Comparison

Backgammon Premium vs Backgammon NJ

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 NJ

Engage in classic backgammon against a sophisticated AI, a friend on the same device, or players worldwide. Improve your skills with tutor mode and hints, and customize your game experience.

Highlights
  • Neural network AI opponent
  • Online multiplayer (real-time & turn-based)
  • Local 2-player mode
  • Tutor Mode and Hints
  • Customizable board and checkers
  • Match play up to 25 points
  • Game Center integration
Features
Read full description

● GAME CENTER -- Play online, chat, invite friends, auto-match with random players { Real-time } Play online in real-time { Turn-based } Play online at your own pace ● VERSATILE -- Play offline vs. computer or against another person in 2-player mode ● CUSTOMIZABLE -- More options than any other backgammon app Play & learn backgammon at skill levels ranging from beginner to world-class! Backgammon NJ is a full-featured game which uses an advanced, neural network-based, artificial intelligence. Play against a computer AI, another person in 2-player mode on one device, or online against friends & other players. Using Tutor Mode & Hints, Backgammon NJ can show you how to improve your game! Discriminating players will appreciate how well the AI plays. It uses a neural network trained on millions of positions, a bearoff database, & a match equity table to achieve strong gameplay that will challenge even expert players. REVIEWS "[I] know strong bg play when I see it. This app is the strongest iPhone bg app I've played with by far. It does not cheat period. ...Analyzing these matches with eXtreme Gammon confirms a world class level of play with normal luck factors. If you are losing, get over it. So would 99.9% of the other backgammon players in the world. It is just that good. Learn from it." -Richard Munitz, Giant of Backgammon, #21 world ranking in 2009 "Backgammon NJ plays at an extremely high level with an excellent interface, and I often use it to practice on my iPhone when I am traveling. I recommend it highly to my students and friends." -Phil Simborg, Professional Backgammon Teacher and Player, www.mindgamescenter.com "I've played over 500 games now; I've checked about 5% of these against World Class Desktop programs (GNU, BGBlitz); and I've actually used some of the competition. NJ has the best interface and has more useful functions than any other backgammon apps out there." "For serious backgammon players, Backgammon NJ is the way to go." -Macworld.com, May 2012 IS THIS GAME RIGHT FOR YOU? This game is best for people: • Who recognize the strength of neural network backgammon bots • Who want to improve their game by playing against a world-class level AI • Who will use the in-depth, technical features included in the app to prove that it is honest (https://www.njsoftware.com/note.html) • Who won't expect to win consistently on the higher skill levels FEATURES • Neural network-based AI • 2 game types: Standard Backgammon or Nackgammon • 4 skill levels: Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert • Customizable board design & checker colors • Mersenne Twister algorithm for random number generation • Doubling cube • Single games or match play up to 25 points • Crawford rule for match play • 1-player mode vs. computer • 2-player mode on one device • Game Center: Play real-time or turn-based online matches with friends & other players • Chat with your online opponent • Online Elo & Experience leaderboards • Block list for auto-match • User-friendly, tap-to-move interface • Highlighted checker movement options • Hint & Undo • Learn with Status Meter & Tutor Mode • Game & dice stats, including Elo rating & ER • Match info: GnuBG ID, win chances, equity, top 10 moves, & cube decisions • Email match files • Practice mode with unlimited undo (1-player vs. computer) • Manual match recording mode with unlimited undo & speed mode option • Options to reverse board direction, resign, use one-tap moves, auto bearoff, auto finish, use Jacoby rule, & much more • Match analysis (in-app purchase): Analyze past match files, view moves & errors for match, step through match, jump to position, play from position, save match files permanently IMPORTANT • If an online match ends for any reason, you'll receive the Elo pts you deserve. FAQ: https://gamecenter.njsoftware.com • Contact us for help: https://contact.njsoftware.com

Screenshots

Backgammon Premium4 screens
Backgammon NJ4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Backgammon NJ at none against Backgammon Premium's shown. Backgammon NJ also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). Backgammon Premium's advantage is review sentiment (78% vs 51%) and price ($2.99 vs $4.99). On rating, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position 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 Premium costs $2.99 and Backgammon NJ $4.99 up front. Backgammon Premium sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Backgammon NJ sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. 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. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.6K and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Backgammon Premium's written reviews are positive against 51% of Backgammon NJ's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backgammon Premium ships an update every 2 months, Backgammon NJ every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Backgammon Premium versus Backgammon NJ: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammon PremiumBackgammon NJ
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.6 (6.6K ratings) — better4.4 (1.5K ratings)
Positive reviews77.6% of reviews — better51.2% of reviews
Number of ratings6.6K — better1.5K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#18 — better#52
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13 — better15.4
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWildCard Classics IncJimmy Hu

Customer experience

Backgammon Premium

All ratings6,562 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.7%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews808 reviews
Positive77.6%
Neutral8.5%
Negative13.9%

Backgammon NJ

All ratings1,498 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral6.0%
Negative9.9%
Written reviews402 reviews
Positive51.2%
Neutral11.2%
Negative37.6%

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 NJ

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent gameplay
  • 🤖 Challenging AI opponent
  • 📊 Detailed game analysis and statistics
  • 👍 Smooth and intuitive interface
  • 🏆 Helps improve player skills

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Perceived unfairness in dice rolls
  • 🤖 AI opponent seen as cheating or having an unfair advantage
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
  • 💰 Expensive for a mobile game

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 NJ

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Forced moves not always the best option
  • Inconsistent behavior in auto-bear-off mode
  • Online games prone to disconnections and timeouts

Requested features

4 requests
  • Manual dice roll option to verify randomness
  • Ability to set custom difficulty levels
  • Online multiplayer with chat functionality
  • Improved tutorial and learning resources

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Backgammon Premium

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

Backgammon NJ

One-time3
  • Analysis Package$2.99
  • Online VIP$2.99
  • Power User$4.99

Questions

Is Backgammon Premium free?
Backgammon Premium costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Backgammon NJ free?
Backgammon NJ costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Backgammon Premium or Backgammon NJ?
Backgammon Premium is rated higher. Backgammon Premium averages 4.6 out of 5 from 6.6K ratings, while Backgammon NJ averages 4.4 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Backgammon Premium or Backgammon NJ have ads?
Backgammon Premium shows ads; Backgammon NJ does not.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon Premium or Backgammon NJ?
Backgammon Premium ships an update every 2 months, and Backgammon NJ every 9 days. Most recently, Backgammon Premium was updated on September 24, 2026 and Backgammon NJ on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Backgammon Premium or Backgammon NJ?
Backgammon Premium currently peaks at #18 in the App Store charts, and Backgammon NJ at #52. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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