True Backgammon vs BG Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
BG Buddy
This app provides a comprehensive tool for scoring and managing backgammon matches. It features a tournament clock, dice roller, scorecard, and the ability to analyze game statistics and positions. It also includes accessibility features for visually impaired players.
- Tournament style match clock
- Match play with Jacoby, Beaver, and settlement options
- Win percentage tracking over time
- Position photo analysis
- Talking dice for visually impaired players
- Random dice with cube generator
- Automatic tweeting of results
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BG Buddy is a backgammon scoreboard and much more! Features include a tournament clock, dice, cube, scorecard, position photos and stats. Talking dice allow visually impaired players to play unaided. Everything you need to score and keep track of your live match data. •Tournament style match clock: Adjustable clock times and grace times for each player allowing for time handicaps. Clock presets include: -Standard (2 minutes/point + 12 seconds grace time per move) -Speedgammon 0.4 (26 seconds/point + 10) -Speedgammon 0.5 (30 seconds/point + 10) -Consultation Doubles (3 minutes/point + 15) •Match Play or Unlimited/Money games with Jacoby, Beaver and settlement options. •Win percentages. See how your win percentage has changed over time by selecting the previous: 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, 2 years, or all matches periods. Group your matches by event/tournament or opponent name and see your win percentages for each. •Take position photos to improve your game and keep them organised for each match. Match scores, cube value and cube decision appear under each photo. Mark photos to show the correct cube decision and whether you made the correct decision over the board. •Share you position photos via social media either immediately or after the match. Choose “Cube Action?” to test your friends without showing your actual play. •Baffle Box: Simple dice rolling screen. Talking dice + Tap to end Turn options. •Random dice with cube: Speed up your matches significantly - no shaking, no cocked dice, no floored dice. •Choice of dice generator including the Mersenne Twister Generator which uses a secret code input by each player before the match. This offers proof that the dice are fair. •Talking Dice feature for visually impaired players - audible dice, cube, clock times and score information at all times allowing unaided play. •Automatically tweet your game and match results.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: BG Buddy at 100% against True Backgammon's 48%. BG Buddy also leads on price (Free vs $3.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.3). True Backgammon's advantage is ratings volume (2.6K vs 5) and chart position (#27 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases 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
BG Buddy is free to download; True Backgammon costs $3.99 up front. True Backgammon sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and BG Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
BG Buddy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: True Backgammon has 2.6K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of True Backgammon's written reviews are positive against 100% of BG Buddy's.
True Backgammon ships an update fortnightly, BG Buddy monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | True Backgammon | BG Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (2.6K ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 48.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.6K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #27 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 9.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 69 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CompuLab, Markus Gömmel | James Knipe |
Customer experience
True Backgammon
BG Buddy
Bugs and requests
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
BG Buddy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
True Backgammon
- Playboard Orient 3$0.99
- Playboard Neon 1$0.99
- Playboard Neon 3$0.99
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- 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
BG Buddy
- BG Buddy Full Upgrade$1.99
Questions
Is True Backgammon free?
Is BG Buddy free?
Which has better reviews, True Backgammon or BG Buddy?
Do True Backgammon or BG Buddy have ads?
Which is updated more often, True Backgammon or BG Buddy?
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