Comparison

Backgammon vs Spades Plus

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

Head to head
About

Backgammon

Experience the classic board and dice game with multiple variations and play modes. Challenge yourself against AI or friends online, with helpful features like move assist and unlimited undos.

Highlights
  • Multiple game variations (Nackgammon, Old English, Acey Deucey)
  • Single player with adjustable AI difficulty
  • Online and Bluetooth multiplayer
  • Match play with Doubling and Crawford Rule
  • Move-Assist feature
  • Unlimited Undo in single-player
  • Extensive game statistics
Read full description

Challenge yourself in the deluxe board & dice game! Both the press and customers agree: Backgammon's got it in spades! __________________________________________ PRESS LOVE: Recommended by MacWorld Magazine as a Top Download for your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. “Backgammon Premium is the crème-de-la-crème ‘gammon’” 9 out of 10 stars from Appaddicts.com! Nominated for “Best Dice Game” in the Best App Ever Awards hosted by bestappever.com! __________________________________________ CUSTOMER LOVE: "Elegant and beautifully laid out. The play is terrific. I play a game every break I get. The fun just doesn't stop!" "This app is awesome!!! No problems and extremely fun." "Backgammon is a great game, simple and intriguing. This app does it justice. The AI is smart and sometimes infuriating. Five Stars!" __________________________________________ Play solo or live online against friends! Great for players who enjoy Gin Rummy, Spades, Cribbage, Blackjack, or Dominos. GREAT GAME VARIATIONS: Backgammon - The classic game you know and love Nackgammon - Changing the token setup requires players to get creative. Old English - A British favorite! No more than 5 checkers to a single point. Acey Deucey - Start in your own goal tray and work your way into your opponent's! WAYS TO PLAY: Single Player- Prove you're the King against Backgammon's Easy, Medium, or Hard difficulties! Online Multiplayer- Match against friends or strangers to prove your mastery! Peer to Peer- Play against your friends on their devices with no network required. __________________________________________ FEATURES: - Single Player Games (with Easy, Medium, Hard) - Match support! Play to 3, 5, 9 or 15 points with Doubling. Matches use the Crawford Rule - Four distinct board designs - Online and Bluetooth multiplayer - Move-Assist, highlights available moves - Unlimited “Undo” in single-player games - Extensive game statistics

About

Spades Plus

Play the popular trick-taking card game with millions of players worldwide. Enjoy various game modes, tournaments, and social features. Customize your game and compete for prizes.

Highlights
  • Multiple game modes (Classic, Solo, Mirror, Whiz)
  • Online multiplayer with millions of players
  • Tournaments and challenges
  • Customizable tables and game rules
  • Free coins and daily bonuses
  • Social features with friends and chat
  • Seasonal competitions for new decks
Read full description

SPADES PLUS is FREE to download and includes optional in-game purchases (including paid random items). Let’s join the SPADES COMMUNITY to play with millions of online players! Whether you're a seasoned spades player or a newcomer, Spades Plus offers you a great experience against many Spades players from all around the world! You can play in many different game modes such as Classic, Solo, Mirror, and Whiz. Now playing Spades is much better with Tournaments, Knock-Out and many other different modes! Spades is one of the traditional trick-taking classic card games like Bid Whist, Hearts, Euchre & Canasta, but this game is played in pairs in which spades is always the trump. ==SPADES PLUS FEATURES== FREE COINS Get thousands of coins as a one-time "Welcome Bonus," and earn even more coins by logging in daily to collect your "Daily Bonus" every day! DIFFERENT MODES Play Spades however you want! CLASSIC: Make your bid with your partner and challenge other teams VIP: Play the classic Partnership Spades in custom Tables SOLO: There is no partnership. Each player gets his/her own points MIRROR: You bid the number of your Spades Cards in your hand WHIZ: You can bid “NIL” or the number of your Spades Cards in your hand TOURNAMENTS & CHALLENGES Win the 16 player-Tournament or Knock-Out Challenge to get amazing prizes in spades online with friends! GREAT SOCIAL EXPERIENCE Meet new people and add them as friends to play card multiplayer games! Use Public or Private Chat to stay in touch with other players - play solitaire card games. CREATE YOUR OWN TABLES You can create tables in different modes. Choose your “Game Rule” type, set the “Bet Amount” and the “Final Point” or decide if there will be “Nil”, “Blind Nil” or “Chat” options. If you don’t want to be found, create your own “Private Table” where games are “Invite Only”. Additional information: SPADES PLUS is FREE to download and includes optional in-game purchases (including paid random items). Information about drop rates for paid random items can be found in-game. To manage or disable in-game purchases, go to Settings on your device. SPADES PLUS is intended for an adult audience only and does not offer real money gambling or an opportunity to win real money or prizes. Practice or success at social gaming does not imply future success at real money gambling. Requires an Internet connection (network fees may apply) Use of this application is governed by our Terms of Service, found at https://www.take2games.com/legal. For questions about the game, please review our game support page https://spadesplus.zynga.com/contact/. For information about how Zynga uses personal data, please read our privacy policy at www.take2games.com/privacy. Zynga Inc. 1200 Park Place San Mateo, California 94403 ©2026

Screenshots

Backgammon4 screens
Spades Plus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Spades Plus at every 9 days against Backgammon's every 5 months. Spades Plus also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (187K vs 15K). Backgammon's advantage is review sentiment (65% vs 41%). 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

Both are free to download. Backgammon sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Spades Plus sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spades Plus holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spades Plus has 187K ratings behind it against 15K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Backgammon's written reviews are positive against 41% of Spades Plus's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backgammon ships an update every 5 months, Spades Plus every 9 days. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Backgammon versus Spades Plus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammonSpades Plus
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (15K ratings)4.7 (187K ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.2% of reviews — better41.2% of reviews
Number of ratings15K187K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#11 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size123 MB494 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperWildCard Classics IncZynga Inc.

Customer experience

Backgammon

All ratings14,844 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews1,415 reviews
Positive65.2%
Neutral10.1%
Negative24.7%

Spades Plus

All ratings186,112 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews1,386 reviews
Positive41.2%
Neutral7.4%
Negative51.4%

User reviews

Backgammon

From 15K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Refresher
  • 👍 Bugs worked out
  • 👍 Love this game!
  • 👍 Fun
  • 👍 Great way to pass time

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Ads in middle of game
  • 🔍 Ads doubled in one month
  • 🔍 Too many ads interrupt the game
  • 🔍 Ads During Play
  • 🔍 Ads every three moves

Spades Plus

From 187K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 🚀 Addictive
  • 🚀 Fun to play
  • 🚀 Excellent game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Rigged algorithm
  • 🐛 Unfair hands
  • 🐛 Cheaters and bots
  • 🐛 Disconnection issues
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases

Bugs and requests

Backgammon

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Pieces no longer hand on the bars on iPads or iPad minis
  • Doesn't work anymore with the last update of the iPhone
  • Game freezes after ads
  • Crashes every time I try to open it
  • Pieces become minuscule after ads

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow offline playing
  • Turn based option
  • Ability to review board before doubling
  • Ability to undo moves

Spades Plus

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Coins disappearing after games
  • Freezing and crashing during gameplay
  • Incorrect score and win/loss tracking
  • Unresponsive or delayed app functionality

Requested features

6 requests
  • Randomize card dealing
  • Improve matchmaking and pairing
  • Implement better anti-cheat measures
  • Enhance chat moderation and reporting
  • Add practice mode without coins
Show 1 more
  • Improve connectivity and stability

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Backgammon

One-time2
  • Christmas Theme$0.99
  • Acey Deucey$1.99
10 purchases

Spades Plus

One-time10
  • Mini Feature Batch$0.49
  • 35,000 Coins$0.99
  • 160,000 Coins$3.99
Show 7 more
  • 280.000 Coins$3.99
  • 280,000 Coins$5.99
  • 20 Cash$5.99
  • 600.000 Coins$7.99
  • 600,000 Coins$10.99
  • 45 Cash$10.99
  • 1,500,000 Coins$21.99

Questions

Is Backgammon free?
Backgammon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Spades Plus free?
Spades Plus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Backgammon or Spades Plus?
Spades Plus is rated higher. Backgammon averages 4.4 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while Spades Plus averages 4.7 from 187K ratings.
Do Backgammon or Spades Plus have ads?
Both Backgammon and Spades Plus show ads.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon or Spades Plus?
Backgammon ships an update every 5 months, and Spades Plus every 9 days. Most recently, Backgammon was updated on November 12, 2026 and Spades Plus on November 12, 2026.

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