/id1185557548)

Track your shiny hunting progress with detailed stats like shiny percentage, IVs, and hidden abilities. Save your achievements and share your hunts with friends. Offers advanced features for specific game editions and ad-free experience in its pro version.

**Highlights:** Single and double shiny chain counter, Track shiny and hidden ability percentages, Monitor minimum max IVs, Save chain information and achievements, Support for multiple game editions (Pro), Multi-language support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Version | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Great for shiny hunting
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💰 Affordable pro version
- 💡 Useful for tracking
- 🚀 Motivates users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Data loss/resets
- 💸 Purchase restore issues
- 😠 Ads in paid version
- 🤔 Incorrect odds
- 🚫 Music pauses

**Reported bugs**

- Counter resets to 0 randomly
- Lost all progress/achievements
- Purchase not restoring after phone change
- Premium version not loading after purchase
- Ads reappear after paying to remove them

**Requested features**

- Add support for new games (Sword/Shield, etc.)
- Add mode for older games (Gen V and prior)
- Add 2 counters for dual-hunting
- Add mode for VC GSC reset counters
- Add reset counter for egg/Masuda method


### Amiibox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amiibox-identify-and-write-nfc/id1580281187)

Easily manage your amiibo collection by scanning NFC tags to add them or writing amiibo data to various NFC tags. Import your own files and discover amiibo details, game benefits, and more. Supports all amiibo releases and offers a user-friendly, ad-free experience.

**Highlights:** Scan NFC tags to add amiibo, Write amiibo data to NFC tags, Import amiibo from .bin files, View amiibo details and game benefits, Manage collection and wishlist, Offline support, Ad-free experience

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amiibox Premium | $9.99 | per year |
| One credit | $0.99 | one-time |
| Five credits | $3.99 | one-time |
| Ten credits | $6.99 | one-time |
| Amiibox Premium | $17.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient for tracking amiibo collection
- 🚀 Helpful for creating NFC tags
- 👍 Great customer service
- 👍 Frequent updates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Scanning issues and crashes
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with certain devices
- 💰 Paid credits required for writing NFC tags
- 🔒 Concerns about data security and privacy

**Reported bugs**

- Certain amiibo not recognized or disappearing from collection
- Writing NFC tags not working as expected
- Apple Pay interference when trying to write NFC tags

**Requested features**

- Ability to manually add amiibo without scanning
- Filtering and sorting options for collection
- Confirmation when writing NFC tags
- Support for exporting/backing up collection data


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shiny Chain free?

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

### Is Amiibox free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Shiny Chain or Amiibox?

Amiibox is rated higher. Shiny Chain averages 4.0 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Amiibox averages 4.7 from 1.9K ratings.

### Do Shiny Chain or Amiibox have ads?

Amiibox shows ads; Shiny Chain does not.

### Which is updated more often, Shiny Chain or Amiibox?

Shiny Chain ships an update fortnightly, and Amiibox every 2 months. Most recently, Shiny Chain was updated on October 24, 2026 and Amiibox on October 27, 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.*