Comparison

Backgammon vs Backgammon KG

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

Head to head
About

Backgammon

Engage in classic backgammon with AI or live multiplayer opponents. This app offers a comprehensive experience with features like a doubling cube, rule tutorials, and detailed player statistics. Play offline or online to hone your strategic skills and climb the leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Online and offline play
  • Challenge AI or real players
  • Master the doubling cube
  • Learn and improve with hints
  • Track detailed player statistics
  • Play anywhere, portrait/landscape
Features
Read full description

Challenge adaptive AI, share the board with a friend in local pass-and-play, and master the doubling cube — all free, with dice you can actually trust. The most complete backgammon experience for iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision: sharpen your strategy with hints, track deep stats, and climb the leaderboards. * SMART, ADAPTIVE AI Beginner, Intermediate & Expert levels tuned to your playstyle — never a rigged board, just a smarter opponent. * PASS & PLAY Share one device and play a real match against a friend, head-to-head, no connection required. * LEARN & IMPROVE Move hints, legal-move highlights, and a full rules tutorial — go from your first roll to your first double with confidence. * REAL MATCH PLAY 1-point, 3-point & full matches, doubling cube, and the Crawford rule — tournament-standard play, not a simplified clone. * STATS THAT MATTER Elo-style rating, win/loss graphs, pip counts, and complete dice history, so you can see exactly how fair your rolls really are. * PLAY ANYWHERE Portrait or landscape, online or fully offline vs. AI. "The best free backgammon app—AI is tough, local play is smooth." – App Store review Also known as Tavla, Nardi, or Narde — this is backgammon the way it's meant to be played.

About

Backgammon KG

Engage in classic backgammon with a sophisticated AI opponent. Offers multiple difficulty levels, detailed statistics, and a tutor mode to enhance your skills. Unlock new boards as you progress.

Highlights
  • Play against AI or friends
  • Four AI difficulty levels
  • Play statistics and history
  • Tutor mode for move advice
  • Pip counter and equity meter
  • Unlockable boards
Features
Read full description

A backgammon app with quick and smooth in-game play. Features a strong neural network based AI built using deep learning and trained exclusively via self play. Features: - Play against friends in two-player mode or play against the neural networked AI. - Four different levels of computer strength: Beginner, Intermediate, Hard, and Expert. - See statistics on your play skill, error rate, and your game / match history against the AI. - Tutor mode helps you improve your backgammon game. Receive advice on your moves and see the AI's evaluations of all possible moves. - Pip counter and equity meter. - Beat the computer to unlock different boards. - Many other configurable settings...

Screenshots

Backgammon4 screens
Backgammon KG2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Backgammon at 4.4 against Backgammon KG's 2.9. Backgammon also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 33%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months). Backgammon KG's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Backgammon holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 169 and 46 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Backgammon's written reviews are positive against 33% of Backgammon KG's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backgammon ships an update fortnightly, Backgammon KG every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Backgammon versus Backgammon KG: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammonBackgammon KG
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (169 ratings) — better2.9 (46 ratings)
Positive reviews70.9% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings169 — better46
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 9 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLinda MottleyKeith Gould

Customer experience

Backgammon

All ratings169 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral3.6%
Negative10.1%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive70.9%
Neutral1.8%
Negative27.3%

Backgammon KG

All ratings46 ratings
Positive39.1%
Neutral10.9%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral14.6%
Negative52.1%

User reviews

Backgammon

From 169 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and enjoyable game
  • 👍 Good graphics and design
  • 👍 Helpful tutorial for beginners
  • 👍 Can be played offline
  • 👍 Good for passing time

Room to improve

  • 👎 AI is rigged/cheats
  • 👎 Computer rolls are not random
  • 👎 Poor AI logic/plays poorly
  • 👎 App frequently crashes or freezes
  • 👎 App won't open/blank screen

Backgammon KG

From 46 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Strong AI opponent
  • 🆓 Free with no ads
  • 💡 Good graphics
  • 💡 Tutor mode and analysis
  • 💡 Pip count and indicator

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Rigged dice rolls
  • 🎲 AI dice favor AI
  • 🎲 Unrealistic dice rolls
  • 🎲 Computer always wins
  • 🐛 Game glitches

Bugs and requests

Backgammon

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App won't open
  • App freezes/hangs
  • Two taps required for one move
  • Incorrect move selection by AI
  • AI rolls are not random
Show 4 more
  • Display graphics obscure continue button
  • In 2-player mode, no menus appear when black starts
  • Software doesn't always display who goes first in 2-player hard mode
  • UI elements cover board pieces

Requested features

5 requests
  • Fix rigged AI rolls
  • Make AI more challenging/less predictable
  • Allow users to choose layout/design
  • Reconsider placement of move/undo buttons
  • Add option for cube

Backgammon KG

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game glitches
  • Cannot make legal moves
  • PvP second player cannot move
  • Fatal flaw in undo function

Requested features

5 requests
  • Fix unfair dice rolls
  • Improve PvP functionality
  • Add quick auto bear-off option
  • Allow viewing of generated dice rolls
  • Fix global undo bug

In-app purchases

None

Backgammon

No in-app purchases

None

Backgammon KG

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Backgammon free?
Backgammon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Backgammon KG free?
Backgammon KG is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Backgammon or Backgammon KG?
Backgammon is rated higher. Backgammon averages 4.4 out of 5 from 169 ratings, while Backgammon KG averages 2.9 from 46 ratings.
Do Backgammon or Backgammon KG have ads?
Backgammon shows ads; Backgammon KG does not.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon or Backgammon KG?
Backgammon ships an update fortnightly, and Backgammon KG every 9 months. Most recently, Backgammon was updated on October 11, 2026 and Backgammon KG on October 14, 2026.

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