Comparison

Nova Golf vs Ultimate Golf!

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

Ultimate Golf!

Experience a realistic 3D golf simulation with real courses and multiplayer battles. Perfect your swing, compete in tournaments, and challenge friends in various game modes. Unlock new equipment to improve your game and climb the leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Realistic 3D physics
  • Real-time multiplayer duels
  • Golf Royale battle mode
  • Real golf courses
  • Unlockable clubs and balls
  • VIP Royale events with celebrity guests
Read full description

Golf legends have been made at Pebble Beach — now it's your turn. Tee off in Ultimate Golf and go from weekend hacker to leaderboard legend! Ultimate Golf is a real-time multiplayer golf game where you take on rivals from around the world in live tournaments, head-to-head duels, and our signature Golf Royale battle mode, where up to 20 players race to the pin at once. BUILT FOR AN AUTHENTIC GOLF EXPERIENCE Every swing runs on realistic 3D physics, so reading the wind, working the rough, and landing your approach actually feels like golfing. PLAY REAL COURSES Tee off at Harbour Town Golf Links, Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Torrey Pines Golf Course, Sedgefield Country Club, and 30+ other legendary courses — a real world tour, right in your pocket. GEAR UP YOUR WAY Unlock and upgrade golf clubs, and score specialty golf balls that fit your unique play style. COMPETE IN REAL TIME Forget waiting for turns — compete in real-time against fellow golfers as everyone plays simultaneously in our fast-paced, thrilling game modes. CLIMB THE RANKS Win matches, stack rewards, and move up from Amateur through the Tour Pro Leagues. Every round is a step toward the top of the leaderboard. FEATURES AT A GLANCE: - Stunning real-world courses, faithfully recreated - Real-time, simultaneous head-to-head mode - Competitive daily and multi-day tournaments - Gear upgrades and rewards to enhance your play - Tee up on the world’s greatest golf courses A network connection is required to play. This game includes optional in-game purchases (includes random items).

Screenshots

Nova Golf4 screens
Ultimate Golf!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ultimate Golf! at Free against Nova Golf's $1.99. Ultimate Golf! also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.6) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). Nova Golf's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Ultimate Golf! is free to download; Nova Golf costs $1.99 up front. Nova Golf sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Ultimate Golf! 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

Ultimate Golf! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ultimate Golf! has 154K ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Nova Golf's written reviews are positive against 62% of Ultimate Golf!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nova Golf ships an update every 3 months, Ultimate Golf! every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Nova Golf versus Ultimate Golf!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNova GolfUltimate Golf!
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating3.6 (31 ratings)4.7 (154K ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.7% of reviews62.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings31154K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#182#22 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size287 MB690 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNuclear Nova SoftwareHypGames, Inc.

Customer experience

Nova Golf

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

Ultimate Golf!

All ratings154,128 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral3.7%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews1,403 reviews
Positive62.2%
Neutral10.2%
Negative27.6%

Bugs and requests

Nova Golf

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Ultimate Golf!

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes during tournaments
  • Losing coins due to server issues
  • Inconsistent shot behavior
  • Putting line not accurately reflecting results

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to select clubs
  • More realistic putting mechanics
  • Practice mode to test clubs
  • Improved matchmaking system
  • Better server stability

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
10 purchases

Ultimate Golf!

One-time10
  • Pack of 90 Cash$0.99
  • Ultimate Shot Pack$1.99
  • Pack of 500 Cash$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Value Pack$4.99
  • Pack of 1,300 Cash$9.99
  • Bonus Combo$9.99
  • Pack of 3,000 Cash$19.99
  • Ultimate Pass$19.99
  • Ultimate Pass Bundle$24.99
  • Premium Pack$29.99

Questions

Is Nova Golf free?
Nova Golf costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Ultimate Golf! free?
Ultimate Golf! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nova Golf or Ultimate Golf!?
Ultimate Golf! is rated higher. Nova Golf averages 3.6 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while Ultimate Golf! averages 4.7 from 154K ratings.
Do Nova Golf or Ultimate Golf! have ads?
Ultimate Golf! shows ads; Nova Golf does not.
Which is updated more often, Nova Golf or Ultimate Golf!?
Nova Golf ships an update every 3 months, and Ultimate Golf! every 2 weeks. Most recently, Nova Golf was updated on September 26, 2026 and Ultimate Golf! on September 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, Nova Golf or Ultimate Golf!?
Nova Golf currently peaks at #182 in the App Store charts, and Ultimate Golf! at #22. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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