Comparison

Mobile VR Station® vs Nova Stashy

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

Head to head
About

Mobile VR Station®

Immerse yourself in your media with this virtual reality media player. View photos, panoramas, and videos on a large virtual screen with head tracking. Supports 2D and 3D content, offering a customizable viewing experience for various VR headsets.

Highlights
  • Virtual screen media playback
  • Head tracking support
  • 2D and 3D content display
  • Customizable viewing profiles
  • UPNP for external content
  • Subtitle support (.srt files)
  • Bluetooth remote control
Features
Read full description

Mobile VR Station is a media player designed for Virtual Reality with head tracking. With this app you can view your Photos, Panoramas, Videos & Files projected onto a virtual screen floating in space. Our app supports displaying standard 2D and 3D Side By Side/Over Under content. The app can't display DRM protected content, such as content bought from iTunes. "The most feature-packed VR media player available, with editable profiles that let you adjust the viewing experience across multiple devices and VR adapters. Excellent all around!" -Quote from Manuel M, Beta Tester If you need help we provide links inside the app to view our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel. Usages: - Works with every headset, very flexible configuration - Watch movies in a virtual theater - Watch 3D 180 Degree content. - Explore 360/Spherical movies (Great for demos). - Experience 3D content (Left/Right, Right/Left and Top/Bottom). - See your device's photos & videos in a new way. - View panoramas with some depth. - Access external video content with UPNP. - Watch HTML5 Video from Mobile Safari with Micro VR Station extension. Details: - Native App, written in Obj-C with SceneKit - Watch App for Remote control capabalities - This app is currently only available in English - Free version limits video playback to the "first" five minutes. - Supported formats: MOV, MP4 & M4V. - Supported HMDs: None (Mono), None (SBS), Cardboard, Altergaze, Firefly, Custom, .... - Cardboard QR scanner available for quick setup - Supported Devices: Any device running iOS 8.1 can install the app, but iPhone 5S/iPad Mini (Retina) and above provide a great experience. - Projections: Dome, Full Dome, Curved (Large curve), Plane (Flat), Cylinder & Spherical - Skyboxes: 47 built in options. - Profiles: Each user/headset can have their own specific configuration. - Audio: Language switching available. - Subtitles: The app can load UTF-8 formatted *.srt files, after a movie has been started - Files: Each file has its own preview icon and meta data. You can either generate a icon or upload your own. Please see the FAQ on how to make your own icons. - Bluetooth Remote: If your headset has Play/Pause & Next/Previous buttons, you can use them to control video playback. - UPNP: Basic support for viewing & downloading video & image content. Music can play if you mess with a few settings. - Other File Formats: We are researching how other formats and higher quality content could be displayed, we understand the need and want to deliver in the future. -1080P @ 60 FPS is available on 5S+ and beyond. Devices under 5S should consume 720P. - 4K @ 30FPS is available for 6S, 6S+, 5SE & iPad Pro - Support for SanDisk™ iXpand Drives - Please see the guide book for more information Tips: - If video playback starts to lockup, or a setting doesn't stick please turn your device off and on again. - It's strongly recommended to go through Training at least once and check out the help videos if you have time. - Every projection is editable, just dig into "Manage Presets" for the details. - If you really need help, ask on our Facebook page, Twitter account, or reddit /r/iOSVR/ Controls: - MFI Controller/Bluetooth keyboard support (While in VR). - When not using a HMD device buttons can be tapped. - Tap anywhere in the right eye or empty space to recenter view. - Tap 3 fingers on screen to quickly exit VR. - Support for Occipital Bridge Controller

About

Nova Stashy

Access and manage your self-hosted media library on your iPhone or iPad. Browse, search, and stream content with a clean, fast interface. Download media for offline viewing and enjoy a private experience with no tracking.

Highlights
  • Browse scenes, performers, studios
  • Search, sort, filter, favorite, rate metadata
  • Native player with Picture in Picture
  • Download scenes for offline viewing
  • Direct local network downloads
  • Private by design, no tracking
Features
Read full description

Nova Stashy is a native iPhone and iPad client for your self-hosted Stash media server. Enter your server address, connect instantly, and browse your entire library from your device. Stash handles your media. Nova Stashy gives you a clean, fast iOS interface to explore it. BROWSE & SEARCH - Browse scenes, performers, and studios in a native dark-mode interface. - Search, sort, filter, favourite, rate, and edit supported metadata. - Global Library Search finds scenes, performers, and studios together from Home. THE PLAYER - Nova Stashy's own player, built on Apple's playback engine. - Scenes start fast. The original file plays directly when your device can decode it, and falls back to your server's conversion when it cannot. - Markers from your server appear on the scrubber, with buttons to jump between them. - Drag the scrubber to see a preview picture of that moment. - Double-tap to skip ten seconds, press and hold for double speed, or choose a speed from 0.5x to 2x. - Subtitles and captions, including in Picture in Picture and over AirPlay. - Picture in Picture, AirPlay, and a choice of what happens when you leave the app. - Resume where you left off, or start over. DOWNLOAD & WATCH OFFLINE - Download compatible scenes and keep watching when your server is unavailable. - Direct Downloads use your local network for dramatically faster transfers. - An Offline Home keeps your saved scenes and Continue Watching at hand. - Markers, subtitles and preview pictures are saved with a download. - Set a storage limit, track usage, and manage downloads with swipe or multi-select. PRIVATE BY DESIGN - No accounts, no analytics, no advertising, no third-party tracking. - Credentials are stored in Apple Keychain; downloads stay on your device. - Optional Face ID lock for the app. - All content comes from the Stash server you configure. Requires a running self-hosted Stash server and iOS 17 or later.

Screenshots

Mobile VR Station®3 screens
Nova Stashy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mobile VR Station® at Free against Nova Stashy's $2.99. Mobile VR Station® also leads on rating (4.1 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (514 vs 1). Nova Stashy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). On 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

Mobile VR Station® is free to download; Nova Stashy costs $2.99 up front. Mobile VR Station® sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Nova Stashy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mobile VR Station® holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mobile VR Station® has 514 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mobile VR Station® ships an update every 4 months, Nova Stashy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Mobile VR Station® versus Nova Stashy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMobile VR Station®Nova Stashy
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.1 (514 ratings) — better3.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews66.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings514 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB11 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMichael FullerHenry Ling

Bugs and requests

Mobile VR Station®

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when trying to play certain video files
  • Head tracking issues on some devices
  • Buffering problems when streaming content

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for 4K and higher resolution videos
  • Integrate web browser for more VR content
  • Improve file management and navigation
  • Provide better documentation and tutorials

Nova Stashy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Mobile VR Station®

One-time5
  • Micro Player - Lift Safari Extension Limit$1.99
  • Protected Drives$1.99
  • Presentation+$1.99
Show 2 more
  • Premium Edition - Remove 5 Minute Limit$2.99
  • Ultimate Edition - Everything$5.99
None

Nova Stashy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mobile VR Station® free?
Mobile VR Station® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nova Stashy free?
Nova Stashy costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mobile VR Station® or Nova Stashy?
Mobile VR Station® is rated higher. Mobile VR Station® averages 4.1 out of 5 from 514 ratings, while Nova Stashy averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Mobile VR Station® or Nova Stashy have ads?
Neither Mobile VR Station® nor Nova Stashy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mobile VR Station® or Nova Stashy?
Mobile VR Station® ships an update every 4 months, and Nova Stashy fortnightly. Most recently, Mobile VR Station® was updated on October 24, 2026 and Nova Stashy on October 25, 2026.

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