Backgammon Plus vs Zax
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Backgammon Plus
Experience the classic game of backgammon with a powerful AI opponent. Play against the computer, a friend on the same device, or players worldwide. Improve your skills with adjustable difficulty levels and detailed game features.
- Advanced neural network AI
- 2-player local mode
- Online multiplayer
- Adjustable skill levels
- Highlighting of possible moves
- Unlimited undo function
- Automatic save
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Backgammon is the best classic Backgammon game available for iOS. Play & learn backgammon at skill levels from beginner to world-class! Backgammon is a full-featured game which uses an advanced, neural network-based, artificial intelligence. Play against a computer AI, another person in 2-player mode on one device or online against friends & other players. Judicious players will appreciate how well the AI plays. It uses a neural network trained on millions of positions, a bearoff database, & a match equity table to achieve strong gameplay that will challenge even expert players. IS THIS GAME RIGHT FOR YOU? This game is best for people: • Who recognize the strength of neural network backgammon bots • Who want to improve their game by playing against a world-class level AI • Who will use the in-depth, technical features included in the app to prove that it is honest • Who won't expect to win consistently on the higher skill levels Features - Strong Backgammon AI - Play against the computer or against another person in 2 player mode. - Online mode – play over the Internet with any other player - Fast matchmaking - Customizable checker colors - Mersenne Twister algorithm for random number generation - Crawford rule for match play - 3 skill levels: Easy, Medium, Hard - Highlighting of possible moves - One touch to move entry - Unlimited Undo function - Automatic save when you exit or suspend the app - Configurable player names and score tracking - Designed for both Tablet and Phone - The Backgammon app guarantees a 1000% fair dice roll since all dice are rolled completely randomly, regardless of the player! What's New • Online mode – play over the Internet with any other player • Minor bug fixes
Zax
This word game challenges players to create words from a letter rack, scoring based on the alphabetical distance between adjacent letters. Shorter words can achieve higher scores than longer ones by creating larger 'zigzags' on the A-Z chart. It offers daily challenges, a progression system through stages, and replayability.
- Plot letters to draw a path across A-Z
- Score based on alphabetical distance
- Five submits per round
- Compare your score to the ceiling
- Climb through five stages with power-ups
- Daily shared rack challenges
- Works fully offline
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Zax is a word arcade about distance, not length. Plot words from a 7-letter rack and watch the chart draw across A-Z. Every pair of neighboring letters scores by alphabet distance. A to Z is worth 25. Bigger distances, bigger score. The weird part is the hook: shorter words can beat longer ones. RATE scores 51. TRADE scores 23. Four letters can beat five when the chart moves farther. Each round gives you five submits. Every submit is a commit. No takebacks. Spend one on a safe word, or hold out for the bigger zigzag hiding in the rack. When the round ends, Zax reveals the ceiling: the best five possible words from your rack, shown beside what you actually played. See how close you got. See what you missed. WHAT YOU DO - Plot letters. The chart draws your path across A-Z. - Submit when the score feels worth it. - Use five submits, or lock the round early. - Compare your score with the ceiling. - Earn a grade from S to D, based on how close you got. - Chase your best rounds on the rounds sheet. CLIMB - Clear score gates across five stages. - Pick power-ups that reward sharp zigzags. - Miss the gate, restart the stage. Clear the summit, unlock replay. DAILY - One shared rack each day. - Build streaks for consecutive daily completions. - Share your score without spoiling the rack. - Turn on one quiet reminder if you want a nudge. - Missed a day? Every past daily is still playable, graded, and never touches your streak. WHY IT FEELS DIFFERENT - The best word is not always the longest word. - A valid word can still be a bad commit. - Every round ends by showing perfect. - The chart makes the score visible before you submit. NO NONSENSE - Works fully offline. - No account, no sign-up, no tracking, no ads. - No subscriptions. One optional supporter unlock for themes.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Zax at 5.0 against Backgammon Plus's 2.3. Zax also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 months). Backgammon Plus's advantage is ratings volume (46 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price 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
Both are free to download. Backgammon Plus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Zax asks for nothing beyond the download.
Zax holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backgammon Plus has 46 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Backgammon Plus ships an update every 6 months, Zax every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Backgammon Plus | Zax |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.3 (46 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 46 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 69 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nguyen Thi Kiem AI | Hamzah Hussain |
Customer experience
Backgammon Plus
Zax
In-app purchases
Backgammon Plus
- Remove Ads$4.99
Zax
No in-app purchases









