Comparison

Backbone vs Jooni

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Backbone

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a powerful gaming console. Play a wide range of games and services, record and share epic gameplay moments, and connect with friends for seamless multiplayer experiences. Discover and launch your favorite controller-supported games from a single app.

Highlights
  • Play any game or service supporting controllers
  • Record, edit, and share gameplay clips
  • Automatic highlight detection
  • Friend notifications and in-app voice chat
  • Centralized game launcher
Features
Read full description

Backbone turns your iPhone and iPad Mini into the ultimate gaming device. ■ Play any game or service that supports game controllers. The Backbone One controller works with services like PS Remote Play, Xbox Game Pass (xCloud), Apple Arcade, Xbox Remote Play, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna. It also works with games like Call of Duty: Mobile, Minecraft and Genshin Impact. Press the Backbone Button to bring up the app and launch into your favorite games that support controllers from one place. ■ Record, edit, and share epic gaming clips Backbone One has a built-in Capture button that allows you to easily screen record or screenshot gameplay and share directly to social platforms like Instagram Stories and iMessage, all directly from your mobile device. ■ Never miss a moment Hold the Capture Button to bookmark a moment when recording. Forgot to bookmark? Once a video is captured, Backbone’s app helps you identify your most action-packed moments automatically, allowing you to show off your best moments and highlights with ease. ■ Party with your friends With Backbone’s Rich Presence feature, you can get push notifications when your friends start playing games on Backbone, making it easy to join the action in real-time. Once you see a friend online, you can link up for voice chat inside the app and move from game to game, seamlessly. To learn more, download the app or visit https://backbone.com/ A Backbone+ subscription is required for some features within the app. Any feedback? Use the in-app feedback tool, ping us at support@playbackbone.com or tweet us @backbone Terms of Use: https://backbone.com/terms/

About

Jooni

Track your bonsai's growth and care with photo logs and event scheduling. Explore a community gallery for inspiration and connect with other enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Log bonsai interventions with photos
  • Schedule future care events
  • Browse community gallery for inspiration
  • Connect with other bonsai enthusiasts
  • Track bonsai growth over time
Features
Read full description

Jooni is a journal for your bonsai. Keep a photo record of every intervention, plan the next one, and see what other growers are doing. • Log photos of each intervention — pruning, wiring, repotting • Schedule future events and follow each tree's timeline • Browse the community gallery and species care guides FREE TO USE Jooni is free to download and use. A free account can track up to 5 trees with up to 5 events each. Browsing the gallery and care guides never requires a subscription. JOONI PRO Grow without limits: unlimited trees, unlimited events and a member badge. Subscribe through your Apple Account; a membership bought at jooni.app also works in the app. • Jooni Pro Monthly — $1.99 per month • Jooni Pro Yearly — $19.99 per year Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription in Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://jooni.app/assets/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

Backbone4 screens
Jooni4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Backbone at 4.8 against Jooni's 4.0. Backbone also leads on ratings volume (103K vs 5) and chart position (#69 vs unranked). Jooni's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Backbone sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Jooni sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Backbone holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backbone has 103K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Backbone's written reviews are positive against 50% of Jooni's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backbone ships an update every 3 weeks, Jooni every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Backbone versus Jooni: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackboneJooni
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (103K ratings) — better4.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews51.3% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings103K — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#69 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size422 MB32 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBackbone Labs, Inc. (US)EDUARDO FERREIRA

Customer experience

Backbone

All ratings101,995 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral1.8%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews946 reviews
Positive51.3%
Neutral8.6%
Negative40.2%

Jooni

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Backbone

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Random disconnections during gameplay
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Issues with controller button mapping
  • Incompatibility with certain games

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow use without subscription
  • Add more customization options
  • Improve compatibility with various phone models
  • Integrate with more cloud gaming services

Jooni

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Backbone

Subscriptions9
  • Backbone+7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Backbone+$3.991 Month
  • Backbone+1 Month trial$29.991 Year
Show 6 more
  • Backbone+1 Year trial2 variants$39.991 Year
  • Backbone+1 Month trial$39.991 Year
  • Backbone+3 Months trial$39.991 Year
  • Backbone+7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Backbone+14 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Backbone+7 Days trial$49.991 Year
5 purchases

Jooni

Subscriptions5
  • Jooni Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Jooni Pro Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Jooni Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Jooni Pro Yearly Offer$24.991 Year
  • Jooni Pro Yearly$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Backbone free?
Backbone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Jooni free?
Jooni is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Backbone or Jooni?
Backbone is rated higher. Backbone averages 4.8 out of 5 from 103K ratings, while Jooni averages 4.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Backbone or Jooni have ads?
Neither Backbone nor Jooni shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Backbone or Jooni?
Backbone ships an update every 3 weeks, and Jooni every 9 days. Most recently, Backbone was updated on November 4, 2026 and Jooni on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons