Comparison

Nova Golf Lite vs Golf Star™

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

Head to head
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

About

Golf Star™

Experience a realistic multiplayer golf simulation with stunning graphics and true-to-life physics. Master pro techniques, compete in diverse game modes, and join global championships and guilds.

Highlights
  • Realistic graphics
  • True-to-life golf physics
  • Pro golfer techniques
  • Real-time multiplayer battles
  • Single player missions
  • World Championship
  • Guild system
Features
Read full description

Experience the first real-time, multiplayer mobile golf game! The no. 1 Sports Game ≪Golf Star≫! Introducing Golf Star™, the greatest golf game you’ll ever play, featuring realistic graphics, golfing techniques mastered by the pros, and a simulation powered by real physics-based gameplay. Enjoy exciting Perfect Swings with golfers from all over the world! Enjoy the high-quality online authentic golf game ≪Golf star≫ right now! 1. Stunning Graphics! - Golf Star features stunningly beautiful graphics, unlike anything you've ever seen before. - Experience the exhilaration of roundings on a real golf course! 2. True-to-Life Golf Physics! - Terrain height, ball impact angle, wind, temperature, humidity, and up to 70 other factors implemented to perfectly capture the physics of a real swing. 3. Various Skills and Techniques! - We’ve captured the skills and techniques of real-life pro golfers. - Become a pro golfer and choose from up to 15 techniques to use, including draw shots, fade shots, and chip shots. 4. Diverse Game Modes! - Multi Mode: Clash! Enjoy golf battles against the rival players from all around the world in real time. - Single Mode: Complete various missions and become a better golfer. 5. World Championship - Participate in the weekly World Championship Match and claim victory to win awesome rewards! - Win all the major tournaments on the world tour for the ultimate grand slam! 6. Guild System - Create a Guild with users from all over the world! - Participate in Guild Missions with your Guild Members to obtain various items from the Guild Shop. - Participate in Guild Battle League with your Guild Members all together! 7. Mission! Golf Star Special Season - Complete the seasonal missions and obtain points to get generous items. - Change missions to match each content to the mission and create your own mission list! ***** * Various languages provided! You can play Golf Star in English, 한국어, Deutsch, 日本語, 中文简体, 中文繁體 * Minimum device requirements: iPad 2, New iPad, iPad mini 2, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus (iOS 12.0 or later version required) ***** Device App Access Permission Notice ▶ Notice per access permission Access permissions are requested in order for us to provide you with the following service when you use the app. [Required] None [Optional] - Camera: The permission is required to take profile pictures in game. - Photos: The permission is required to upload photos from the Photos in game profile. - Notifications: The permission is required to send you push notifications regarding the game. - ID for Advertisers: The permission is required to use ad identifier (IDFA) for promotion targeting and tracking analysis. ※ Please note that you can still enjoy the service excluding features related to the above without giving access permissions. ▶ How to remove access permissions You can always change access permission settings whenever you'd like. - Device Settings → Select the corresponding app → Choose either to enable/disable access ***** • This game is free to play, but you can choose to pay real money for extra items. • Items are available for purchase in this game. Some paid items may be refundable depending on the type of item. • For Com2uS Mobile Game Terms of Service, visit https://www.com2us.com. - Terms of Service: http://terms.withhive.com/terms/policy/view/M9/T1 - Privacy Policy: http://terms.withhive.com/terms/policy/view/M9/T3 • For questions or customer support, please visit https://customer.withhive.com/com2us and drop us a line through the 1:1 Inquiry.

Screenshots

Nova Golf Lite4 screens
Golf Star™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Nova Golf Lite at 4.1 against Golf Star™'s 3.5. Nova Golf Lite also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (61% vs 42%). Golf Star™'s advantage is ratings volume (1.8K vs 16) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Nova Golf Lite sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Golf Star™ 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

Nova Golf Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Golf Star™ has 1.8K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Nova Golf Lite's written reviews are positive against 42% of Golf Star™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nova Golf Lite ships an update every 3 months, Golf Star™ every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Nova Golf Lite versus Golf Star™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNova Golf LiteGolf Star™
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (16 ratings) — better3.5 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews61.1% of reviews — better41.8% of reviews
Number of ratings161.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB156 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNuclear Nova SoftwareCom2uS Corp.

Customer experience

Nova Golf Lite

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

Golf Star™

All ratings1,800 ratings
Positive61.9%
Neutral9.4%
Negative28.7%
Written reviews479 reviews
Positive41.8%
Neutral10.6%
Negative47.6%

Bugs and requests

Nova Golf Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Golf Star™

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Game freezes and crashes
  • Timeout penalties for no reason
  • Incorrect wind and ball physics
  • Disappearing player progress and items
  • Language changes without user control
Show 1 more
  • Connectivity issues and server problems

Requested features

6 requests
  • More course variety
  • Improved putting mechanics
  • Better matchmaking system
  • Offline/single-player mode
  • Accessibility features for visually impaired
Show 1 more
  • More transparency on game mechanics

In-app purchases

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
10 purchases

Golf Star™

One-time10
  • Pocketful of Stars$1.99
  • Bag of Stars$3.99
  • Huge Bag of Stars$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Pile of GP$9.99
  • Pile of Stars$9.99
  • bronze package$9.99
  • Monthly Package$9.99
  • Box of Stars$19.99
  • Trunk of Stars$49.99
  • Vault of Stars$99.99

Questions

Is Nova Golf Lite free?
Nova Golf Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Golf Star™ free?
Golf Star™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nova Golf Lite or Golf Star™?
Nova Golf Lite is rated higher. Nova Golf Lite averages 4.1 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Golf Star™ averages 3.5 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Nova Golf Lite or Golf Star™ have ads?
Golf Star™ shows ads; Nova Golf Lite does not.
Which is updated more often, Nova Golf Lite or Golf Star™?
Nova Golf Lite ships an update every 3 months, and Golf Star™ every 2 months. Most recently, Nova Golf Lite was updated on November 6, 2026 and Golf Star™ on November 6, 2026.

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