Comparison

Backgammon Premium vs True Backgammon

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

True Backgammon

Engage in classic backgammon against challenging computer opponents or human players online. Customize your game with various board designs and difficulty levels. Connect with friends for local or online matches.

Highlights
  • Play against computer or humans
  • Three difficulty levels
  • Modern and ornate board designs
  • In-app purchase for world-class AI
  • Local and online multiplayer
  • Voice chat with opponents
  • Optimized for iOS
Features
Read full description

One of the most successful backgammon games on the iPad/iPhone, one of the most powerful computer opponents in the world. ALL THE FACTS IN UNDER 30 SECONDS * Play against computer or humans. Choose from three difficulty levels. Play on a cool modern wood or metal board, or choose from beautiful and richly ornamented optional boards. Play from left or right or play using black or white checkers. Play against friends in the same room or play against people anywhere on the Internet. Your choice, your game. * One of the best backgammon AI in the world (BGBlitz) is available as an in-app purchase as your opponent or tutor. Find out how good you already are and let BGBlitz teach you how to get better. After all, who doesn't like to win? * Connect with friends by playing with them in 2-player mode on the same device or anywhere in the world over the network. An occasional game is a great way to stay in touch with friends or to meet new people. * Available for iPad and iPhone (iOS 15 or later). Optimised for the latest iOS. * You could be playing backgammon like never before in less than a minute. What are you waiting for? STILL NOT CONVINCED? READ MORE… ALWAYS READY WHEN YOU ARE - COMPUTER OPPONENT Whether in the middle of the night or during your coffee break, your computer is always ready for a match. Choose from three difficulty levels to suit your skill level. For those who want to play only the best, a world-class artificial intelligence opponent is available as an in-app purchase. Casual play or competitive match? True Backgammon has an opponent for you that is fun to play with or that is a teeth grinding challenge. PLAY WITH PEOPLE NEAR YOU - GAME BOARD MODE Imagine you are with friends and want to pass the time with a game? Or are you on the train playing against the computer and one of your fellow commuters turns out to be a backgammon player too? You don't need to carry around a real board with you all the time. Instead, True Backgammon is your board. CONNECT WITH FRIENDS OR PLAY AGAINST RANDOM OPPONENTS ONLINE - GAME CENTER Would you rather play against a human than an AI, but there is no opponent in sight? Join the growing community of people playing True Backgammon online every day on an iPad, iPhone, iPod, iMac or MacBook. There's always someone ready to play. And not only can you play with them, you can talk to them using the built-in voice chat. BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER - GAME BOARDS We didn't just want to make good AI and smooth gameplay, we also wanted to make it look good. No, not just good... we wanted them to look drop dead gorgeous. We found a skilled designer and then tortured him with feedback until we were satisfied. The result is two boards (metal and wood) that look awesome, while offering little visual distraction to keep you focused on your strategy. And for those who love a little distraction, we let the designer run wild with a selection of (optional) fancy boards, rich in decoration and beautiful detail. Which is your favourite? AAAND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BOARD, A MULTI-OLYMPIC CHAMPION AI - BEEE GEEEE BLITZ From time to time there is an Olympic tournament for backgammon programs. We have persuaded the creator of the three-time winner BGBlitz to make his AI available to True Backgammon users. This AI is a world class opponent for those who want to play only the best. And it is a patient tutor. BGBlitz offers a tutor mode that will point out moves that are not optimal and show you better ones. It also gives you statistics, and you can export your current game to the common SGF format to analyse it with other applications like XG2, BGBlitz or gnuBG. WHAT ELSE CAN WE SAY? To cut a long story short, we have put a lot of effort into this application, not only in the gameplay, but on every level. If you choose it, we are sure you will not be disappointed.

Screenshots

Backgammon Premium4 screens
True Backgammon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: True Backgammon at none against Backgammon Premium's shown. True Backgammon also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Backgammon Premium's advantage is review sentiment (78% vs 48%) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). On ratings volume, 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 True Backgammon $3.99 up front. Backgammon Premium sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and True Backgammon sells 12 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 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.6K and 2.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Backgammon Premium's written reviews are positive against 48% of True Backgammon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backgammon Premium ships an update every 2 months, True Backgammon fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Backgammon Premium versus True Backgammon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammon PremiumTrue Backgammon
Price$2.99 — better$3.99
Rating4.6 (6.6K ratings) — better4.3 (2.6K ratings)
Positive reviews77.6% of reviews — better47.9% of reviews
Number of ratings6.6K — better2.6K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#18 — better#35
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWildCard Classics IncCompuLab, Markus Gömmel

Customer experience

Backgammon Premium

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

True Backgammon

All ratings2,649 ratings
Positive82.3%
Neutral5.2%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews472 reviews
Positive47.9%
Neutral8.5%
Negative43.6%

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

True Backgammon

From 2.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 📊 Helpful tutor and analysis features
  • 🎨 Attractive and intuitive interface
  • 🕹️ Realistic backgammon experience

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Dice rolls perceived as biased towards the computer
  • 🤖 Computer opponent seen as too lucky or advantaged
  • 🧠 Difficulty level imbalance (too easy or too hard)
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes

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

True Backgammon

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Dice not registering correctly
  • Game freezing or becoming unresponsive
  • Issues with the human-computer move synchronization

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to play against other human players online
  • More customization options for the board and pieces
  • Detailed player statistics and progress tracking
  • Improved doubling cube functionality

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Backgammon Premium

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

True Backgammon

One-time12
  • Playboard Orient 3$0.99
  • Playboard Neon 1$0.99
  • Playboard Neon 3$0.99
Show 9 more
  • Playboard Orient 1$0.99
  • Playboard Orient 2$0.99
  • Playboard Leather$0.99
  • Playboard Neon 2$0.99
  • Neon Package$1.99
  • Orient Package$1.99
  • BGBlitz Tutor$1.99
  • BGBlitz Gameplay Engine$3.99
  • BGBlitz Package$4.99

Questions

Is Backgammon Premium free?
Backgammon Premium costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is True Backgammon free?
True Backgammon costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Backgammon Premium or True Backgammon?
Backgammon Premium is rated higher. Backgammon Premium averages 4.6 out of 5 from 6.6K ratings, while True Backgammon averages 4.3 from 2.6K ratings.
Do Backgammon Premium or True Backgammon have ads?
Backgammon Premium shows ads; True Backgammon does not.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon Premium or True Backgammon?
Backgammon Premium ships an update every 2 months, and True Backgammon fortnightly. Most recently, Backgammon Premium was updated on September 24, 2026 and True Backgammon on September 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, Backgammon Premium or True Backgammon?
Backgammon Premium currently peaks at #18 in the App Store charts, and True Backgammon at #35. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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