Phosphor Emulator vs GlassROM
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Phosphor Emulator
This app provides a premium emulation experience for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games on modern iOS devices. It features advanced controls, instant save states, and unique functionalities like rewinding gameplay and AI play.
- Rewind and fast-forward gameplay
- Instant save and load states
- Customizable touch controls
- MFi controller support
- Game Boy Camera and Printer integration
- AI Play feature
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Phosphor is a free retro game emulator for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. Play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games, plus Nintendo DS games on iPhone and iPad, with save states, fast-forward, rewind, iCloud save sync, controller support, and community mods. No ads. No subscriptions. No accounts. No tracking. Import your own compatible ROM files through Files, iCloud Drive, or AirDrop. Organize your library, pick your controls, and take your favorite handheld games anywhere. WHY PHOSPHOR? Phosphor is designed to feel like a handheld console. Deep black screen wells, glowing CRT effects, responsive controls, and color themes bring classic games to modern Apple hardware. Play in portrait or landscape, adjust your speed with a scrolling dial, and return quickly to your last session. NINTENDO DS ON IPHONE AND IPAD Import compatible .nds files and choose single-screen or dual-screen play. Start with a focused single-screen layout, switch to both screens from the menu, and swap screens when you need to. Touch-screen input, microphone controls, and portrait and landscape layouts keep DS play flexible. MODS POWERED BY GEN1RECOMP Supported games can use the integrated gen1recomp engine to run compatible community mods inside Phosphor. Keep your library, controls, and display framing while exploring new ways to play. The updated engine brings gameplay and compatibility fixes. Features vary by game, engine, and mod. Rewind and cheat codes are available with Phosphor’s standard emulator core, not during gen1recomp play. FEATURES Classic handheld games Play compatible .gb, .gbc, and .gba ROMs, with .nds support on iPhone and iPad. Import individual games or supported ZIP archives and search your library. Link Cable trading Connect supported games over the same Wi-Fi network. Gen 3 Pokémon Link Cable support covers Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen. Compatible games, in-game progress, and normal trading restrictions apply. Fast-forward up to 15× Choose 1×, 2×, 3×, 5×, 10×, or 15× where supported to move through battles, travel, and repeated sections. Available speeds depend on the game, core, and device. Live rewind Hold rewind to return to an earlier moment and try again with the standard emulator core. Save states and quick resume Create quick saves and save-state slots, then return to your session with quick resume where supported. iCloud saves Sync compatible in-game saves, quick saves, and save-state slots across devices using the same Apple ID. Check for saved progress in Settings and choose which copy to keep when saves conflict. Game files are not backed up; after reinstalling, reimport them with their original filenames to reconnect your saves. CRT display and themes Customize your screen with scanlines, phosphor glow, dot-grid texture, vignette, contrast, and color themes. External controllers Play with compatible controllers or use responsive touch controls, haptics, and layouts designed for portrait and landscape. Cheat codes Use supported cheat formats with compatible games on Phosphor’s standard emulator core. Apple Watch play Take supported games to your wrist. Platform and feature availability vary by device; Nintendo DS play is available on iPhone and iPad. Live Activities See your current game, play time, and quick-resume status from the Lock Screen. BRING YOUR OWN GAMES Phosphor does not include games or ROMs. Provide your own legally obtained, compatible game files. Community mods have their own authors, licenses, and compatibility requirements. Save states and other features may vary between emulator cores, engine versions, and devices. A classic handheld feel. Modern Apple features. Your games, your library, your way to play.
GlassROM
Play classic games from multiple retro consoles on your iOS device. Enjoy accurate emulation, customizable controls, and save states for a seamless gaming experience. All your games are managed locally with a focus on privacy.
- Supports Game Boy, NES, N64, DS, and GameCube
- Metal-powered pixel-perfect rendering
- Low-latency audio engine
- On-screen and controller support
- Save states and battery persistence
- Import ROMs from Files app
- Includes six original demo games
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glassROM is a multi-system retro game emulator designed for iOS. It supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, NES, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 64 — all with accurate emulation, a clean modern interface, and no ads or tracking. Supported Systems • Game Boy (DMG) & Game Boy Color (CGB) • Game Boy Advance (GBA) • Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) • Nintendo DS • Nintendo 64 (N64) Key Features • Metal-powered rendering with pixel-perfect output at native resolution • Low-latency audio engine built on AVAudioEngine • On-screen D-pad, analog stick, and action buttons with haptic feedback • Full N64 touch controls: analog stick, C-pad, Z trigger, L/R shoulders • Full MFi and Bluetooth game controller support • Save states with up to 10 slots per game, plus quick-save/quick-load • Battery save persistence for cartridges with SRAM • Import ROMs directly from the Files app (.gb, .gbc, .gba, .nes, .nds, .z64, .n64, .v64, .iso, .gcm, .gcz) No Copyrighted ROMs Included glassROM does not include, bundle, or download any copyrighted game software, ROM files, or proprietary BIOS firmware. All game content must be supplied by the user from their own legally obtained backups. The app includes six original demo games created by the developer — GlassSnake, GlassSnake Color, GlassSnake Advance, GlassBlocks, GlassBlocks Color, and GlassBlocks Advance — so you can start playing immediately. Privacy First glassROM operates fully offline by default. It does not collect, transmit, or share any personal data. An optional setting allows downloading cover-art thumbnails for imported games, which can be disabled at any time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Phosphor Emulator at none against GlassROM's 1. Phosphor Emulator also leads on ratings volume (31 vs 6). GlassROM's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. GlassROM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Phosphor Emulator asks for nothing beyond the download.
GlassROM holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phosphor Emulator has 31 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Phosphor Emulator ships an update every 3 days, GlassROM every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Phosphor Emulator | GlassROM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (31 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 31 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 6 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SquatchCraft LLC | Vincent Galeano |
Customer experience
Phosphor Emulator
GlassROM
In-app purchases
Phosphor Emulator
No in-app purchases
GlassROM
- GlassROM Pro$9.99








