Comparison

Backgammon vs Backgammon AI

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 AI

Experience a classic board game with a smart AI opponent across four difficulty levels. Enjoy online multiplayer, customizable themes, and helpful move previews. Play for free with no ads or subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Four AI difficulty levels
  • Online multiplayer via Game Center
  • Pass-and-play mode
  • Full doubling cube support
  • Three visual themes
  • Move previews and animations
  • Available in 14 languages
Features
Read full description

Play backgammon against a smart AI opponent — free, with no ads and no subscriptions. Backgammon AI brings the world's oldest board game to your iPhone and iPad with three AI difficulty levels, online multiplayer, and pass-and-play. Learn the game on Easy, then climb all the way to a near-expert neural-net opponent. Smart AI Opponents • Easy and Medium — free, perfect for learning and casual play • Expert — a one-time unlock; a neural-net engine that plays near-expert backgammon and knows when to double Play Online Challenge players worldwide with Game Center multiplayer. Find opponents automatically or invite friends, with push notifications when it's your turn. Full doubling cube support. Three Visual Themes • E-Ink — clean black & white, perfect for focus • Classic — the original board aesthetic • Dark Walnut — rich wood tones, 3D checkers, and emerald felt Move Previews & Animations See where your checkers can go before you commit. Movable checkers are highlighted, arrows show legal destinations, and dice tumble with a satisfying bounce. Doubling Cube Full doubling cube support in every mode — offer doubles, accept or decline, just like tournament play. Available in 14 languages. Designed for iPhone and iPad with portrait menus and landscape gameplay. Free to play — unlock the Expert AI once, forever.

Screenshots

Backgammon4 screens
Backgammon AI3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Backgammon at none against Backgammon AI's 1. Backgammon also leads on review sentiment (70% vs 43%) and rating (4.4 vs 4.1). Backgammon AI's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly). On price 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. Backgammon AI sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Backgammon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Backgammon holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backgammon has 188 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Backgammon's written reviews are positive against 43% of Backgammon AI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backgammon ships an update fortnightly, Backgammon AI every 6 days. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Backgammon versus Backgammon AI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammonBackgammon AI
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (188 ratings) — better4.1 (19 ratings)
Positive reviews69.6% of reviews — better42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings188 — better19
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLinda MottleyAsa Ivry Block

Customer experience

Backgammon

All ratings188 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative10.6%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive69.6%
Neutral1.8%
Negative28.6%

Backgammon AI

All ratings18 ratings
Positive72.2%
Neutral11.1%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%

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 AI

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Backgammon

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Backgammon AI

One-time1
  • Expert AI Unlock$1.99

Questions

Is Backgammon free?
Backgammon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Backgammon AI free?
Backgammon AI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Backgammon or Backgammon AI?
Backgammon is rated higher. Backgammon averages 4.4 out of 5 from 188 ratings, while Backgammon AI averages 4.1 from 19 ratings.
Do Backgammon or Backgammon AI have ads?
Backgammon shows ads; Backgammon AI does not.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon or Backgammon AI?
Backgammon ships an update fortnightly, and Backgammon AI every 6 days. Most recently, Backgammon was updated on November 13, 2026 and Backgammon AI on November 13, 2026.

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