iPlayingCards (Lite) vs Card Game Simulator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iPlayingCards (Lite)
This app provides a virtual deck of cards for playing various card games with others. It supports multi-device play via Game Center, WiFi, or Bluetooth, and offers features like shuffling, dealing, and hidden hands.
- Virtual card deck
- Multi-device play (Game Center, WiFi, Bluetooth)
- Hidden hands with device tilting
- Shuffling, dealing, cutting, flipping
- Customizable card backs
- Quick game setup for 21 games
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iPlayingCards (Lite) Version 3.4 – A 'virtual' deck of cards for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. (NOTE: Use this App to play card games with other people - just like a 'real' deck; but it is NOT a 'game-playing' program.) Play cards on one or multiple devices (using Game Center, Local WiFi or Bluetooth - Bluetooth works on airplanes). Cards move with the touch of a finger. When playing with a shared device, use four hidden hands – a hand become visible only when the device is tilted on its side facing that direction. When playing with multiple devices, each device can display a different hand. Many features – shuffling, dealing, cutting, flipping, sorting, etc.. Eight classic decks for playing games such as Poker, Sixty-Six, Piquet, Belote, Jass, Durak, Scopa, Mus, Five Hundred, Pinochle, Bezique or Canasta. Fast set-up of 21 different games (including those and Black Jack, Bridge, Crazy Eights, Gin, Go Fish, Hearts, Oh Hell!, Rummy and War). In this Lite Version, the deck can be automatically shuffled into only six predetermined random decks. An In-App Purchase upgrade, available for a small fee from the iTunes App Store, has unlimited random shuffling. (Manual rearranging of the cards in this Lite Version is possible for those unable to purchase the full version.) Many features: Connect multiple iPhones, iPads or iPod touches together using Game Center (anywhere on Earth) or Local WiFi or Bluetooth (within 30 feet). Move cards and piles anywhere on the screen/table - move a card with one-touch moves - flip a card with a tap - rotate a card with a two-tap move - move a card lower in the deck with a reverse-tap - move and spread piles with two-touch moves - rotate and flip piles with a double tap Four hidden hands - each hand becomes visible when device is tilted onto a side - only the person on that side can see that hand - sort hands by suits/rank, right/left, SHDC/SHCD, ace high/low, - show the number of cards in each hidden hand - limit the hands that other connected devices can show The deck - adjust the size of the cards on the table from small to big - adjust the size of the cards in each hand separately - add 1 or 2 Jokers - pick any photo from your Photo Album for the back of the cards - 9 classic decks - 24, 32, 36, 40, 43, 48, 64 or 104 cards Automatic dealing - deal to 1, 2, 3 or 4 players or to an adjacent pile - deal from 1 to 13 cards to 1-4 players, or 26 to 2 players - deal face up or face down - deal cascaded or stacked - advance the dealer on each shuffle Quick set-up of the deck, the deal and the hands for 21 different games Animated random shuffling (see Lite Version limitation above) Animated cut card feature Drawing region on screens to write notes Please contact us with any questions, comments or suggestions. ContactUs@iPlayingCardsApp.com Screen shots shown below: 1)Crazy 8’s - tilted to face player West - West is playing a King and changing the suit to Diamonds. South holds 12 cards. 2)Bridge – South bid 5 Diamonds, West played the Ace of Spades, North is Dummy and South is now playing the 8 of Spades. South will make 5 Diamonds if the King of Hearts finesse is on. 3)Texas hold ‘em tilted to face player South – pair of Kings awaiting the river card. 4)Same Texas hold ‘em but on second, Bluetooth-connected device tilted to face player East – two pair awaiting the river card. Card backing from second device's Photo Album. 5)Klondike Solitaire – the deal function is set to three cards to an adjacent pile, face up, cascaded.
Card Game Simulator
Design, import, and play custom card games on a virtual tabletop. Create your own rules, import unique cards, and share your creations with friends online or locally. Features a deck editor and a searchable card explorer.
- Create custom card games
- Import custom cards and images
- Organize decks and cards
- Play with friends online or locally
- Virtual tabletop gameplay
- Searchable card explorer
- Deck editor
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Create, share, and play card games with Card Game Simulator! Create your own original card games, import custom cards, organize your decks and cards, and play card games with your friends. All on an intuitive virtual tabletop! # Create and Share Games: You can download additional games by selecting the center card game in the Main Menu. Press the download button that appears and enter the CGS AutoUpdate URL for the game you would like to download. If you enable Developer Mode, you can easily create your own games by importing images onto custom boards and tables, and create custom cards and decks. You can also define your own custom game(s) by following the Custom Games Documentation on the CGS website! # Cards Explorer: See all the cards laid out neatly and easily search-able, with the option to filter for any search criteria. If you enable Developer Mode, you can also add custom cards here. # Deck Editor: Some card games will come with pre-built decks, but you can always create new decks by writing in card names or with the visual Deck Editor. You can load up and edit existing decks, or you can start with completely new decks to add and save for later. # Multi-player: Create online rooms with optional passwords to ensure only your friends Join your game. You can play over LAN or over the internet. # Single-player: You can immediately Start a game, either to play by yourself or to play with friends hot-seat style. # Key Features: - Online sandbox with unlimited games to play how you want. - Create and play your own original games. - Play just like you do in real life; pick up, rotate, and flip any card. - Up to 10 people can play online together on the same table. - Save, load, and share decks. - Multiple "drawer"s allow you to play locally on the same computer with your friends. - Default games: Standard French-Suited 52-cards, Dominoes, and Mahjong
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Card Game Simulator at none against iPlayingCards (Lite)'s 1. Card Game Simulator also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (57% vs 43%). iPlayingCards (Lite)'s advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. iPlayingCards (Lite) sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Card Game Simulator asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.7 for iPlayingCards (Lite) against 3.6 for Card Game Simulator. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 17 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 43% of iPlayingCards (Lite)'s written reviews are positive against 57% of Card Game Simulator's.
iPlayingCards (Lite) ships an update every 3 months, Card Game Simulator weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iPlayingCards (Lite) | Card Game Simulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (6 ratings) — better | 3.6 (17 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | 57.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 17 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 228 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Peter Kramer | Finol Digital LLC |
Customer experience
iPlayingCards (Lite)
Card Game Simulator
In-app purchases
iPlayingCards (Lite)
- upgrade that allows unlimited random shuffling$1.99
Card Game Simulator
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is iPlayingCards (Lite) free?
Is Card Game Simulator free?
Which has better reviews, iPlayingCards (Lite) or Card Game Simulator?
Do iPlayingCards (Lite) or Card Game Simulator have ads?
Which is updated more often, iPlayingCards (Lite) or Card Game Simulator?
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