# Nova Emulator vs Bitty

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bitty at none against Nova Emulator's 3. Bitty also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). Nova Emulator's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16 vs 18). On price, rating and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nova Emulator sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Bitty asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Nova Emulator against 5.0 for Bitty. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

Nova Emulator ships an update every 3 weeks, Bitty every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nova Emulator | Bitty |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-emulator/id6760300280/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bitty-retro-game-emulator/id6794644115/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 67 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 18 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [IDEATAG STUDIO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1883714100) | [Anh Tuan Nguyen Le](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783230959) |

## What reviewers say

### Nova Emulator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-emulator/id6760300280)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NOVA Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| NOVA Premium | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| NOVA Premium | $7.99 | per 6 months |


### Bitty

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bitty-retro-game-emulator/id6794644115)

This app allows you to play classic handheld games on your iPhone by importing your own legally owned game files. It offers features like save states, turbo mode, and customizable controls and visual filters for an authentic retro gaming experience.

**Highlights:** Import own game files (.gba, .zip), Automatic battery saves, Save states for instant recall, Turbo mode for fast-forwarding, Customizable touch controls, Authentic screen filters, No accounts, sign-ups, or ads

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nova Emulator free?

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

### Is Bitty free?

Bitty is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Nova Emulator or Bitty?

Nova Emulator and Bitty are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Nova Emulator or Bitty have ads?

Nova Emulator shows ads; Bitty does not.

### Which is updated more often, Nova Emulator or Bitty?

Nova Emulator ships an update every 3 weeks, and Bitty every 5 days. Most recently, Nova Emulator was updated on October 1, 2026 and Bitty on October 11, 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.*