Comparison

Card Shark Collection™ 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

Card Shark Collection™

This app offers a vast collection of solitaire and traditional card games with a smooth 3D interface. Customize your game with custom tables, card backs, and fronts. Enjoy features like infinite undo and automatic game saving.

Highlights
  • Diverse card game collection
  • Customizable tables, card backs, and fronts
  • Smooth 3D presentation with animation
  • Elegant drag-and-drop interface
  • Infinite undo/redo
  • Tap foundation to autoplay cards
  • Automatic game saving and resuming
Features
Read full description

Card Shark includes a diverse and growing collection of solitaire and traditional card games. Card Shark is iPad and retina display compatible, and features the ability to install custom tables, card backs, and even card fronts. Supported games include: Klondike (Classic Solitaire), FreeCell, Cassino, Canfield, Basic Rummy, Gin Rummy, Rummy 500, Spider Solitaire, Cruel Solitaire, Beleaguered Castle, Spiderette, Bristol Solitaire, Hearts, Memory Match (Concentration), Speed Match, Calculation, Forty Thieves, Euchre (US), Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better Draw Poker, Aces Up, Spades (non-partnership variant), Limit Texas Hold 'Em, Speed, Batsford Solitaire, Josephine, Red & Black, Sea Towers, Crazy Eights, Tripeaks, Golf, Eagle Wing, Pyramid, Old Maid, War, Go Fish, 13 Packs (aka Grandma's Game), Royal Cotillion, Blackjack (21), Royal Parade, Thieves of Egypt, Scorpion, Pile On, Montana, Canfield, Clock Solitaire, Kings Corner, Russian Cell, Yukon, I Doubt It, Four Seasons, Crescent, Osmosis (aka Treasure Trove), Canasta, La Belle Lucie, Australian Solitaire, Egyptian Ratscrew, SheepsHead(new), Kings in the Corner, Eight Off, Queenie (new), Samara (new) Card Shark combines a silky smooth 3d presentation with tasteful animation, sounds, and an elegant drag-drop interface that has been lovingly fine-tuned for the touch screen. Touches and drag targets are forgiving, and piles are automatically split following completed gestures. Touch foundation piles to automatically complete a game. Why clutter your device with separate card games, when you can stock it with a quality collection that continues to be expanded and improved regularly based on user requests? Features include: - layouts for left/right handed stock placement - infinite undo/redo supported in all solitaire variants - tap foundation to autoplay cards - does not interfere with ipod background music - automatically saved/resumed games & statistics - multiple cards fronts, backs, and tables with ability to install new ones from your photo library An online FAQ is available through the in-game help system. This answers common questions about the supported games and offers a sneak peak at features and new games slated for the next update. Feature and new game requests are always welcome. "Out of all of the solitaire type card games I have tried, this one is by far the best I have come across in quite a long while." - www.geardiary.com Featured as an outstanding app in Wired Magazine's 2011 App Guide!

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

Card Shark Collection™4 screens
True Backgammon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Card Shark Collection™ at 84% against True Backgammon's 48%. Card Shark Collection™ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12) and rating (4.8 vs 4.3). True Backgammon's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On ads, chart position 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

Card Shark Collection™ costs $2.99 and True Backgammon $3.99 up front. True Backgammon sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Card Shark Collection™ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Card Shark Collection™ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Card Shark Collection™ has 13K ratings behind it against 2.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Card Shark Collection™'s written reviews are positive against 48% of True Backgammon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Card Shark Collection™ ships an update every 2 months, True Backgammon fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Card Shark Collection™ versus True Backgammon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCard Shark Collection™True Backgammon
Price$2.99 — better$3.99
Rating4.8 (13K ratings) — better4.3 (2.7K ratings)
Positive reviews83.9% of reviews — better48.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13K — better2.7K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#27 — better#29
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB69 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperEasy 8 SoftwareCompuLab, Markus Gömmel

Customer experience

Card Shark Collection™

All ratings13,361 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews552 reviews
Positive83.9%
Neutral7.2%
Negative8.9%

True Backgammon

All ratings2,649 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral5.2%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews481 reviews
Positive48.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative43.2%

User reviews

Card Shark Collection™

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Huge variety of card games
  • 👍 Easy to learn and play
  • 🎨 Customizable card designs
  • 🔒 No ads or in-app purchases
  • ⏱️ Keeps track of game stats

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🔄 Repetitive AI behavior in some games
  • 🕹️ Difficult to control card movements on smaller screens
  • 🤖 AI opponents sometimes seem to 'cheat'

True Backgammon

From 2.7K 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

Card Shark Collection™

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Euchre and Rummy 500 games not working after recent update
  • Card movements become jerky and hard to follow in some games
  • Canfield game has an issue with card stacks getting smaller
  • Occasional freezing when rotating device in certain games

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more multiplayer game modes
  • Provide hints or tutorials for new games
  • Allow adjustable difficulty levels for AI opponents
  • Implement cloud sync to access progress across devices

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

None

Card Shark Collection™

No in-app purchases

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 Card Shark Collection™ free?
Card Shark Collection™ costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is True Backgammon free?
True Backgammon costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Card Shark Collection™ or True Backgammon?
Card Shark Collection™ is rated higher. Card Shark Collection™ averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while True Backgammon averages 4.3 from 2.7K ratings.
Do Card Shark Collection™ or True Backgammon have ads?
Neither Card Shark Collection™ nor True Backgammon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Card Shark Collection™ or True Backgammon?
Card Shark Collection™ ships an update every 2 months, and True Backgammon fortnightly. Most recently, Card Shark Collection™ was updated on October 27, 2026 and True Backgammon on October 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, Card Shark Collection™ or True Backgammon?
Card Shark Collection™ currently peaks at #27 in the App Store charts, and True Backgammon at #29. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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