Comparison

Backgammon Premium vs Backgammon Now

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

Head to head
About

Backgammon Premium

Experience the classic board game with a modern twist. Play against friends or strangers worldwide, test your skills against AI, and track your progress with detailed statistics. Enjoy multiple game variations and visually appealing board designs.

Highlights
  • Online multiplayer via Game Center
  • Background match-making
  • Single-player vs AI (Easy, Medium, Hard)
  • Match play with Doubling and Crawford Rule
  • Move-assist and unlimited undo
  • Extensive game statistics
  • Multiple board designs and game variations
Read full description

Play the #1 Backgammon on the App Store! Now with the best online Backgammon experience with background match-making and live games via Game Center. Challenge your friends, play against random opponents, compete for leaderboard glory, and earn achievements. - - - - - - ** Recommended by MacWorld as a Top Download for your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad in their November 2010 issue. ** “Backgammon Premium is the crème-de-la-crème ‘gammon’” 9 out of 10 stars Appaddicts.com! ** Nominated for “best dice game of 2009 in the 2009 Best App Ever Awards hosted by bestappever.com! - - - - - - Backgammon is believed to have started in Persia, eventually finding its way to Britain with the Roman conquest in the 1st century and was played by Emperor Claudius who even had his carriage equipped with a playing board! It became such a gambling mania that it was declared illegal under the Republic. Playing on the history of the game, there are 6 visually pleasing, rich board designs; Egyptian, Roman, Medieval, Victorian, Modern and Classic. We also offer, out of the box, two classic game variations: “Old English” and Nackgammon. “Old English” is the most popular game variation in England. Nackgammon is a more challenging variation designed to add more creativity and skill to the game. With integrated Bluetooth Peer-to-Peer support you can play with your friends over Bluetooth with no network required! You can also play against the computer in either Easy, Medium, or Hard difficulties. Features: - Play live against opponents worldwide with Game Center! - Background match-making: search for opponents while you play! - Single Player Games (with Easy, Medium, Hard or, soon, with our brand-new Expert player) - Match support! Play to 3, 5, 9 or 15 points with Doubling. Matches use the Crawford Rule - Move-Assist, highlights available moves - Unlimited “Undo” in single-player games - Extensive game statistics - Designed for iPhone & iPad

About

Backgammon Now

Experience a fun and relaxing way to play Backgammon. Challenge a computer opponent, track your progress with game stats, and enjoy customizable themes. Learn the game easily with built-in instructions and realistic dice physics.

Highlights
  • Computer opponent
  • Game stats tracking
  • Customizable board themes
  • Adjustable difficulty
  • Touch-to-move or drag-to-move
  • Random physics-based dice
  • Easy 'How to Play' guide
Features
Read full description

Experience a quick and awesome new way to play and learn Backgammon! We’ve added a great computer opponent to play against (and beat!) as well as Game Stats to help you keep track of your wins and let you see your performance improve! Enjoy the fun and laid-back challenge of Backgammon and discover the joy of this entertaining and relaxing game like never before! • Awesome board theme's to choose from • Choose your difficulty & improve your game! • Touch-to-move or drag-to-move, you choose! • Track your game stats & see your performance! • Truly random physics based dice throwing! • Get playing quick, with easy "How to Play" • A super smooth, fun and relaxing game! • Looks amazing, plays even better! For note, Backgammon Now's dice rolling algorithm. We use the Mersenne Twister algorithm to generate a lot of random values which we use to throw the dice with (a dice roll is based on many values), so it's only when the dice have rolled and landed that the game knows the outcome. It's as close to a real dice throw as possible! Backgammon Now (v1.6) a perfect entry into the world of Backgammon. _______________________________________________ Backgammon Now Premium monthly subscription also available, $1.49/£1.49/€1.49 monthly. New board themes, adds extended player stats (up to 14 days), adds custom dice, removes adverts from game and more. Subscription payments will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew each month unless you cancel it 24-hours prior to the end of the current term. You can manage your subscription settings and turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes Account settings. More Discover more amazing Cobra Mobile games at www.cobramobile.com Support Having problems? Visit www.cobramobile.com/support to see if we can help License Agreement www.cobramobile.com/eula/

Screenshots

Backgammon Premium4 screens
Backgammon Now4 screens

Verdict

The call

Backgammon Premium and Backgammon Now both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 78% of Backgammon Premium's written reviews are positive against 31% of Backgammon Now's. Backgammon Premium also leads on ratings volume (6.6K vs 346) and chart position (#25 vs unranked). Backgammon Now's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Backgammon Now is free to download; Backgammon Premium costs $2.99 up front. Backgammon Premium sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Backgammon Now sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Backgammon Premium holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backgammon Premium has 6.6K ratings behind it against 346, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Backgammon Premium's written reviews are positive against 31% of Backgammon Now's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backgammon Premium ships an update every 2 months, Backgammon Now every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Backgammon Premium versus Backgammon Now: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammon PremiumBackgammon Now
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (6.6K ratings) — better4.4 (346 ratings)
Positive reviews77.5% of reviews — better31.4% of reviews
Number of ratings6.6K — better346
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#25 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1312.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB144 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWildCard Classics IncCobra Mobile Limited

Customer experience

Backgammon Premium

All ratings6,562 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.7%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews809 reviews
Positive77.5%
Neutral8.7%
Negative13.8%

Backgammon Now

All ratings346 ratings
Positive83.2%
Neutral7.5%
Negative9.2%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive31.4%
Neutral17.1%
Negative51.4%

User reviews

Backgammon Premium

From 6.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Fun and challenging game
  • 📱 Great on-the-go game
  • 👍 Well-made and enjoyable
  • 🕹️ Classic game with good implementation
  • 🧠 Helps improve skills

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Computer gets too many favorable dice rolls
  • 🤖 Computer plays too aggressively at higher difficulties
  • 🔍 Pieces don't align properly on newer devices
  • 🔧 Bugs and glitches in recent updates
  • 🤔 Lack of customization and settings

Backgammon Now

From 346 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 User-friendly interface and easy navigation
  • 🎨 Visually appealing graphics and presentation
  • 🔊 Good sound effects and audio design
  • 📊 Tracks win/loss statistics and match history
  • 🎮 Suitable for beginners learning backgammon

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Dice rolls appear biased toward AI opponent
  • 🤖 AI makes illogical moves and poor strategy
  • 📺 Excessive ads disrupt gameplay experience
  • ⚙️ Inconsistent game rules and mechanics
  • 🐢 Game moves slowly with required confirmations

Bugs and requests

Backgammon Premium

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Pieces don't line up with board on iPad Pro
  • Game freezes and crashes on newer iOS versions
  • Opponent can quit mid-game without penalty

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add pass-and-play mode for local multiplayer
  • Improve dice roll randomness and fairness
  • Optimize game for latest devices and OS versions
  • Provide more board and piece customization options
  • Implement an undo/redo feature

Backgammon Now

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Game freezes and becomes unresponsive
  • App locks and prevents access to home screen
  • Stuck on ad screen with no way to close
  • Cannot connect to real players
  • Unauthorized clipboard pasting on app switch
Show 5 more
  • Incorrect piece placement and board setup
  • Cannot execute standard opening moves
  • AI takes pieces off board before collecting them all
  • Glitch allowing 16 counters in play
  • Inconsistent counter counting on takeoff board

Requested features

10 requests
  • Auto-finish option when both sides are clear
  • Ability to initiate doubling cube independently
  • Hot seat/pass-and-play multiplayer mode
  • Game save functionality for longer durations
  • Adjustable difficulty settings
Show 5 more
  • Undo button for move corrections
  • Larger board display for better visibility
  • Replay feature for past matches
  • Turn-based gameplay mode
  • Faster game progression without confirmations

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Backgammon Premium

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

Backgammon Now

Subscriptions1
  • BACKGAMMON NOW PREMIUM 1 MONTH$1.491 Month
One-time2
  • UNLOCK BOARDS of the WORLD$0.99
  • REMOVE ALL ADVERTS$1.99

Questions

Is Backgammon Premium free?
Backgammon Premium costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Backgammon Now free?
Backgammon Now is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Backgammon Premium or Backgammon Now?
Backgammon Premium is rated higher. Backgammon Premium averages 4.6 out of 5 from 6.6K ratings, while Backgammon Now averages 4.4 from 346 ratings.
Do Backgammon Premium or Backgammon Now have ads?
Both Backgammon Premium and Backgammon Now show ads.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon Premium or Backgammon Now?
Backgammon Premium ships an update every 2 months, and Backgammon Now every 3 months. Most recently, Backgammon Premium was updated on September 28, 2026 and Backgammon Now on September 26, 2026.

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