Comparison

Backbone vs The Grid St. Pete

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

The Grid St. Pete

Features
Read full description

The Grid is the communication app of the City of St. Petersburg. Wherever you are, The Grid provides the latest city news, important updates, and event information - right at your fingertips. The Grid offers you the possibility to stay informed about current events, interesting projects, dates and much more about the company events of the City of St. Petersburg - mobile, fast and up-to-date. Key Features: • News - stay up to date with the latest news. Push notifications allow you to receive real-time alerts and information. • Careers - get the latest information about career opportunities • Events - use the platform to stay informed about upcoming events Download today and stay in touch with everything happening on "The Grid" !

Screenshots

Backbone4 screens
The Grid St. Pete3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Grid St. Pete at none against Backbone's 16. Backbone's advantage is chart position (#63 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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 14 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. The Grid St. Pete asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backbone ships an update every 3 weeks, The Grid St. Pete fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Backbone versus The Grid St. Pete: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackboneThe Grid St. Pete
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (102K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews51.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings102K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#63 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size422 MB83 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBackbone Labs, Inc. (US)City of St. Petersburg

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

The Grid St. Pete

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

14 purchases

Backbone

Subscriptions14
  • Backbone+7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Backbone+$3.991 Month
  • Backbone+$7.991 Month
Show 11 more
  • Backbone+1 Month trial2 variants$29.991 Year
  • Backbone+1 Year trial$29.991 Year
  • 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+3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Backbone+ 41 Year trial$39.991 Year
  • Backbone+14 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Backbone+7 Days trial$49.991 Year
None

The Grid St. Pete

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Backbone free?
Backbone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Grid St. Pete free?
The Grid St. Pete is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Backbone or The Grid St. Pete have ads?
Neither Backbone nor The Grid St. Pete shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Backbone or The Grid St. Pete?
Backbone ships an update every 3 weeks, and The Grid St. Pete fortnightly. Most recently, Backbone was updated on October 31, 2026 and The Grid St. Pete on October 24, 2026.

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