Countdown Game & Solver vs Backgammon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Countdown Game & Solver
Experience the "Numbers" round of a popular TV game show as a tile-based puzzle game. Solve arithmetic challenges by combining numbered tiles to reach a target number. Includes a powerful solver to find all possible solutions and share your progress with friends.
- Numbers game show rounds
- Tile-based arithmetic puzzle
- Universal solution solver
- Millions of starting configurations
- Share accomplishments via Messages
- Runs on iPhone and iPad
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Countdown is a game show on British television (French original: Des chiffres et des lettres). This app reworks the “Numbers” portion of the game show as a Scrabble®-like tile game for your iPhone or iPad. It includes a Universal Solver that finds all possible solutions to any Numbers puzzle you care to throw at it. Feature List: • The “Numbers” rounds of the Countdown game show, reworked as a Scrabble®-like tile game. • More than 11 million unique starting configurations at your disposal. (The precise figure is 11 918 700.) • Play the game by dragging numbered tiles onto the game board and progressively building up arithmetic expressions to a final result that matches the target number (or comes within ten of it). • Includes a Universal Solver that finds, within a few seconds, all possible solutions for a given initial configuration. Furthermore, if no solution is found, you can be sure that no solution exists. • In generating the list of solutions, the Universal Solver recognizes new solutions that are near-duplicates of pre-existing solutions — e.g., with minor variations in the order of the arithmetic expressions — and culls such new solutions in order to the keep the list of solutions manageable. • Fully integrated with Apple’s Messages app, so you can share your accomplishments with your friends and issue challenges to them. • A single universal app which runs on all your iOS devices: iPhone, iPad, and/or iPod touch.
Backgammon
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Backgammon is one of the oldest and most rewarding strategy games ever created. This app teaches you how to actually play it well. LEARN BY DOING 8 lessons take you from board setup through opening moves, hitting and re-entering, building primes, bearing off, the doubling cube, and advanced positional strategy. Every lesson puts you at the board with interactive positions so you build real understanding, not just memorize rules. PUT YOUR SKILLS TO THE TEST 8 practice scenarios drop you into real game situations. Figure out the most efficient bearing off sequence. Decide whether to hit or make a key point. Evaluate opening rolls. Manage an endgame race. Each scenario gives you immediate feedback so you know exactly where your thinking went right or wrong. PLAY AGAINST THREE AI LEVELS Beginner opponents let you learn at your own pace. Intermediate opponents play solid positional backgammon. Advanced opponents build primes, anchor behind your position, evaluate the race with pip counts, and make sharp doubling decisions. As you improve, your opponents keep up. YOUR GAME, YOUR DATA Game history, win rates, and lesson progress stay on your device. Game Center achievements and leaderboards are there if you want them. Everything works offline. NO ADS. NO TRACKING. EVER. Most free backgammon apps make money by showing you ads every other turn and selling your data to third parties. This app costs $0.99 because we'd rather sell you a great backgammon game than sell your attention to advertisers. One purchase, everything included, nothing else to buy. WHAT'S INCLUDED - 8 structured lessons across Fundamentals, Building Your Game, and Strategy - 8 practice scenarios with real board positions and feedback - 3 AI difficulty levels with distinct play styles - Full rules engine including the doubling cube - Pip count display for evaluating race positions - Game history and detailed statistics - Game Center achievements and leaderboards - Completely offline, completely private
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Countdown Game & Solver at Free against Backgammon's $0.99. Countdown Game & Solver also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). Backgammon's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#76 vs unranked). On 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
Countdown Game & Solver is free to download; Backgammon costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Countdown Game & Solver ships an update every 3 weeks, Backgammon every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Countdown Game & Solver | Backgammon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (40 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 40 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Best chart rank | — | #76 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lawrence Anthony | Thomas Gamull |
In-app purchases
Countdown Game & Solver
No in-app purchases
Backgammon
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Countdown Game & Solver free?
Is Backgammon free?
Do Countdown Game & Solver or Backgammon have ads?
Which is updated more often, Countdown Game & Solver or Backgammon?
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