Comparison

Backgammon NJ 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 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

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 NJ4 screens
True Backgammon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: True Backgammon at $3.99 against Backgammon NJ's $4.99. On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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 NJ costs $4.99 and True Backgammon $3.99 up front. Backgammon NJ sells 3 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Backgammon NJ against 4.3 for True Backgammon. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 2.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of Backgammon NJ's written reviews are positive against 48% of True Backgammon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backgammon NJ ships an update every 9 days, True Backgammon fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 10 level
Backgammon NJ versus True Backgammon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammon NJTrue Backgammon
Price$4.99$3.99 — better
Rating4.4 (1.5K ratings) — better4.3 (2.6K ratings)
Positive reviews51.2% of reviews — better47.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1.5K2.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#52#35 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJimmy HuCompuLab, Markus Gömmel

Customer experience

Backgammon NJ

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

True Backgammon

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

User reviews

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

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 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

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

3 purchases

Backgammon NJ

One-time3
  • Analysis Package$2.99
  • Online VIP$2.99
  • Power User$4.99
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 NJ free?
Backgammon NJ costs $4.99, 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 NJ or True Backgammon?
Backgammon NJ is rated higher. Backgammon NJ averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while True Backgammon averages 4.3 from 2.6K ratings.
Do Backgammon NJ or True Backgammon have ads?
Neither Backgammon NJ nor True Backgammon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon NJ or True Backgammon?
Backgammon NJ ships an update every 9 days, and True Backgammon fortnightly. Most recently, Backgammon NJ was updated on September 23, 2026 and True Backgammon on September 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, Backgammon NJ or True Backgammon?
Backgammon NJ currently peaks at #52 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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