SameBoy vs Afterplay
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SameBoy
Experience classic handheld gaming with a highly accurate emulator for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Super Game Boy. Enjoy advanced features like save states, rumble support, and controller compatibility. Play on your Apple Watch and customize your experience with various filters and themes.
- Accurate Game Boy emulation
- Save states with gesture support
- Rumble support
- Apple Watch playability
- Scaling filters
- Game Boy Camera emulation
- Controller support
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SameBoy is a user friendly, powerful and open source Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Super Game Boy emulator. Features: - World's most accurate Game Boy emulation core - Save states, with gesture support for quick saving and loading - Rumble support, even for games without a Rumble Pak - Play on your Apple Watch - A wide range of scaling filters - Game Boy Camera emulation - Motion controls emulation - Fast forward, rewind, and slow motion - Game Boy Printer emulation - Use cheat codes - Support for MFi, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox controllers - Interface themes - No ads, no tracking - A lot more! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://sameboy.github.io/privacy/ SameBoy is in no way affiliated with Nintendo. Game Boy is a trademark of Nintendo.
Afterplay
This app transforms your retro gaming experience by allowing you to play classic games from over 30 supported consoles on any device. Enjoy seamless cross-device gaming with cloud saves and autosave, enhanced gameplay features like fast forward and rewind, and customizable controls.
- 30+ supported consoles
- Cloud saves
- Autosave
- Fast Forward & Rewind
- Multiplayer
- Customizable controls
- Video shaders
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TRANSFORM YOUR RETRO GAMING EXPERIENCE Afterplay is the ultimate emulator that brings your favorite classic games to any device. Play everywhere, save anywhere, and never lose progress again. INSTANTLY PLAY CLASSICS – 30+ SUPPORTED CONSOLES • Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance • Nintendo DS, NES, SNES, Nintendo 64 • PlayStation, Sega Genesis, Sega CD • Neo Geo, WonderSwan, PC Engine, and more SEAMLESS CROSS-DEVICE GAMING • Cloud Saves – Progress is synced across all your devices automatically • AutoSave – Saves every 20 seconds so you never lose progress • Multiple Save Profiles – Keep separate progress for different playthroughs • Instant Switching – Jump between iPhone, iPad, Mac, and PC effortlessly ENHANCED GAMEPLAY FEATURES • Fast Forward – Skip grinding and speed through slow parts • Rewind – Undo mistakes and retry tough sections • Slow Motion – Master timing in tricky moments • Cheat Codes – Use built-in cheats or enter your own • Multiplayer – Share a link and play with friends online • Link Cable Support – Trade and battle in Game Boy and Game Boy Color games • RetroAchievements – Unlock achievements in supported classic games CUSTOMIZABLE EXPERIENCE • Touch Controls – Adjust size, position, and transparency • Video Shaders – Choose CRT effects, handheld screens, or modern upscaling Afterplay is not affiliated with Nintendo, Sony, SEGA, SNK, NEC, Bandai, or The Pokémon Company. All console names are trademarks of their respective owners. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://app.termly.io/policy-viewer/policy.html?policyUUID=21c4d778-684e-4e6a-a393-1a9639ce06b5
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SameBoy at 4.5 against Afterplay's 3.4. SameBoy also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 41%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Afterplay's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. SameBoy sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Afterplay sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SameBoy holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 105 and 40 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of SameBoy's written reviews are positive against 41% of Afterplay's.
SameBoy ships an update every 4 months, Afterplay every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SameBoy | Afterplay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (105 ratings) — better | 3.4 (40 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 83.6% of reviews — better | 41.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 105 — better | 40 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 1.5 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lior Halphon | Afterplay.io |
Customer experience
SameBoy
Afterplay
User reviews
SameBoy
From 105 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 No ads or intrusive monetization
- 🎮 Highly accurate Game Boy/GBC emulation
- 💡 Innovative gesture controls (swipe to save/load/fast-forward)
- 🎨 Beautiful, authentic design with multiple themes
- ⚙️ Extensive customization and emulation options
Room to improve
- 💰 Apple Watch support requires paid subscription
- 🐛 iPad portrait mode menu bug
- ❌ No Game Boy Advance emulation despite claims
- 🎮 Small button sizes for large hands
- ⚠️ Cheats feature limited or non-functional
Afterplay
From 40 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and accessible UI
- 🚀 Cloud saves for cross-device play
- 👍 Convenient emulator with good features
- 👍 Allows playing retro games easily
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Requires sign-up before testing
- 🐛 Resets game progress after saving
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content
Bugs and requests
SameBoy
Reported bugs
12 issues- iPad portrait mode triggers menu on A button/Up arrow press
- Game Boy Camera crashes on iPhone 17 Pro Max when switching cameras
- Rewind function causes game data loss in some titles
- 200% and 400% speed boost settings don't work
- Cheats don't function properly for certain games
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- ROM import fails with .zip files
- GBA ROM files show 'not in ROM archive' error
- Auto-save/auto-load switches between emulator cores unexpectedly
- Turbo feature doesn't work without screen swiping
- Tips popup appears too frequently during gameplay
- PS4 controller recognized but non-functional in games
- ROM sharing from Files app doesn't always work
Requested features
18 requests- Game Boy Advance emulation support
- Cheat code functionality
- Multiplayer/wireless linking for Pokémon games
- Online multiplayer support
- Adjustable screen and button sizes
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Separate save/load toggle options
- Slow-motion feature (free version)
- Game Boy Printer output to photo gallery
- iCloud synchronization
- Retro achievements system
- One-time theme purchase option instead of subscription
- Apple Watch complication support
- Turbo button hold functionality
- ZIP and 7z file format support
- Fullscreen mode with scaling options
- Language selection for interface
- Super Game Boy border display
- PS4/Backbone controller improvements
Afterplay
Reported bugs
2 issues- Resets game progress after saving
- Compatibility issues with older devices
Requested features
2 requests- Add more emulator cores for different systems
- Improve free tier to make it more accessible
In-app purchases
SameBoy
- Supporter$0.991 Month
- Supporter Plus$2.991 Month
- Supporter Premium$7.991 Month
- Lifetime Theme Access$4.99
- SameBoy for Apple Watch$4.99
Afterplay
- Premium$3.991 Month
- Premium$19.991 Year
- Premium$24.991 Year
- Game Purchase ($1.99)$1.99
- Gift 1 Month$3.99
- Game Purchase ($4.99)$4.99
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Game Purchase ($6.99)$6.99
- Gift 3 Months$9.99
- Game Purchase ($11.99)$11.99
- Game Purchase ($12.99)$12.99
- Game Purchase ($13.99)$13.99
- Game Purchase ($22.99)$22.99
- Gift 1 Year$24.99
- Game Purchase ($27.99)$27.99
- Game Purchase ($29.99)$29.99
