Backgammon vs Simple Backgammon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Simple Backgammon
Enjoy a straightforward game of Backgammon against a computer opponent. This version omits the doubling cube for a streamlined experience. Perfect for quick matches.
- Backgammon gameplay
- Computer opponent
- No doubling cube
- Simple interface
- Offline play
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This is a simple version of Backgammon, with no doubling cube. Play against a computer opponent.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Backgammon at 4.4 against Simple Backgammon's 2.3. Backgammon also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 33%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 31 months). Simple Backgammon's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Backgammon holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backgammon has 169 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Backgammon's written reviews are positive against 33% of Simple Backgammon's.
Backgammon ships an update fortnightly, Simple Backgammon every 31 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Backgammon | Simple Backgammon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (169 ratings) — better | 2.3 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.9% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 169 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 31 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 104 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Linda Mottley | Phil Stern |
Customer experience
Backgammon
Simple Backgammon
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
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- 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
Simple Backgammon
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Backgammon
No in-app purchases
Simple Backgammon
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Backgammon free?
Is Simple Backgammon free?
Which has better reviews, Backgammon or Simple Backgammon?
Do Backgammon or Simple Backgammon have ads?
Which is updated more often, Backgammon or Simple Backgammon?
Other comparisons
