Comparison

Surround vs Stone Grid

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

Head to head
About

Surround

Play the strategy board game Go online with a global community. Engage in live or turn-based matches, observe ongoing games, and chat with fellow players. Features a convenient home screen widget and notifications for your turn.

Highlights
  • Play live and turn-based Go games
  • Observe ongoing games
  • Chat with other players
  • Home screen widget for correspondence games
  • Notifications for game turns
  • Dark mode support
Features
Read full description

Surround is a client to play Go online with other players on the website online-go.com (Online Go Server - OGS). OGS is a very popular Go Server with a friendly community, and this app aims to provide the best OGS experience on iPhones and iPads. Features: - Play Go with other Go players on OGS, either live games or turn-based (correspondence) games. - Observe other live games that are currently being played. - Chat with other players. - Get a glimpse of your correspondence games on your home screen with a widget. - Receive notifications when it is your turn in correspondence games. - Beautiful dark mode. There are many more features on OGS website that I plan to implement into the app gradually, so I hope to have your support to make it happen faster. Let me know if there is any feature you specifically want to have first. This app offers subscriptions for supporting the app's ongoing development. If you decide to participate in the subscriptions: - Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. - The subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. - You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. - All purchases are final. I cannot issue refunds for purchases charged to your Apple ID. The Terms of Use can be found at: https://files.honganhkhoa.com/SurroundTerms.html, and the Privacy Policy can be found at: https://files.honganhkhoa.com/SurroundPrivacyPolicy.html.

About

Stone Grid

Features
Read full description

Stone Grid - Gomoku is a clean and focused Gomoku board game. Play on both 15x15 and 19x19 boards and connect exactly five stones in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally before your opponent. Challenge the AI, play with a friend on the same device, and enjoy a classic strategy board game experience designed for both casual and competitive players. Features * Play against AI — choose difficulty before each match * Beginner mode — highlights must-block positions to avoid losing * Multiple AI difficulty levels * Local 2-player mode on one device * 15x15 and 19x19 boards * Blind mode with glass stones (last move stays visible) * Zoom in/out support * Undo and restart controls * Hint support * Winning line highlight * Sound and haptic feedback * Multiple language support * Optional one-time purchase to remove banner ads

Screenshots

Surround4 screens
Stone Grid4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Surround at none against Stone Grid's shown. Stone Grid's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). 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. Surround sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month and Stone Grid sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surround ships an update fortnightly, Stone Grid every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Surround versus Stone Grid: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurroundStone Grid
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (78 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews82.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings78 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHong Anh KhoaSeungHoon Kam

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Surround

Subscriptions4
  • Surround App Supporter$0.491 Month
  • Surround App Supporter$1.991 Month
  • Surround App Supporter$4.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Surround App Supporter$9.991 Month
1 purchases

Stone Grid

One-time1
  • Remove Banner Ads$2.99

Questions

Is Surround free?
Surround is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stone Grid free?
Stone Grid is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Surround or Stone Grid have ads?
Stone Grid shows ads; Surround does not.
Which is updated more often, Surround or Stone Grid?
Surround ships an update fortnightly, and Stone Grid every 3 days. Most recently, Surround was updated on November 7, 2026 and Stone Grid on October 31, 2026.

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