EmuCool vs Nova Emulator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
EmuCool
Relive classic gaming on your iPhone with this emulator supporting multiple retro consoles. It offers advanced visual filters, a smart save system with multiple slots, and personalized game settings. Customize your experience with unique themes and in-game notes.
- Supports 6 classic gaming platforms
- Advanced visual filters (CRT, VHS, etc.)
- Smart save system with auto-save and 10 slots
- Per-game configuration for display and settings
- Customizable cover art and game notes
- In-game screenshot functionality
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EmuCool is a multi-platform retro game emulator for iOS, supporting six classic gaming platforms: NES, Game Boy/Color, Game Boy Advance, NDS, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, and Super Nintendo. Whether you're a nostalgic player or a retro gaming enthusiast, EmuCool lets you relive the classics on your iPhone. Highly Optimized Filters: - CRT: Simulates the geometric curvature, scanlines, and phosphor mask of vintage CRT displays. - Scanlines: Classic scanline effect. - NTSC: Simulates NTSC TV signal color bleeding and scanline effects. - LCD: Simulates the grid and color characteristics of handheld LCD screens. - VHS: Simulates VHS tape distortion and noise effects. - Normal2x: Sharp pixel upscaling. - xBRZ: Modern smoothing filter for pixel art. Convenient Smart Save System: - Auto Save: Automatically saves progress when exiting the game, continue where you left off next time. - Multiple Save Slots: 10 manual save slots per game for trying different game paths. - Save Preview: Each save comes with a thumbnail preview for quick identification. - Battery Save: Supports in-game SRAM saves. - Save Rename: Easier save management. Personalized Settings: - Per-Game Configuration: Set display filters, linear filtering, and other options individually for each game. - Global/Independent Toggle: Choose to follow global settings or use game-specific configurations. - Orientation Preference: Supports force landscape, force portrait, or follow system. - Custom Cover Art: Add, replace, or remove cover art for each game. Refined Visual Design: - Warm Retro Color Palette: A color scheme inspired by coffee, wood, and vintage game consoles. - Platform-Themed Backgrounds: Each platform has its unique visual theme. - Smooth Interactive Animations: Virtual buttons with 3D tilt feedback for enhanced tactile feel. - Card-Style Menus: Consistent visual style, clean and easy to use. Unique and Convenient Game Notes: - Add personal notes for each game. - Record walkthrough tips, cheats, or memories. - Quick access to notes in-game. In-Game Screenshot: - One-tap screenshot in-game, high-fidelity original pixel quality. - Automatically saves to system photo album. Important Notice EmuCool does not include any game files or copyrighted content. You must provide your own legally obtained game files and comply with local laws. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://emuload-dev.github.io/emu-privacy.txt
Nova Emulator
Play classic console games on your smartphone with this high-performance emulator. Enjoy smooth gameplay, save states, fast forward, and display filters. Supports a wide range of retro consoles and offers cheat code functionality.
- High-performance emulation (60fps)
- Virtual gamepad with radial dial
- Save and load game states
- Fast forward gameplay (2x-4x)
- Display filters (CRT, LCD)
- Cheat code support
- Play time statistics
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Play your favorite emulator games again on your smartphone. A high-performance retro game emulator that lets you play game ROMs. SUPPORTED CONSOLES • GBA, GB, GBC, NES, N64, NDS, PSX, PCE, Lynx, NGP, NGPC KEY FEATURES • High-Performance Emulation — 60fps smooth gameplay powered by libretro cores • Virtual Gamepad — Lemuroid-style radial dial with glass morphism design • Save & Load States — Save your progress anytime • Fast Forward — Speed up gameplay from 2x to 4x • Display Filters — Sharp, Smooth, CRT scanline, LCD pixel grid • Cheat Codes — GameShark, Action Replay, Game Genie and more • 11 Languages — English, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, French, German, Chinese (Traditional) NOVA PREMIUM Upgrade to Nova Premium and enjoy all features. • Remove all ads • Unlimited game library • Cheat mode activation • Unlock all save & load slots • Full weekly play time statistics PLAY HISTORY Track your gaming habits with weekly play time charts, daily breakdowns, and per-game statistics. LEGAL NOTICE • Nova does NOT provide or distribute any ROM files • You must only use ROMs of games you legally own • Downloading or distributing copyrighted ROMs is your responsibility • Nova does not encourage the use of illegal ROMs • Nova does not transmit any of your game data externally This app is subject to Apple's Standard End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Nova Emulator at 5.0 against EmuCool's 3.0. Nova Emulator also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16 vs 18.5). EmuCool's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Nova Emulator sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. EmuCool asks for nothing beyond the download.
Nova Emulator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
EmuCool ships an update fortnightly, Nova Emulator every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and June 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | EmuCool | Nova Emulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | 16 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 贝蓓 范 | IDEATAG STUDIO |
In-app purchases
EmuCool
No in-app purchases
Nova Emulator
- NOVA Premium$1.991 Month
- NOVA Premium$4.993 Months
- NOVA Premium$7.996 Months





