PANDANET(Go) vs Surround
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PANDANET(Go)
Play, view, and learn the ancient strategy game of Go on your mobile device. Connect with a global community, watch professional matches, and improve your skills with daily challenges and archived games.
- Real-time game viewing and play
- Watch professional Go matches
- Daily Go trivia questions
- Social networking features
- Match history and archives
- Automated opponent matching
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At long last, a free iOS-compatible Go app is now available through Pandanet! Approximately 80 thousand members from more than 150 countries use the Pandanet Go Match website and its world-class online Go Salon. Go is gaining popularity around the world as a "mind game," and now Pandanet brings it to your fingertips to be enjoyed at home or "on the go." == App Features == [Game Viewing] This feature allows you to display a list of users currently in rooms, view matches in real time, etc. If you have a Pandanet account already, you can play games. At least 1,000 members are logged in at all times, allowing you to play or view Go matches 24 hours a day, every day of the year. A perfect way to wile the time during commutes to work or school. Plus a reliable, patented rating system allows you to match up with anyone, regardless of skill differences, under the appropriate handicaps to even out the playing field. -------- [Pro Games] This feature enables you to view live or archived title matches between top professional Go players, including the Qisheng, Meijin, Honinbo, Oza, Gosei, and Judan matches. Various other professional matches, Pair Go championship games, and even amateur tournaments are available for live or archival viewing as well. -------- [News / Streaming] Go has been gaining worldwide popularity as an international "mind game". Pandanet features a stream of relevant, up-to-date Go-related information, including professional title match and amateur match information in real time. -------- [Invitation] Pressing "Invitation" at the bottom of the screen will display a list of potential opponents who you can invite to play in a match. You can also select "Any player", which has the computer automatically match you with an opponent who meets your conditions. Checking the "Received" box shows invitations received from other players, and checking the "Sent" box shows you details for invitations that you've sent out. -------- [Question-a-day] A question is asked each day, covering various genres. Questions are updated on a daily basis, allowing you to answer at your own leisure. Answering a little each day will surely improve your playing skills. -------- [Net Social Plaza] - Pandanet offers a "Social Plaza" (SNS) feature that includes the following services: - The option to view your own match history and records. - The option to join a community that interests you, and to socialize with other community members by posting on a forum and sending messages. -------- [Archive] Every match you've played can be saved to the software. You can also enter your own game records to store them, enter a variation diagram, etc. so that you can look through past matches anywhere at any time. -------- [Settings] You can change the following settings, or check app controls here. == Content unrelated to matches == - Account - Change status - Set info - Move room + Match-related content + - Show coordinates - Change autoplay speed - Confirm moves - Zoom out after move - Adjust volume * Layout features such as stones and boards can be customized in the iPad version. -------- == Intro to Pandanet Events & Tournaments == Pandanet holds a variety of Go tournaments and events. (1) SportAccord-Pandanet Cup Online Go Tournament The "SportAccord Go Online Tournament" and "Pandanet Cup Internet World Amateur Go Tournament" were combined to form this large-scale internet world Go tournament. It's held for classes ranging from indiscriminate to C Class, and awesome prizes are awarded to the champions in each class. Participation is free, so please take advantage of this unique opportunity to compete with Go fans from around the world. (2) Pandanet Go European Team Championship Five players, each representing a European country, play in team competition. (3) Pandanet-AGA City League Five players, each representing an American city, play in team competition. (Many more events are available as well. Check the website for details.) --------
Surround
Play the strategy board game Go online with a global community. Engage in live or turn-based matches, observe ongoing games, and chat with fellow players. Features a convenient home screen widget and notifications for your turn.
- Play live and turn-based Go games
- Observe ongoing games
- Chat with other players
- Home screen widget for correspondence games
- Notifications for game turns
- Dark mode support
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Surround is a client to play Go online with other players on the website online-go.com (Online Go Server - OGS). OGS is a very popular Go Server with a friendly community, and this app aims to provide the best OGS experience on iPhones and iPads. Features: - Play Go with other Go players on OGS, either live games or turn-based (correspondence) games. - Observe other live games that are currently being played. - Chat with other players. - Get a glimpse of your correspondence games on your home screen with a widget. - Receive notifications when it is your turn in correspondence games. - Beautiful dark mode. There are many more features on OGS website that I plan to implement into the app gradually, so I hope to have your support to make it happen faster. Let me know if there is any feature you specifically want to have first. This app offers subscriptions for supporting the app's ongoing development. If you decide to participate in the subscriptions: - Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. - The subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. - You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. - All purchases are final. I cannot issue refunds for purchases charged to your Apple ID. The Terms of Use can be found at: https://files.honganhkhoa.com/SurroundTerms.html, and the Privacy Policy can be found at: https://files.honganhkhoa.com/SurroundPrivacyPolicy.html.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Surround at 83% against PANDANET(Go)'s 34%. Surround also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.9) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). PANDANET(Go)'s advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. PANDANET(Go) sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Surround sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Surround holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33 and 78 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of PANDANET(Go)'s written reviews are positive against 83% of Surround's.
PANDANET(Go) ships an update every 2 months, Surround fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.
| Parameter | PANDANET(Go) | Surround |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (33 ratings) | 4.5 (78 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.8% of reviews | 82.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 33 | 78 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 64 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PANDANET Inc. | Hong Anh Khoa |
Customer experience
PANDANET(Go)
Surround
In-app purchases
PANDANET(Go)
- 30 Days Registration$17.99
Surround
- Surround App Supporter$0.491 Month
- Surround App Supporter$1.991 Month
- Surround App Supporter$4.991 Month
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- Surround App Supporter$9.991 Month
Questions
Is PANDANET(Go) free?
Is Surround free?
Which has better reviews, PANDANET(Go) or Surround?
Do PANDANET(Go) or Surround have ads?
Which is updated more often, PANDANET(Go) or Surround?
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