Comparison

Ultimate Cribbage vs Catalyst Cards

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

Head to head
About

Ultimate Cribbage

Experience a classic card game with adjustable difficulty and automatic scoring for beginners. Pros can play manually while enjoying detailed score breakdowns and multiple game variants. Daily challenges offer in-game rewards.

Highlights
  • Adjustable difficulty levels
  • Automatic scorekeeping for beginners
  • Manual scoring option for pros
  • Detailed score breakdowns
  • Multiple game variants (Classic, Muggins, Shotgun)
  • Daily challenges with rewards
Features
Read full description

"How fast can you become the Ultimate Cribbage Pro? Test your card skills against increasingly difficulties and reach 121 points before your opponent! Whether you are a Cribbage pro or an absolute beginner, Ultimate Cribbage will scratch that classic card game itch. • Beautiful & intuitive. Easy to read cards and suitable for all ages & skill levels. • Multiple difficulty levels! Can you become the next Cribbage Board Master? • Cribbage Newbie? Automatic scorekeeping will help you learn the best card strategies to maximize your hand & crib points. • Cribbage Pro? Play it the classic way and count points manually. Keep that brain sharp! • Detailed crib, hand, and play score breakdowns every round. • Choose between Classic Cribbage, Muggins, and Shotgun Cribbage variants. • Ace our daily challenge for in-game rewards. Enjoy the classic card game that friends, family and grandpas have been enjoying for decades! Install Ultimate Cribbage today!" Cribbage Club Subscription: - No advertisements - Gain access to new modes: Muggins & Shotgun - Level-up faster with 25% bonus XP boost! - Complete Challenges faster! Reduce charge time by 50%! Cribbage Club is the best way to play Ultimate Cribbage! Play with no advertisement interruptions, play different modes, level-up faster, and receive more challenges! You may subscribe for a month at a cost of $9.99. Prices may vary and may be converted to other currencies. Payment is charged to your iTunes account at confirmation. Subscription is renewed unless turned off at least twenty-four hours before the period ends. Canceling Trial or Subscription: You can turn off auto-renewal for subscriptions whenever you’d like through iTunes via: https://support.apple.com/HT202039. Upon cancellation and subscription period expiration, you will lose access to new modes, XP boost, challenge timer reduction, as well as start receiving ads. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us at: https://wildcardstudios.zendesk.com/hc/en-us Privacy Policy:http://www.wildcardstudios.com/Privacy.html Terms of Use: https://wildcardstudios.com/tos.html

About

Catalyst Cards

This app generates conversation-starting questions tailored to your group's size, mood, and the specific moment. It offers curated question decks for various occasions, from casual hangouts to deep discussions, and can be played directly within messaging apps.

Highlights
  • Tailored question generation
  • Curated question decks
  • Playable in iMessage
  • Multiple conversation tones
  • Customizable themes
Features
Read full description

Catalyst Cards turns "so, how's it going?" into the kind of conversation you're still thinking about the next day. Just a few taps and Catalyst deals you five questions built for the exact moment you're in: who's with you, how many of you there are, and the mood you're after. A first date. A long drive with friends. The family table. A work happy hour. Every hand feels written for the room you're actually in. THE DEAL Pick your people, your group size, and a tone, from easygoing to genuinely deep to light and playful. Catalyst Cards builds a five-card hand on the spot. No endless list to scroll. No filler. Just the right questions, in the right order, to get past small talk and into something real. PLAY IN MESSAGES Catalyst comes with an iMessage app, so the game can happen right in the group chat. Send the chat a question, everyone answers privately, then the group votes for the best one. Nothing is revealed until the round closes. Answering is free for everyone in the thread. DECKS Hand-curated packs for specific moments: date night, family holidays, parties, work mixers, and more. Every deck is written from scratch for that occasion, never recycled from one giant pile. WHY PEOPLE LOVE IT • Thousands of original questions, each written for one specific group and mood • A group game that lives in your iMessage threads, not just in the room • Tones that range from easygoing to genuinely deep • Made for couples, friends, family, coworkers, parties, and first dates • Clean, calm cards you swipe through together, nothing in the way • Custom color themes to make it feel like yours CATALYST PRO Unlock every deck, unlimited deals, full color customization, and the ability to send questions to your group chats with Catalyst Pro, available monthly, yearly, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Put the phones down. Well, one of them. And actually talk. — Catalyst Pro subscriptions automatically renew unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Lifetime is a one-time purchase, no renewal. Terms of Use (EULA): https://catalystcards.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://catalystcards.app/privacy

Screenshots

Ultimate Cribbage4 screens
Catalyst Cards4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Catalyst Cards at none against Ultimate Cribbage's shown. Catalyst Cards also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 81%). Ultimate Cribbage's advantage is ratings volume (31K vs 3) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Ultimate Cribbage sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Catalyst Cards sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Catalyst Cards holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ultimate Cribbage has 31K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Ultimate Cribbage's written reviews are positive against 100% of Catalyst Cards's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ultimate Cribbage ships an update every 6 weeks, Catalyst Cards every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ultimate Cribbage versus Catalyst Cards: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUltimate CribbageCatalyst Cards
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (31K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings31K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size256 MB50 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperWildCard GamesCtrlAltCreate LLC

Customer experience

Ultimate Cribbage

All ratings30,768 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral3.4%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews1,349 reviews
Positive80.5%
Neutral4.4%
Negative15.1%

Catalyst Cards

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Ultimate Cribbage

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Scoring errors
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Ads covering game elements
  • Progression issues after updates

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to play against real players
  • Option to count points manually
  • Slower scoring animation
  • Save progress and stats
  • Tutorial for new players
Show 1 more
  • Offline play mode

Catalyst Cards

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Ultimate Cribbage

One-time10
  • Remove Ads Sale$2.99
  • Remove Ads$3.99
  • Tiny Coin Pack$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Starter Pack$5.99
  • Cribbage Club$7.99
  • Special Offer$9.99
  • Small Coin Pack$9.99
  • Beginner Pack$12.99
  • Medium Coin Pack$19.99
  • Advanced Pack$24.99
3 purchases

Catalyst Cards

Subscriptions2
  • Catalyst Pro (Monthly)$7.991 Month
  • Catalyst Pro (Yearly)$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Catalyst Pro (Lifetime)$49.99

Questions

Is Ultimate Cribbage free?
Ultimate Cribbage is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Catalyst Cards free?
Catalyst Cards is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ultimate Cribbage or Catalyst Cards?
Catalyst Cards is rated higher. Ultimate Cribbage averages 4.6 out of 5 from 31K ratings, while Catalyst Cards averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Ultimate Cribbage or Catalyst Cards have ads?
Ultimate Cribbage shows ads; Catalyst Cards does not.
Which is updated more often, Ultimate Cribbage or Catalyst Cards?
Ultimate Cribbage ships an update every 6 weeks, and Catalyst Cards every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ultimate Cribbage was updated on October 30, 2026 and Catalyst Cards on October 17, 2026.

Other comparisons