Comparison

PVP IV vs Linking Boy

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

Head to head
About

PVP IV

This app helps players optimize their performance in Pokemon Go's Player vs. Player battles. It provides tools for analyzing Pokemon stats, simulating battles, and building effective teams to climb the Go Battle League ranks.

Highlights
  • IV Analyzer
  • Pokemon Rankings
  • Battle Simulator
  • Team Builder
  • Customizable Metas
  • Offline Functionality
Features
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PVP IV is the must-have companion app for Pokemon Go PVP battles, created and tested by Rank 24 players. Use it on your own climb to Rank 24 in the Go Battle League! - An IV Analyzer to find the best IVs for each Pokemon/league - Pokemon rankings to help you pick the strongest Pokemon in each league - A battle simulator to learn how to play each matchup - A team builder to help you build the best team - Customizable metas for advanced analysis --- BATTLE SIMULATOR --- Simulate a 1 vs 1 battle between any two Pokemon! Unlike other simulators, this app: - Shows multiple possible outcomes to account for baits, random effects of moves, and CMP ties - Has the smartest move selection algorithm, always picking the moves that do the most damage against the current opponent - Has a charge move timing algorithm to show how to avoid giving your opponent free fast moves by using charged moves at the end of their fast move - Shows how many turns of lag it would take to change the outcome of the match - Shows how many times a Pokemon can safely bait without risking a loss - Works offline --- RANKINGS --- View rankings for Great League, Ultra League, Master League, and some cups for the current Go Battle League season! Tap on a ranked Pokemon to see its matchups in even shielding scenarios against all other ranked Pokemon! Unlike other rankings, these rankings treat each moveset for each Pokemon separately, rather than combining all possible movesets into one ranking. The movesets and Pokemon ranked are hand-picked by Rank 24 players! These rankings are generated based on an advanced algorithm that incorporates battles from the 1 vs 1 battle simulator. The algorithm is described in detail at pvpiv.com. --- IV RANKER --- Enter your Pokemon's name and IVs to see how strong it is compared to other Pokemon of the same species in Great League, Ultra League, Master League, or any other format you want! This app offers many advantages over other IV analyzers: - See how many matchups are different between your IVs and the Rank 1 IVs. - Fastest option available because it does all computation on-device; no need to wait for results, press go to refresh, or even be online! - Save favorites for easy access later. - Direct link to simulate a battle with the Pokemon and see how it matches up against the meta. - Shows CP for pre-evolutions to make sure you're under the cap before you evolve. - Fully customizable CP cap, level cap, and IV floor for all formats you play in, including level 41/51 for Best Buddy Pokemon. - Advanced settings to only rank Pokemon that meet a specific break point, and/or rank by CP, Level, etc. (instead of stat product). - Shows all possible IV combinations instead of just the top ones. --- TEAM BUILDER --- PVP IV's team builder lets you enter up to 3 Pokemon, then see which opponents are the most threatening, and which are least threatening. It also suggests alternative Pokemon you can use instead! Unlike other team builders, it will show the impact each alternative will have on your team's score and recommend the Pokemon to replace in order to improve the team's score the most. --- CUSTOM METAS --- Custom metas allow you to change which Pokemon and opponents are used when computing rankings and building teams. You can record which Pokemon you see in your battles to automatically generate rankings of which of your Pokemon or teams are strongest against them! --- COMPARISON BATTLES/PVP IV PRO --- PVP IV Pro is a subscription service that removes ads, unlocks comparison battles, and allows you to have more than one custom meta at a time. These battles allow you to see all matchups that are different between two Pokemon. For example, you can see which matchups you win/lose by giving Play Rough to Azumarill instead of Ice Beam. Or, see which matchups are different between your IVs and the Rank 1 IVs.

About

Linking Boy

Experience fast and feature-rich emulation for Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy games. Enjoy multiplayer Link cable emulation, unlock achievements with RetroAchievements, and customize your gameplay with speed control, cheats, and enhanced visual options.

Highlights
  • Fast GBA/GBC/GB emulation
  • Link cable multiplayer
  • RetroAchievements support
  • Speed control (fast-forward/slow-down)
  • Cheat support
  • Customizable virtual controls
  • Save states
Features
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Linkboy is the successor to the popular My Boy! emulator, offering fastest GBA/GBC/GB emulation with unique features like Link and RetroAchievements. KEY FEATURES • Optimized performance — smooth, efficient emulation with minimal battery use • High compatibility — runs nearly all games flawlessly • Link cable emulation — play up to 4 players via local network or on the same device • RetroAchievements support — unlock achievements while you play • Speed control — fast-forward up to 100× or slow down for detailed play. • Cheat support — codes for multiple systems • Cartridge features emulation — gyroscope, light sensor, rumble • Controller & keyboard support — flexible many-to-many button mappings • Customizable virtual controls — move, resize, and configure buttons freely • Save states — multiple slots, save and load anytime • Visual enhancements — combine multiple GPU shaders for a new look • Manage game folders — easily add, remove, or organize your game collection • Modern UI — clean design with Material You styling DISCLAIMER This app is not affiliated with, authorized, endorsed, or licensed in any way by Nintendo, its affiliates, or subsidiaries. No games are included. Screenshots feature either public domain titles or copyrighted works owned by their respective rights holders. IGRS Rating: 3+ — by the Indonesia Game Rating System (IGRS).

Screenshots

PVP IV4 screens
Linking Boy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PVP IV at 4.8 against Linking Boy's 4.2. PVP IV also leads on ratings volume (257 vs 42). Linking Boy's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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. PVP IV sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month and Linking Boy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PVP IV holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PVP IV has 257 ratings behind it against 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 79% and 78% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PVP IV ships an update fortnightly, Linking Boy monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PVP IV versus Linking Boy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPVP IVLinking Boy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (257 ratings) — better4.2 (42 ratings)
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better78.3% of reviews
Number of ratings257 — better42
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperElectric Bear Gaming LLCPixel Respawn LLC

Customer experience

PVP IV

All ratings256 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral1.6%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative17.9%

Linking Boy

All ratings42 ratings
Positive81.0%
Neutral7.1%
Negative11.9%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral10.9%
Negative10.9%

Bugs and requests

PVP IV

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes sometimes
  • Crashing immediately
  • Not updated in over 6 months

Requested features

4 requests
  • Tutorial for new users
  • Update for new season/metas
  • Add Mega Sceptile
  • One-time purchase for ad removal

Linking Boy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PVP IV

Subscriptions1
  • PVP IV Pro$2.991 Month
1 purchases

Linking Boy

One-time1
  • Premium Features$5.99

Questions

Is PVP IV free?
PVP IV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Linking Boy free?
Linking Boy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PVP IV or Linking Boy?
PVP IV is rated higher. PVP IV averages 4.8 out of 5 from 257 ratings, while Linking Boy averages 4.2 from 42 ratings.
Do PVP IV or Linking Boy have ads?
PVP IV shows ads; Linking Boy does not.
Which is updated more often, PVP IV or Linking Boy?
PVP IV ships an update fortnightly, and Linking Boy monthly. Most recently, PVP IV was updated on October 24, 2026 and Linking Boy on October 25, 2026.

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