# Ascension vs Board Session

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Board Session at 100% against Ascension's 45%. Board Session also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). Ascension's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Board Session 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. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Ascension's written reviews are positive against 100% of Board Session's.

Ascension ships an update every 3 months, Board Session fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ascension | Board Session |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ascension-deckbuilding-game/id441838733/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/board-session/id6762250356/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 1.2 GB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Playdek, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/493347346) | [MORGAN PHILIP PENK](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893543769) |

## What reviewers say

### Ascension

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ascension-deckbuilding-game/id441838733)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Storm of Souls expansion | $0.99 | one-time |
| Promo Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Immortal Heroes expansion | $0.99 | one-time |
| Ascension Promo Cards - Pack 4 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Rise of Vigil | $0.99 | one-time |
| Darkness Unleashed expansion | $0.99 | one-time |
| Realms Unraveled expansion | $0.99 | one-time |
| Dawn of Champions | $0.99 | one-time |
| Dreamscape | $0.99 | one-time |
| Return of the Fallen expansion | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Awesome adaptation of the physical game
- 🕹️ Engaging gameplay
- 💰 Reasonable in-app purchase prices
- 🕰️ Excellent time killer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Slow AI turns
- 🔒 Issues with restoring purchases
- 🔍 Cluttered UI, hard to read cards
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Board Session

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/board-session/id6762250356)

Organize board game nights, manage your game collection, and connect with friends. Discover new games, track your play history, and let the app pick your next game.

**Highlights:** Plan and manage game night events, Invite friends and add to calendar, Organize friends into squads, Track play history and stats, Discover and track board games, Randomly pick games to play

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ascension free?

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

### Is Board Session free?

Board Session is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Ascension or Board Session?

Board Session is rated higher. Ascension averages 3.4 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Board Session averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Ascension or Board Session have ads?

Neither Ascension nor Board Session shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ascension or Board Session?

Ascension ships an update every 3 months, and Board Session fortnightly. Most recently, Ascension was updated on October 20, 2026 and Board Session on October 12, 2026.

---

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