Comparison

Bitty vs emu

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Bitty

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
Read full description

Meet Bitty, your retro buddy! Bitty plays classic handheld games on your iPhone. Import your own game files and bring your childhood library back to life, wrapped in a friendly little app built for people who grew up with a cartridge in their pocket. YOUR GAMES, YOUR LIBRARY • Import your own legally-owned game backups (.gba or .zip) straight from the Files app • Bitty ships with no games and never downloads any — you bring the games you already own • Battery saves work exactly like real hardware and persist automatically PLAY YOUR WAY • Save states: snapshot any moment and jump right back to it • Turbo mode: fast-forward at 2×, 4× or 8× through grinding and long dialogue • Accurate, responsive touch controls with haptic feedback • Full sound emulation with adjustable volume MAKE IT YOURS • 4 controller skins: Classic, Midnight, Bubblegum and Ghost • Authentic screen filters: pixel-sharp, LCD grid, or cozy CRT scanlines • 4 gameplay themes to set the backdrop mood • A cast of hand-drawn art starring Bitty, your cartridge companion SMOOTH AND STEADY • Full speed with room to spare, even on older iPhones • Games run entirely on your device — nothing is streamed • Designed to stay cool and easy on the battery during long sessions RESPECTFUL BY DESIGN • No accounts, no sign-ups, no ads • Your games and saves stay on your device and are never uploaded • We collect anonymous usage stats only — how long sessions run and which features get used — to know what to improve. No personal data, no tracking, and never the names of your games. LEGAL NOTE Bitty contains no copyrighted content and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any console manufacturer. Only import games you legally own, such as backups of cartridges you purchased. Bitty does not provide, link to, or assist in downloading game files. Questions or a game that won't run? Contact us at support@solidstudiogame.com — we read everything.

About

emu

This app allows you to play classic games from seventeen different systems on your iPhone without complex setup. It supports various file formats and offers features like a unified library, customizable controls, and rollback saves. Enjoy local or online multiplayer with friends.

Highlights
  • Supports seventeen retro game systems
  • No downloads or configuration needed
  • Unified game library with search and favorites
  • Customizable on-screen and gamepad controls
  • Automatic saves and rewind functionality
  • Two-player online multiplayer
  • Supports various archive and disc image formats
Features
Read full description

emu runs seventeen game systems on one iPhone, from 8-bit cartridges to the disc-based 3D era. There are no cores to download and no configuration files to write. GETTING STARTED TAKES THREE STEPS 1. Pick a backup of a game you own from the Files app. 2. The system is identified from the file's contents, so you never choose one. 3. Tap it in your library and play. Files can stay inside a ZIP or 7z archive, and a CUE and its BIN files can be selected together. If a CUE points at a filename that no longer matches, emu repairs it on import. Large disc images are streamed into place rather than expanded in memory. ONE LIBRARY FOR EVERYTHING Search by name, star what you keep coming back to, and resume from the recent row. Import the same game under a different filename, or as both an archive and its extracted copy, and the CRC-and-size fingerprint still leaves you with a single entry. THE LAYOUT MOVES TO YOUR THUMBS The on-screen pad is multi-touch, with true diagonals and slide-to-change between buttons. Move the pad up or down, and pull the landscape buttons inward or outward. ANY GAMEPAD, MAPPED YOUR WAY Bluetooth and USB controllers connect on their own. Buttons are matched by position rather than by the vendor's printed labels, so a different controller still plays the same way. Reassign a button by pressing it, keep sticky 1P/2P assignment, and tune the stick dead zone. Touch input stays live alongside the gamepad. SAVES HAPPEN QUIETLY, MISTAKES ROLL BACK In-game and memory-card saves are written every 30 seconds, and again when you leave the player. SAVE and LOAD give you a quick state at any moment, and holding REWIND rolls the last seconds back for one more attempt at the jump you just missed. TWO IPHONES, TWO PLAYERS One player hosts and a code appears; the other types it in and joins as player 2. The player joining does not need a copy of the game. The two devices connect directly — gameplay never passes through a server, and a relayed route is detected after connecting and torn down. Two-player games for NES, SNES, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, Mega Drive, Master System and PC Engine can be hosted. BRING YOUR OWN GAMES — REQUIREMENTS DIFFER BY SYSTEM No games and no BIOS files are bundled, and nothing can be obtained from inside the app. Use backups of software you are legally entitled to use. Runs with just your game file: NES, SNES, Game Boy / Color, Mega Drive / Genesis, Master System, Game Gear, PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16, WonderSwan / Color, Nintendo 64, GameCube, PlayStation 2, PSP Also needs a BIOS you dumped from your own console: PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Game Boy Advance, Neo Geo Pocket / Color If you are here for Xbox: It needs three files you supply yourself — an MCPX ROM, a compatible Flash BIOS, and a hard-disk image. An unmodified retail Flash BIOS will not boot. Treat Xbox as experimental and for advanced users. ABOUT SPEED GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Sega Saturn support is experimental. The App Store build runs without a JIT, so how well a game plays depends on the title and your device. Please don't buy on the assumption that a particular game will run smoothly. FREE TO START The free version shows one banner and needs an internet connection. That banner only ever promotes the developer's own apps; there is no tracking-based advertising. A one-time in-app purchase hides it on every device signed in to your Apple Account. iPhone, iOS 17 or later. English and Japanese. emu is built on open-source emulators including ares, PPSSPP, Mupen64Plus, Dolphin, xemu, Play! and Yaba Sanshiro. Licenses and corresponding source links are under Settings > Licenses. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. emu is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any hardware manufacturer.

Screenshots

Bitty4 screens
emu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bitty at none against emu's 1. emu's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days). On price, rating, ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. emu sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bitty asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Bitty against 5.0 for emu. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bitty ships an update every 5 days, emu every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Bitty versus emu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBittyemu
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS1817.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB145 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperAnh Tuan Nguyen LeCode and DESIGN inc.

Customer experience

Bitty

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

emu

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Bitty

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

emu

One-time1
  • Hide Ads$4.99

Questions

Is Bitty free?
Bitty is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is emu free?
emu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bitty or emu?
Bitty and emu are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Bitty or emu have ads?
Neither Bitty nor emu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bitty or emu?
Bitty ships an update every 5 days, and emu every 2 days. Most recently, Bitty was updated on October 24, 2026 and emu on October 29, 2026.

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