Comparison

Thrive Board Game vs Abalone Game

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

Head to head
About

Thrive Board Game

A two-player abstract strategy board game that reinvents classic gameplay with unique piece building and over 100 variable setups. Experience strategic depth with AI opponents, pass-and-play, and an innovative augmented reality mode.

Highlights
  • Abstract strategy gameplay
  • Play vs AI
  • Pass and Play mode
  • Over 100 variable setups
  • Augmented Reality Mode
Features
Read full description

A board game for two players where beauty meets strategy. Your purpose is not simply to endure, but to Thrive. Build your own chess piece with classic abstract strategy game-play, reinvented. * Play vs AI * Pass and Play * Over 100 variable setups * Augmented Reality Mode

About

Abalone Game

This is a two-player abstract strategy board game where players push their opponent's marbles off the edge of a hexagonal board. The first player to push six opponent marbles wins. It's designed for iPad, with players facing each other across the device.

Highlights
  • Two-player abstract strategy
  • Push opponent's marbles off board
  • Hexagonal game board
  • Designed for iPad
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop controls
  • Confirm or undo moves
Read full description

Abalone is a two-player abstract strategy board game. Players are represented by opposing black and white marbles on a hexagonal board with the objective of pushing six of the opponent's marbles off the edge of the board. The present version is made for iPad, and the players shoud stay on the opposite short sides of the iPad, in front of each other. One player gets the black marbles and the second the white ones. The board consists of 61 hexagonal cells. Each player has 14 marbles that rest in the spaces and are initially automatically arranged as the game begins. The players take turns with the black marbles moving first. For each move, a player moves a straight line of one, two or three marbles of one color one space in one of six directions. The move can be either broadside / arrow-like (parallel to the line of marbles) or in-line / in a line (serial in respect to the line of marbles). The marbles should be moved one at a time, dragging them with a finger, and dropping them on the destination cells. If the move of two or three is longitudinal, i.e. in the same direction of the marble sequence, the leading piece must be moved first, followed by the second one, and (eventually) the tird one. After the moves are made, the player shoud confirm them, hitting the Confirm button, or cancel them, using the Undo button. A player can push their opponent's marbles (a "sumito") that are in a line to their own with an in-line move only. They can only push if the pushing line has more marbles than the pushed line (three can push one or two; two can push one). Marbles must be pushed to an empty space (i.e. not blocked by a marble) or off the board. The winner is the first player to push six of the opponent's marbles off of the edge of the board. The dynamics of the basic game may have one serious flaw: it seems that a good but conservative player can set up their marbles in a defensive wedge and ward off all attacks indefinitely. An attacker may try to outflank this wedge or lure it into traps, but such advances are often more dangerous to the attacker than the defender. Thus, from the starting position, it takes little skill and no imagination to avoid losing, and nothing in the rules prevents games from being interminable. The first player who succedes pushing six opponent's mables off the edge of the board wins the game.

Screenshots

Thrive Board Game4 screens
Abalone Game1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Thrive Board Game at 5.0 against Abalone Game's 2.7. Thrive Board Game also leads on iOS requirement (11.4 vs 16.5). Abalone Game's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 42 months) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Thrive Board Game costs $1.99 and Abalone Game $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Thrive Board Game holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thrive Board Game ships an update every 42 months, Abalone Game every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Thrive Board Game versus Abalone Game: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThrive Board GameAbalone Game
Price$1.99$1.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better2.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 42 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.4 — better16.5
Further details — not scored
Size141 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMartin GriderLuigi Fonti

Customer experience

Thrive Board Game

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Abalone Game

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Thrive Board Game

No in-app purchases

None

Abalone Game

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thrive Board Game free?
Thrive Board Game costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Abalone Game free?
Abalone Game costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Thrive Board Game or Abalone Game?
Thrive Board Game is rated higher. Thrive Board Game averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Abalone Game averages 2.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Thrive Board Game or Abalone Game have ads?
Neither Thrive Board Game nor Abalone Game shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Thrive Board Game or Abalone Game?
Thrive Board Game ships an update every 42 months, and Abalone Game every 4 days. Most recently, Thrive Board Game was updated on October 19, 2026 and Abalone Game on October 24, 2026.

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