Comparison

Backgammon Pro vs Backgammon NJ HD

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

Head to head
About

Backgammon Pro

Experience the classic board game on your mobile device. Play against friends or a challenging AI with adjustable difficulty. Enjoy features like move highlighting, match play, and automatic saving.

Highlights
  • 1 and 2 player gameplay
  • Challenging AI with 3 difficulty levels
  • Highlighting of possible moves
  • Match play to configurable points
  • Undo function
  • Automatic save
Features
Read full description

Play the classic game of Backgammon on your iPhone or iPod Touch! Backgammon Pro is the best Backgammon app available for iOS. Backgammon Pro supports both 1 player and 2 player gameplay, so you can play against friends or test your skills against a challenging computer opponent. Backgammon Pro includes a host of exciting features, including: • Outstanding AI with three difficulty levels • Highlighting of possible moves • One touch or double touch move entry • Match play to a configurable number of points • Undo function • Configurable player names and score tracking • Automatic save when you exit or suspend the app • Great graphics and awesome sound effects If you've been looking for a great Backgammon app for your iPhone or iPod Touch, look no further. Download Backgammon Pro today!

About

Backgammon NJ HD

Play backgammon against a powerful AI, a friend on the same device, or players worldwide. Improve your skills with tutor mode and detailed analysis. Offers customizable options and supports all iOS devices.

Highlights
  • Neural network AI
  • Online multiplayer (real-time & turn-based)
  • 2-player mode on one device
  • Tutor Mode & Hints
  • Customizable board and checkers
  • Match play and single games
  • Game Center integration
Features
Currently charting
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 ● UNIVERSAL -- Supports iPad, iPhone, & iPod touch Play & learn backgammon at skill levels from beginner to world-class! Backgammon NJ HD 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 & others. Using Tutor Mode & Hints, Backgammon NJ HD 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 & friends." -Phil Simborg, Professional Backgammon Teacher & 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 & 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 pts • 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 • Tap-to-move interface • Highlighted checker movement options • Hint & Undo • Learn with 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 Pro4 screens
Backgammon NJ HD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Backgammon Pro at none against Backgammon NJ HD's 3. Backgammon Pro also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and price ($4.99 vs $7.99). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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 Pro costs $4.99 and Backgammon NJ HD $7.99 up front. Backgammon NJ HD sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Backgammon Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Backgammon Pro against 4.5 for Backgammon NJ HD. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.4K and 3.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 52% of Backgammon Pro's written reviews are positive against 56% of Backgammon NJ HD's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backgammon Pro ships an update every 2 months, Backgammon NJ HD every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Backgammon Pro versus Backgammon NJ HD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammon ProBackgammon NJ HD
Price$4.99 — better$7.99
Rating4.6 (3.4K ratings) — better4.5 (3.6K ratings)
Positive reviews51.6% of reviews55.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.4K3.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#8 — better#134
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.4
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOptime Software LLCJimmy Hu

Customer experience

Backgammon Pro

All ratings3,444 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral5.2%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews347 reviews
Positive51.6%
Neutral16.4%
Negative32.0%

Backgammon NJ HD

All ratings3,647 ratings
Positive88.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews578 reviews
Positive55.5%
Neutral8.0%
Negative36.5%

User reviews

Backgammon Pro

From 3.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Excellent game mechanics
  • 📊 Challenging AI opponent
  • 💻 Smooth and responsive gameplay
  • 🎨 Visually appealing graphics

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Perceived bias in dice rolls
  • 🤖 Predictable AI behavior at higher levels
  • 🕰️ Slow pace of gameplay
  • 🔇 Inability to adjust volume

Backgammon NJ HD

From 3.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Excellent backgammon app
  • 🧠 Challenging AI opponent
  • 🔍 Helpful analysis and stats
  • 📚 Great for learning and improving

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Questionable dice rolls and randomness
  • 🤖 AI appears to cheat or have unfair advantage
  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 💰 Paid app with in-app purchases

Bugs and requests

Backgammon Pro

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Occasional app crashes
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • Inconsistent behavior of undo function

Requested features

4 requests
  • Online multiplayer mode
  • Customizable game settings
  • Comprehensive statistics tracking
  • Ability to resign/forfeit games

Backgammon NJ HD

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent crashes
  • Unreliable online play and matchmaking
  • Issues with syncing progress across devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Manual dice rolling option
  • Ability to undo moves
  • Improved online/multiplayer experience
  • More difficulty levels

In-app purchases

None

Backgammon Pro

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Backgammon NJ HD

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

Questions

Is Backgammon Pro free?
Backgammon Pro costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Backgammon NJ HD free?
Backgammon NJ HD costs $7.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Backgammon Pro or Backgammon NJ HD?
Backgammon Pro is rated higher. Backgammon Pro averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.4K ratings, while Backgammon NJ HD averages 4.5 from 3.6K ratings.
Do Backgammon Pro or Backgammon NJ HD have ads?
Neither Backgammon Pro nor Backgammon NJ HD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon Pro or Backgammon NJ HD?
Backgammon Pro ships an update every 2 months, and Backgammon NJ HD every 5 months. Most recently, Backgammon Pro was updated on October 12, 2026 and Backgammon NJ HD on October 12, 2026.
Which is more popular, Backgammon Pro or Backgammon NJ HD?
Backgammon Pro currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and Backgammon NJ HD at #134. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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