Comparison

Nova Golf vs Golf Orbit

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

Head to head
About

Nova Golf

Experience a realistic and immersive golf simulation with stunning 3D graphics and diverse courses. Customize your character, compete in career modes, 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
Currently charting
Read full description

Welcome to Nova Golf, 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

About

Golf Orbit

Master your golf swing in this engaging offline game. Aim for distance and accuracy by tapping at the perfect moment to launch the ball. Enjoy realistic graphics and challenging gameplay that tests your timing and skill on the virtual green.

Highlights
  • Perfect tee shot simulation
  • Intuitive tap-based controls
  • Angle and strength adjustment
  • Stunning graphics
  • Offline gameplay
Features
Read full description

Experience the thrill of the perfect tee shot with Golf Orbit! This simple yet challenging golf game tests your timing and skills as you aim to send the ball as far as possible. With intuitive controls and stunning graphics, you'll feel like you're really on the green. In each level, you'll use your golf club to drive the ball towards the hole. The angle and strength of your shot is determined by tapping the moving arrow when it reaches the optimal position (indicated in green). But beware — it's not as easy as it sounds. You'll need to hit the ball at just the right moment, or your shot will be a fail. Contact us for support: contact@tap-nation.io Visit our website: https://www.tap-nation.io Our Privacy Policy: https://www.tap-nation.io/legal-notice

Screenshots

Nova Golf4 screens
Golf Orbit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Golf Orbit at Free against Nova Golf's $1.99. Golf Orbit also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (59K vs 26). Nova Golf's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (46% vs 25%). On update cadence, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position 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

Golf Orbit is free to download; Nova Golf costs $1.99 up front. Nova Golf sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Golf Orbit sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Golf Orbit holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Golf Orbit has 59K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of Nova Golf's written reviews are positive against 25% of Golf Orbit's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nova Golf ships an update every 3 months, Golf Orbit every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Nova Golf versus Golf Orbit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNova GolfGolf Orbit
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating3.5 (26 ratings)4.7 (59K ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.7% of reviews — better25.4% of reviews
Number of ratings2659K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#194#159 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size287 MB272 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNuclear Nova SoftwareTapNation

Customer experience

Nova Golf

All ratings31 ratings
Positive67.7%
Neutral3.2%
Negative29.0%
Written reviews92 reviews
Positive45.7%
Neutral5.4%
Negative48.9%

Golf Orbit

All ratings58,616 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral2.5%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews957 reviews
Positive25.4%
Neutral10.7%
Negative63.9%

Bugs and requests

Nova Golf

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Golf Orbit

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game crashes and resets progress
  • Ball physics issues (bouncing backwards, getting stuck)
  • Jackpot spin not working as intended

Requested features

3 requests
  • More diverse environments and challenges
  • Reduced ad frequency
  • Reasonable one-time purchase option to remove ads

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Nova Golf

One-time10
  • Extra Mulligans$0.99
  • Dozen of all Balls$1.99
  • 1,000 Experience$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Course Pack 1$1.99
  • Driver$1.99
  • Course Pack 2$1.99
  • Level Overdrive$1.99
  • Character Pack$1.99
  • Course Pack 3$1.99
  • Course Pack 4$1.99
7 purchases

Golf Orbit

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Premium Subscription3 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Monthly Premium Subscription$19.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium Subscription$99.991 Year
One-time4
  • Handful of Gems$1.99
  • Pile of Gems$4.99
  • Chest of Gems$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Bathtub of Gems$49.99

Questions

Is Nova Golf free?
Nova Golf costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Golf Orbit free?
Golf Orbit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nova Golf or Golf Orbit?
Golf Orbit is rated higher. Nova Golf averages 3.5 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Golf Orbit averages 4.7 from 59K ratings.
Do Nova Golf or Golf Orbit have ads?
Golf Orbit shows ads; Nova Golf does not.
Which is updated more often, Nova Golf or Golf Orbit?
Nova Golf ships an update every 3 months, and Golf Orbit every 2 months. Most recently, Nova Golf was updated on November 1, 2026 and Golf Orbit on November 3, 2026.
Which is more popular, Nova Golf or Golf Orbit?
Nova Golf currently peaks at #194 in the App Store charts, and Golf Orbit at #159. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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