# Nova Emulator vs OpenSol

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenSol at none against Nova Emulator's 3. OpenSol also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nova Emulator sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. OpenSol 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 OpenSol. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.

Nova Emulator ships an update every 3 weeks, OpenSol every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nova Emulator | OpenSol |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-emulator/id6760300280/reviews) | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opensol/id6802088485/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **4** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 67 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [IDEATAG STUDIO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1883714100) | [Jordan Ruderman](https://appshunter.io/developer/6802088577) |

## 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 |


### OpenSol

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opensol/id6802088485)

Experience a classic 8080 computer emulator inspired by the Sol-20 Terminal Computer. Interact with original firmware, customize display effects, and enjoy an immersive terminal experience. This independently developed app offers a unique retro computing simulation.

**Highlights:** Intel 8080 interpreter, Original OpenSol firmware, Sol Command Monitor, Customizable display effects (CRT, phosphor), Full-screen immersive mode, External keyboard and controller support, Virtual cassette tools

**Features:** 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 OpenSol free?

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

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

Nova Emulator and OpenSol are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 4 ratings respectively.

### Do Nova Emulator or OpenSol have ads?

Nova Emulator shows ads; OpenSol does not.

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

Nova Emulator ships an update every 3 weeks, and OpenSol every 8 days. Most recently, Nova Emulator was updated on October 1, 2026 and OpenSol on October 8, 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.*