Nova Emulator vs Tinbox
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nova Emulator
Play classic games on your smartphone with this high-performance retro emulator. Enjoy smooth gameplay, save your progress, and utilize features like fast forward and display filters. It supports a wide range of 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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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/
Tinbox
This application allows you to play classic handheld games on your device. It supports GBA, GB, and GBC game files, offering features like rewind, save states, and customizable controls. Enjoy your favorite retro titles with enhanced options and a private, ad-free experience.
- Supports GBA, GB, GBC game files
- Rewind and fast-forward gameplay
- Multiple save state slots
- Customizable controls and button layouts
- Bluetooth and MFi controller support
- Built-in BIOS
- Private and ad-free experience
Read full descriptionHide full description
Tinbox is a tin to hold and play your games: a fast, lovingly built emulator for GBA, GB and GBC game files, powered by the open-source mGBA core. Two free homebrew games come preinstalled, so there is something to play the moment the lid opens. Add your own legally obtained game files (.gba, .gb, .gbc, zipped or not). Everything, games, saves, states and covers, lives in plain folders you can easily navigate. PLAY IT YOUR WAY - Pixel-perfect, fit or fill scaling with various screen filters - Rewind up to 120 seconds when a jump goes wrong - Fast-forward from 0.5x all the way to Max - 10 save-state slots per game, plus an auto slot that saves every time you leave a game or the app closes unexpectedly - Cheat codes and per-game setting overrides - A built-in BIOS that works with almost every game, or bring your own TIME CAPSULE Tinbox quietly snapshots your playthrough while you play. Scrub back through the whole session and hop into any moment. Battery died mid-dungeon? There is a snapshot for that too. (Or turn it off, up to you.) CONTROLS THAT FIT YOUR HANDS - Drag, pinch and save button layouts - Bluetooth and MFi controller support with remapping - Turbo A and B, button haptics, press glow in your chosen accent color - Tilt, solar and rumble cartridges use your phone's real sensors MADE WITH LOVE BY REDFERN - Themes, including the signature Tin and a frosted Glass with six accent colors - Controller skins, a lid-open boot animation, a power LED that turns red when your battery runs low - Cover art from Photos or Files, or automatic box-art lookup - Duplicate import detection, custom library folder, full Files app integration PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads, no accounts, no analytics. The only network use is the optional box-art download. Your games never leave your phone. Tinbox plays legally obtained game files and ships only freely licensed homebrew, with full credits in the app. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any console manufacturer.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Tinbox at 5.0 against Nova Emulator's 3.0. Tinbox also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). Nova Emulator's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume and iOS requirement 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 $4.99 per month. Tinbox asks for nothing beyond the download.
Tinbox holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.
| Parameter | Nova Emulator | Tinbox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | — |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | IDEATAG STUDIO | KEATON MATTHEW MAGGARD |
Customer experience
Nova Emulator
Tinbox
In-app purchases
Nova Emulator
- NOVA Premium$4.991 Month
- NOVA Premium$12.993 Months
- NOVA Premium$24.996 Months
Tinbox
No in-app purchases








