# Spades ∙ vs The Spades

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Spades ∙ at none against The Spades's 1. Spades ∙ also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 45%) and ratings volume (29K vs 8.2K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Spades sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spades ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Spades ∙ against 4.6 for The Spades. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 29K and 8.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Spades ∙'s written reviews are positive against 45% of The Spades's.

Spades ∙ ships an update every 5 months, The Spades every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spades ∙ | The Spades |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (29K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spades/id412881117/reviews) | [4.6 (8.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spades/id929909607/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **29K** | 8.2K |
| Positive reviews | **66.8% of reviews** | 45.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 107 MB | 116 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Optime Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/289278460) | [UNBALANCE Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/358617691) |

## What reviewers say

### Spades ∙

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spades/id412881117)

Experience the classic Spades card game with smart AI opponents.  Place bids, strategize with a partner, and outwit your opponents through engaging gameplay. Enjoy rich graphics and customizable settings for a smooth gaming experience.

**Highlights:** Smart AI opponents, Place bids and strategize, Work with a partner, Rich graphics and animations, Multiple card styles, Configurable game speed, Automatic save function

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Well-presented slick game
- 🕹️ Great game
- 🕹️ Classic game
- ⏱️ Relaxing game to pass time

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 Megan is an incompetent partner
- 🤖 Opponents play too well against partner
- 🔍 Scoring is inconsistent and unfair
- 📺 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes and crashes frequently
- Ads interrupt gameplay and cause crashes
- Partner plays cards illogically

**Requested features**

- Option to change partner names and gender
- Stats page to track games won/lost
- Online multiplayer mode
- More game variations


### The Spades

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spades/id929909607)

Experience the classic 4-player contract trick-taking card game on iOS. Enjoy smooth gameplay, scalable difficulty, and track your performance against 18 AI opponents. Customize your partnerships and challenge yourself to beat them all.

**Highlights:** Full Spades partnership play, 18 CPU characters with varying skill, Choose partners and opponents, Undo play and hint facility, Save player statistics, Customizable graphics and sound

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ad | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Enjoyable game
- 👍 Good entertainment
- 🕹️ Relaxing gameplay
- 🧠 Improves gameplay skills

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Too many ads
- 🤖 Biased AI partners
- 🤔 Inconsistent partner behavior
- 🧠 Questionable AI decision-making

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes and crashes
- Scoring issues and discrepancies
- Undo feature locked behind ads

**Requested features**

- Option to customize game rules
- Ability to lead with spades
- More balanced AI partners
- Add-free version


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spades ∙ free?

Spades ∙ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Spades free?

The Spades is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Spades ∙ or The Spades?

Spades ∙ and The Spades are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 29K and 8.2K ratings respectively.

### Do Spades ∙ or The Spades have ads?

Both Spades ∙ and The Spades show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Spades ∙ or The Spades?

Spades ∙ ships an update every 5 months, and The Spades every 4 months. Most recently, Spades ∙ was updated on October 1, 2026 and The Spades on September 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*