Comparison

GL Golf Deluxe vs Nova Golf Lite

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

Head to head
About

GL Golf Deluxe

Experience realistic 3D golf with a detailed physics system and simple graphics. Play with up to four players across numerous holes, featuring various environmental elements and game modes. Enjoy online tournaments, customizable golfers, and a driving range for practice.

Highlights
  • Realistic 3D golf simulation
  • 900+ holes available
  • Online tournaments
  • Customizable golfers
  • Driving range
  • Multiple difficulty modes
  • Game Center multiplayer
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

GL Golf is a 3D sports game for the casual gamer. With a realistic physics system and great simple graphics, you and up to four players can golf all 900 (some available through in-app purchase) holes for countless hours. Everything in a real game of golf is included, such as water hazards, sand traps, trees, bushes, wind, four seasons, different time of days to play, and a driving range. Other great features include both an internet and individual high score list, game saving, great music, iTunes controls, 3 difficulty modes, mulligans, the ability to choose your set of clubs, match/stroke play, online tournaments, customizable male and female golfers, and much more. GL Golf is constantly being updated with free new features. Four new courses are released every year, available for in-app purchase. GL Golf Deluxe is the same as GL Golf but initially comes with 21 courses instead of 6. Both versions have all 40+ courses available with in-app purchase through additional course packs. *New Game Center Multiplayer Support* - Play against your friends or a random opponent on any of your favorite courses. Golfers alternate every three hole until a winner is crowed after all 18 holes are finished. If you like GL Golf, make sure to check out Nuclear Nova’s other games, all available for the Mac/iPhone/iPad/iPod.
 • Nova Golf, the successor to GL Golf, is a much more detailed golf simulator with more modern graphics
 • Pinball Shuffle and Pinball Massacre are two unique comic book arcade style pinball tables
 • Barnyard Blaster is a unique shooter with plenty of weapons, animals, and environments
 • Rocket Golf gives golf a new twist with its unique 2D side scrolling gameplay
 • Liquid Defense, Hydrothermal, and Escape are our three classic puzzle/simulator games
 • Fractal 3D and ASCII Art are our first non-game apps Play now on your iPhone, iPod, and iPad! "This is a solid game and should definitely be on every duffer's app download list." -tuaw.com "In the end, GL Golf is an incredibly deep game, serving up six courses and tons of options, it never gets old" -iPhoneGamingNetwork.com "Of all the golf games and simulations I’ve played so far for the iPhone, there’s one that stands head-and-shoulders above the rest. GL Golf." -intomobile.com "I must say, this app is a very fun app. I am kind of addicted." -iPhoneMatters.com "The game play is solid. To swing the club just double tap on the screen; when the power meter reaches to a spot you want, just single tap and the club will swing, hitting the ball. You can change the type of club you have by dragging your finger up/down the screen, thereby changing the range. The game does pause itself when you tap the home button, so if you get a call while playing, you won't lose your game. " -Tuaw.com

About

Nova Golf Lite

Experience realistic golf with stunning 3D graphics and diverse courses from around the world. Customize your golfer, compete in career mode, and challenge friends in multiplayer. Earn virtual currency or use in-app purchases for custom clubs and balls.

Highlights
  • Realistic ball physics
  • Stunning 3D graphics
  • Unique global courses
  • Customizable characters
  • Career mode
  • Multiplayer challenges
  • In-app purchases for clubs/balls
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Nova Golf Lite, the finest golfing game on the Mac! A followup to the award winning game GL Golf, Nova Golf is sure to keep you entertained and immersed for countless hours. Redesigned from the ground up, Nova Golf has everything both casual/hardcore gamers and frequent/weekend golfers could want. • Realistic ball physics - Everyone will enjoy the simple realism while avid golfers will be able to shape every shot and watch the ball react to all surfaces and lies • Stunning 3D graphics - Nova Golf adapts to each computer for the best image quality while always maintaining a smooth framerate • Unique courses - Locations from around the world feature distinct styles of both play and appearance. You'll know if you're in the Pennsylvania forest, Arizona desert, or on the Scottish coastline • Customizable characters - Level up five playing statistics while managing each avatar's wardrobe and physical appearance • Career mode - Play as both an amateur and professional and progress by winning the required qualifiers and tournaments • Multiplayer - Challenge up to three of your friends and play at the same time • Purchase custom clubs and golf balls using both virtual currency earned in game and through In-App Purchase • High replay value - No hole is the same when varying the white/blue/green tees, five pin locations, and three environmental difficulty settings • Custom music made specifically for Nova Golf • Best rounds list for each course/difficulty setting System Requirements: iOS 7+ iPhone 4+ iPad 2+ iPad Mini+ iPod Touch 4th+ If you like Nova Golf, make sure to check out Nuclear Nova's other games, all available for the Mac/iPhone/iPad/iPod. • GL Golf, the predecessor to Nova Golf, is still actively developed and has over 35 unique courses! Thousands of golfers are posting scorecards online every day with this golf classic • Pinball Shuffle and Pinball Massacre are two unique comic book arcade style pinball tables • Barnyard Blaster is a unique shooter with plenty of weapons, animals, and environments • Rocket Golf gives golf a new twist with its unique 2D side scrolling gameplay • Liquid Defense, Hydrothermal, and Escape are our three classic puzzle/simulator games • Fractal 3D and ASCII Art are our first non-game apps

Screenshots

GL Golf Deluxe4 screens
Nova Golf Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Nova Golf Lite at Free against GL Golf Deluxe's $9.99. GL Golf Deluxe's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.1) and review sentiment (73% vs 61%). On ratings volume, update cadence, 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

Nova Golf Lite is free to download; GL Golf Deluxe costs $9.99 up front. GL Golf Deluxe sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Nova Golf Lite sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GL Golf Deluxe holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 43 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of GL Golf Deluxe's written reviews are positive against 61% of Nova Golf Lite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
GL Golf Deluxe versus Nova Golf Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGL Golf DeluxeNova Golf Lite
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (43 ratings) — better4.1 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews73.3% of reviews — better61.1% of reviews
Number of ratings43 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#185 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS1818.0
Further details — not scored
Size153 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNuclear Nova SoftwareNuclear Nova Software

Customer experience

GL Golf Deluxe

All ratings43 ratings
Positive83.7%
Neutral4.7%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews90 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral7.8%
Negative18.9%

Nova Golf Lite

All ratings16 ratings
Positive81.3%
Neutral12.5%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive61.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative36.1%

Bugs and requests

GL Golf Deluxe

Reported bugs

19 issues
  • Swing button not working on iPhone 13
  • Swing button not working on iPhone XR
  • App not working, cannot start swing
  • Reloaded and charged again after update problem
  • Swing button not working, different golfer each time
Show 14 more
  • Swing button does not work
  • App no longer working, won't allow swing
  • Doesn't play with iOS 8.0, cannot swing club
  • Keeps crashing, even after deleting and reloading
  • Game crashes too much
  • Latest version has no option to remove golfer
  • Game freezes when trying to enter scores
  • App halted iPad and crashed
  • Update shows only green screen, then exits
  • Game freezes when trying to submit score
  • Wind direction icon missing after resuming game
  • Ball misses tree but falls down
  • Ball lands behind bush, cannot see to chip
  • Putting greens on steep hills

Requested features

9 requests
  • Fix swing button on new iPhones
  • More tournaments
  • Confirm button for mulligan
  • Add practice putting green and driving range
  • Records page (longest putt, drive, hole-in-one)
Show 4 more
  • Alternative camera view when ball is behind obstacles
  • Larger menu buttons
  • Fix wind direction icon disappearing
  • Add dark mode option

Nova Golf Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

GL Golf Deluxe

One-time10
  • GL Golf Deluxe 7Wood$0.99
  • GL Golf Deluxe Lob Wedge$0.99
  • GL Golf Deluxe Mulligan Pack$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Gl Golf Deluxe Course Pack 1$1.99
  • Gl Golf Deluxe Course Pack 2$1.99
  • GL Golf Deluxe Tour Clubs$1.99
  • GL Golf Deluxe Square Grooves$1.99
  • GL Golf Deluxe Course Pack 3$1.99
  • GL Golf Course Pack 4$1.99
  • GL Golf Deluxe Driver 330$2.99
10 purchases

Nova Golf Lite

One-time10
  • Dozen of all Balls$0.99
  • 1,000 Experience$0.99
  • Driver$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Wood$0.99
  • Iron$0.99
  • Wedge$0.99
  • Putter$0.99
  • Level Overdrive$0.99
  • Character Pack$0.99
  • Extra Mulligans$0.99

Questions

Is GL Golf Deluxe free?
GL Golf Deluxe costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Nova Golf Lite free?
Nova Golf Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, GL Golf Deluxe or Nova Golf Lite?
GL Golf Deluxe is rated higher. GL Golf Deluxe averages 4.4 out of 5 from 43 ratings, while Nova Golf Lite averages 4.1 from 16 ratings.
Do GL Golf Deluxe or Nova Golf Lite have ads?
Neither GL Golf Deluxe nor Nova Golf Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GL Golf Deluxe or Nova Golf Lite?
GL Golf Deluxe ships an update every 3 months, and Nova Golf Lite every 3 months. Most recently, GL Golf Deluxe was updated on November 6, 2026 and Nova Golf Lite on November 6, 2026.

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