# gba emulator vs Octonium

The clearest difference is ads: Octonium at none against gba emulator's shown. Octonium also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). gba emulator's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. gba emulator sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Octonium sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

gba emulator ships an update every 2 weeks, Octonium every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | gba emulator | Octonium |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (481 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gba-emulator-retro-game/id6517354474/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **481** | — |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 49 MB | 84 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [滨 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/1740769819) | [Octocode](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896334577) |

## What reviewers say

### gba emulator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gba-emulator-retro-game/id6517354474)

Relive classic Game Boy Advance games on your iOS device. This emulator offers an authentic gaming experience with support for .gba and .zip files, virtual controllers, and customizable options.

**Highlights:** Play GBA games on iOS, Supports .gba and .zip formats, Virtual controllers, Customizable options, Quick access to games

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tipping | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove video ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove advertisements | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Runs smooth, no lag
- 👍 Good compatibility
- 👍 Stable application
- 👍 Works on older iPhones

**What reviewers complain about**

-  anúncios Excessive ads
- 🐛 Crashing consistently
- 🐛 Game crashes and save deletion
- 🐛 Can't play without internet
- 🐛 Loading takes too much time

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes before first arena and save deletes
- App deleted after trying cheat code
- Games no longer run after new iOS update
- Lagging issues
- Save file loading issues

**Requested features**

- Add link cable simulation option for trading Pokémon
- Option to open 2 games simultaneously for trading
- More details on development for configuration options
- Ability to import and export saves
- Add Sonic Triple Trouble 16 bit on GBA


### Octonium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/octonium/id6796736984)

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Octonium Premium Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Octonium Premium Yearly | $44.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is gba emulator free?

gba emulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Octonium free?

Octonium is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do gba emulator or Octonium have ads?

gba emulator shows ads; Octonium does not.

### Which is updated more often, gba emulator or Octonium?

gba emulator ships an update every 2 weeks, and Octonium every 5 days. Most recently, gba emulator was updated on October 27, 2026 and Octonium on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*