Comparison

RA Tracker 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

RA Tracker

Track your progress and achievements on RetroAchievements.org with this native iOS app. Browse games, view leaderboards, manage your want-to-play list, and customize your experience. Stay updated with the latest news and achievement sets.

Highlights
  • View completion progress and awards
  • Browse and search game catalog
  • Track recently earned achievements
  • View leaderboards and game ratings
  • Manage 'Want to Play' lists
  • Follow other users' progress
  • Customize app appearance and tabs
Features
Read full description

RA Tracker for RetroAchievements.org is a native application for users to view and track their RetroAchievements account. RA Tracker has many capabilities, all designed around maximizing the RetroAchievements experience and feeling right at home on your iOS Device. - View your completion progress for all games you are earning achievements for - View awards for mastering a game - View all of your recently earned achievements and recently played games - Browse every game across every console in one searchable Games catalog - Search for games by console to see what games currently have Achievements to earn - See which achievements are progression, win condition, or missable, and sort by them - View leaderboards for each game and see where users rank - See game ratings and your playtime for each game - Read comments on games and achievements - See users that have earned specific achievements - View the Achievement of the Week and get a notification when a new one is posted - Browse the latest new achievement sets and revisions - View the top ten user leaderboard - Add games to Want to Play to keep track of what you want to play - Create a list of games to track completion progress - Follow other RetroAchievements.org users and track their progress and recently earned achievements - Add home screen widgets for your Profile, Tracked Games, and the Achievement of the Week - Share your achievements and progress as images - Share links from retroachievements.org to open them right in RA Tracker - Choose which tabs to show and make your profile the home screen - Customize the app with alternate app icons, rounded images, and display options like RetroPoints and softcore data - Read RANews As the RetroAchievements.org public API evolves, so will RA Tracker. Stay tuned for updates on what is to come next by following iOSLife on Mastodon.

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
Read full description

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

RA Tracker4 screens
Linking Boy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: RA Tracker at free against Linking Boy's free with in-app purchases. RA Tracker also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.2). Linking Boy's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. RA Tracker sells 4 one-off in-app purchases 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

RA Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 53 and 43 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of RA Tracker's written reviews are positive against 78% of Linking Boy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RA Tracker ships an update monthly, Linking Boy every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
RA Tracker versus Linking Boy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRA TrackerLinking Boy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (53 ratings) — better4.2 (43 ratings)
Positive reviews85.4% of reviews — better78.3% of reviews
Number of ratings53 — better43
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperiOSLifePixel Respawn LLC

Customer experience

RA Tracker

All ratings53 ratings
Positive83.0%
Neutral9.4%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive85.4%
Neutral10.4%
Negative4.2%

Linking Boy

All ratings43 ratings
Positive81.4%
Neutral7.0%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral10.9%
Negative10.9%

Bugs and requests

RA Tracker

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Achievement status flags removed from list
  • Profile pictures not updating
  • Sorting options for achievements not working
  • App hangs upon opening occasionally
  • Games show as 'Mock Title'/'Mock Console'
Show 9 more
  • Followed users list not showing
  • Want to play list not showing
  • App crashes upon opening on iPhone 12 (iOS 18.2 Beta)
  • App crashes on launch with iOS 18
  • No screenshot found at top of profile
  • Comments button shows 'page not found'
  • Wii icon not visible/in consoles section
  • Shows games on profile not played, doesn't show played games
  • Notifications for unlocking achievements not working/featured

Requested features

14 requests
  • Show missable/progression/win condition flags on list
  • Show time played per game
  • Show beaten/mastered status next to games
  • Add iPad support
  • Search for other games and add to watch/want to play lists
Show 9 more
  • Native iPad app
  • Landscape mode and controller support
  • Universal game search
  • View comments under games and achievements
  • More widget options (profile, mastery badges, leaderboards, activity)
  • Ability to get AotM (Achievement of the Month)
  • Apple Watch version
  • Notifications for new achievements
  • Option to hide unlocked achievements

Linking Boy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

RA Tracker

One-time4
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Nice Tip$2.99
  • Generous Tip$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Out of this World Tip$9.99
1 purchases

Linking Boy

One-time1
  • Premium Features$5.99

Questions

Is RA Tracker free?
RA Tracker 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, RA Tracker or Linking Boy?
RA Tracker is rated higher. RA Tracker averages 4.5 out of 5 from 53 ratings, while Linking Boy averages 4.2 from 43 ratings.
Do RA Tracker or Linking Boy have ads?
Neither RA Tracker nor Linking Boy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RA Tracker or Linking Boy?
RA Tracker ships an update monthly, and Linking Boy every 3 weeks. Most recently, RA Tracker was updated on November 12, 2026 and Linking Boy on November 12, 2026.

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