iFBAs vs NES
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iFBAs
Experience arcade classics in high definition on your iOS device. This emulator offers excellent performance for a wide range of arcade games, with additional features for enhanced gameplay. Note that game ROMs are not included and must be provided by the user.
- High-definition arcade playback
- Excellent performance on iOS
- Supports nearly all arcade games
- User-provided game ROMs
- Built-in usage instructions
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Play Arcade games on your iOS device in high definition with extra features! iFBAs is the original and only arcade emulator developed specifically for mobile devices. It can run nearly all arcade games with excellent performance on iOS. This download does not include any games. Please use your own real arcade games and convert them into .zip or .7z files (see the homepage for usage instructions), or you can play free homemade games available in the built-in "How to use". The iFBAs project is not affiliated with any game manufacturers.
NES
Experience classic 8-bit gaming with this high-performance emulator. It supports most classic game ROMs and offers a clean, intuitive interface for seamless retro gameplay on your device.
- High-performance NES emulation
- Supports classic game ROMs (.nes)
- Clean and intuitive interface
- Faithfully recreates 8-bit experience
- Smooth performance
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NES Emulator Overview This is a high-performance NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) emulator designed especially for retro game lovers. It supports most classic game ROMs and faithfully recreates the 8-bit gaming experience. With a clean and intuitive interface and smooth performance, you can enjoy your favorite childhood games anytime, anywhere! Key Features: • High Compatibility: Supports popular ROM formats such as .nes • Simple & Elegant Interface: Easy to navigate and pleasant to use Relive the golden memories of your childhood!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: iFBAs at 56% against NES's 0%. iFBAs also leads on ratings volume (101 vs 19). NES's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 3.8) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NES holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iFBAs has 101 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of iFBAs's written reviews are positive against 0% of NES's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
iFBAs ships an update every 6 weeks, NES every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iFBAs | NES |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (101 ratings) | 4.3 (19 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 101 — better | 19 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 194 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 国琛 邱 | 建菊 林 |
Customer experience
iFBAs
NES
Bugs and requests
iFBAs
Reported bugs
13 issues- Missing file errors (cde_20a.5f) preventing game launch
- Crashes when using external controllers/keyboards
- App crashes without internet connection
- Crashes when loading previous game saves
- Crashes when accessing storage settings
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- Bluetooth keyboard not working on iPadOS 26
- Crashes on button press with Xbox controllers
- Games not displaying after ROM import
- No sound in games
- Control mapping not working with external devices
- Crashes on older iOS versions
- Thumbnail/save file corruption after updates
- CPS3 games not recognized after import
Requested features
10 requests- Full English language support throughout app
- Haptic feedback for touch controls
- Tilt/analog stick controls for specific games
- Touch screen light-gun support (for games like T2)
- Magic Keyboard customization options
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- Apple TV support
- Mac compatibility
- Batch delete functionality for ROMs
- Cheat section in English
- More game compatibility improvements
NES
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
iFBAs
No in-app purchases
NES
No in-app purchases
