Comparison

Ascension vs UpBoard

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

Head to head
About

Ascension

Engage in a strategic deck-building card game where you acquire cards to gain Renown and unlock powerful Boons. Battle against the Fallen One alone or with friends, with expansions available to deepen the experience.

Highlights
  • Deck-building card game mechanics
  • Single-player and multiplayer modes
  • Unlock powerful Boons and Legendary status
  • Cross-platform online play
  • Offline AI opponents
  • Multiple expansions available
Features
Read full description

***Legends Expansion Now Available!** Return to the world of Vigil as the Muses of Malevolence rise to bring ruin. Legendary Heroes from Ascension’s past have returned to guide you, granting their power to those who prove worthy. Each card you acquire or defeat grants Renown with its factions, advancing you on the Legendary Track. As your Renown grows, unlock powerful Boons from Legendary Characters and, at the pinnacle of a faction’s track, gain Legendary status with the power to acquire or defeat one card from that faction for free each turn. Ascension: Deck Building Game, is the award winning deck building card game for mobile. Play alone or with friends to battle against the Fallen One for honor and victory. Conceived and designed by Magic: The Gathering tournament champions, Ascension will provide hours of engaging and strategic game play for enthusiast and experienced gamers alike. 2011 Golden Geek award winner (Best Mobile/Handheld Game) Pocket Gamer Bronze Award 2011 Dice Tower Awards Awards: Best Digital Boardgame Best Interface and Graphic Design - 2011 Best Online Multiplayer - 2011 Highlights: • Universal Application: Plays on phones and tablets • Beautifully detailed cards • Full asynchronous support for multiplayer online games • Cross-platform online play • Play against multiple offline A.I. opponents • Multiple expansions available to purchase to expand the Ascension experience! *AN INTERNET CONNECTION AND PLAYDEK ACCOUNT ARE REQUIRED FOR ONLINE PLAY.* Per our Terms of Service, you must be 13 years old or older to use the Playdek online games service. Also by Playdek: - Twilight Struggle - D&D: Lords of Waterdeep - Labyrinth: The War On Terror - Fort Sumter - Fluxx Having an issue? Looking for support? Please contact us at: support@playdekgames.com You can follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram! Facebook: /playdek You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/playdek Twitter: @playdek Instagram: @playdek

About

UpBoard

This app serves as a companion for various board games, offering tools like point counters and trackers for specific titles. It aims to simplify gameplay and enhance the experience for both casual and dedicated board game enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Point counter for Kingdomino
  • Æmber tracker for KeyForge
  • Ledger tracker for Your Town
  • Supports multiple board games
  • Enhances gamer experience
Features
Read full description

The idea behind UpBoard is very simple - create Tabletop/Board Games companion app for different games. There are many great tools for single games. UpBoard will contain tools and point counters for different games. It doesn’t matter if you are hardcore eurogames player or you only have amerigames, I hope that in the future you will find something in UpBoard that will make your life as a gamer easier or more exciting. Tools available in UpBoard: - KeyForge Æmber Tracker: Track Æmber, forged keys, cost of key and number of chains for one or both players for Fantasy Flight Games game developed by Richard Garfield - KeyForge: Call of Archons. The application automatically distracts the correct number of amber for Æmber pool. To play a game you will need tokens to indicated damage and captured Æmber. - Kingdomino Points Counter: Quickly and easily recreate your Kingdomino board in UpBoard and see how many points you get in that easy to learn and fast-paced game for the whole family. The application will count points in 5x5 and 7x7 size game. - Your Town Ledger: Track all ledger pieces of information like money, relationships, popularity, month and many more from Your Town Graphic Novel Adventure. With UpBoard you will only need a map to plan your town. Other aspects of the game can be tracked in the app. UpBoard Companion application is free of charge and you are welcome to try it. —LEGAL— The KeyForge Unique Deck Game and the artwork are all copyright Fantasy Flight Games and I make no claims of ownership or otherwise of any of the artwork or trademarks. The Kingdomino game and the artwork are all copyright Blue Orange Games and I make no claims of ownership or otherwise of any of the artwork or trademarks. The Your Town Graphic Novel Adventure and the artwork are all copyright of authors and publishers of this book and I make no claims of ownership or otherwise of any of the artwork or trademarks.

Screenshots

Ascension4 screens
UpBoard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: UpBoard at 5.0 against Ascension's 3.4. UpBoard also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Ascension's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 1). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Ascension sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. UpBoard asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

UpBoard holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ascension has 1.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ascension ships an update every 3 months, UpBoard every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Ascension versus UpBoard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAscensionUpBoard
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (1.1K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.1K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB58 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperPlaydek, Inc.Hydra Softworks

Customer experience

Ascension

All ratings1,103 ratings
Positive57.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative34.3%
Written reviews822 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral9.6%
Negative30.4%

UpBoard

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Ascension

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Purchases disappearing after updates
  • Restore function not working
  • Crashes when certain cards are played
  • Constructs getting stuck in the middle of the screen
  • Game freezing and logging out users

Requested features

5 requests
  • Increase honor pool limit for online games
  • Add custom deck building options
  • Optimize for iPhone X and newer devices
  • Provide option to revert to old art style
  • Improve online multiplayer experience

UpBoard

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Ascension

One-time10
  • Storm of Souls expansion$0.99
  • Promo Pack 1$0.99
  • Immortal Heroes expansion$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Ascension Promo Cards - Pack 4$0.99
  • Rise of Vigil$0.99
  • Darkness Unleashed expansion$0.99
  • Realms Unraveled expansion$0.99
  • Dawn of Champions$0.99
  • Dreamscape$0.99
  • Return of the Fallen expansion$1.99
None

UpBoard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ascension free?
Ascension is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is UpBoard free?
UpBoard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ascension or UpBoard?
UpBoard is rated higher. Ascension averages 3.4 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while UpBoard averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Ascension or UpBoard have ads?
Neither Ascension nor UpBoard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ascension or UpBoard?
Ascension ships an update every 3 months, and UpBoard every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ascension was updated on November 1, 2026 and UpBoard on October 18, 2026.

Other comparisons