Comparison

Backgammon Live vs BG Buddy

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

Head to head
About

Backgammon Live

Play backgammon online against real players with this app. It offers matches, tournaments, and chat features, supporting various internet connections. Learn strategies and master the game.

Highlights
  • Online backgammon matches
  • Backgammon tournaments
  • In-game chat
  • Reconnection on internet loss
  • Email games for analysis
  • Backgammon rules and strategies
Features
Read full description

With Backgammon Live, you can play online backgammon on iPad in HD and you can play on iPhone and iPod Touch as well. Internet connection required. Play internet backgammon games or matches or tournaments, chat, compete, make new friends! If you had an internet disconnection, Backgammon Live Online will reconnect you. You can use either WIFI or non-WIFI connection. Backgammon Live Online will play fine with 3G connection as well. Play single and multi-point backgammon matches, invite players or respond to invitations, email games to yourself for further analysis. Backgammon is not a game of luck as many perceive, but rather, a strategic visual game of war; in many ways it is as difficult to master as chess. Although an element of luck is involved, a skilled backgammon player uses intuition, calculations, creativity and psychology to beat the opponent. The goal in backgamon online is to move all own checkers into the home board and then bear them off (i.e. remove them from the backgammon board). The first backgammon player to remove all of his checkers wins the backgammon game. The Help section of Backgammon Live Online presents rules and strategies for backgammon. You will learn the best ways to play your opening rolls, how to Build a Blockade, how to Establish Anchors, how to Optimize Distribution of Checkers and how to Reduce 'Good' Rolls for the Opponent. The backgammon strategies section describes When to Expose Checkers vs. When to Consolidate Them and how to make a decision When to Hit or not to Hit opponent's backgammon checker. Although backgammon is a very old game, it still continues to fascinate its numerous fans around the globe. It is no wonder that nowadays there are many spellings and acronyms of the game's name. Backgammon can be referred to as: gammon, backgamon and even baggamon, baggammon and bagamon and bagammon! In Greece and Turkey, backgammon is known as tavla. In Iran and Russia, they call backgammon nardi. If backgammon were strictly a game of chance, players would only be expected to win on average just about one half of their games. Yet, just like in chess, stronger backgammon players consistently win games against backgammon newbies. There is a lot more skill required in backgammon than just rolling the dice and mindlessly racing checkers around the board! Backgammon Live Online app won't bedazzle you with currently fashionable 3D graphics. However, you’ll discover that this online backgammon app is a fast-paced and at the same time comfortable, relaxing and familiar parlor game of old. Backgammon Live Online offers an authentic backgammon experience in an online backgammon club where you can chat, play and compete against other real players on the net and fall in love with this board game that’s been played for thousands of years. Do you know the difference between 'gammon' and 'backgammon' in backgammon matches? A gammon is a completed game of backgammon in which the losing player has not borne off any checkers. A gammon is also called a double game because the winner receives twice the value of the doubling cube. A backgammon is a completed game of backgammon in which the losing player has not borne off any checkers and still has one or more checkers on the bar or in the winner's home board. A backgammon is also called a triple game because the winner receives three times the value of the doubling cube.

About

BG Buddy

This app provides a comprehensive tool for scoring and managing backgammon matches. It features a tournament clock, dice roller, scorecard, and the ability to analyze game statistics and positions. It also includes accessibility features for visually impaired players.

Highlights
  • Tournament style match clock
  • Match play with Jacoby, Beaver, and settlement options
  • Win percentage tracking over time
  • Position photo analysis
  • Talking dice for visually impaired players
  • Random dice with cube generator
  • Automatic tweeting of results
Features
Read full description

BG Buddy is a backgammon scoreboard and much more! Features include a tournament clock, dice, cube, scorecard, position photos and stats. Talking dice allow visually impaired players to play unaided. Everything you need to score and keep track of your live match data. •Tournament style match clock: Adjustable clock times and grace times for each player allowing for time handicaps. Clock presets include: -Standard (2 minutes/point + 12 seconds grace time per move) -Speedgammon 0.4 (26 seconds/point + 10) -Speedgammon 0.5 (30 seconds/point + 10) -Consultation Doubles (3 minutes/point + 15) •Match Play or Unlimited/Money games with Jacoby, Beaver and settlement options. •Win percentages. See how your win percentage has changed over time by selecting the previous: 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, 2 years, or all matches periods. Group your matches by event/tournament or opponent name and see your win percentages for each. •Take position photos to improve your game and keep them organised for each match. Match scores, cube value and cube decision appear under each photo. Mark photos to show the correct cube decision and whether you made the correct decision over the board. •Share you position photos via social media either immediately or after the match. Choose “Cube Action?” to test your friends without showing your actual play. •Baffle Box: Simple dice rolling screen. Talking dice + Tap to end Turn options. •Random dice with cube: Speed up your matches significantly - no shaking, no cocked dice, no floored dice. •Choice of dice generator including the Mersenne Twister Generator which uses a secret code input by each player before the match. This offers proof that the dice are fair. •Talking Dice feature for visually impaired players - audible dice, cube, clock times and score information at all times allowing unaided play. •Automatically tweet your game and match results.

Screenshots

Backgammon Live2 screens
BG Buddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BG Buddy at 5.0 against Backgammon Live's 4.0. BG Buddy also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Backgammon Live's advantage is ratings volume (139 vs 5). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Backgammon Live sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and BG Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BG Buddy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backgammon Live has 139 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Backgammon Live's written reviews are positive against 100% of BG Buddy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Backgammon Live versus BG Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammon LiveBG Buddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (139 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings139 — better5
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.69.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB40 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBPS SoftwareJames Knipe

Customer experience

Backgammon Live

All ratings139 ratings
Positive74.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative24.5%
Written reviews208 reviews
Positive79.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative18.3%

BG Buddy

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Backgammon Live

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login and account issues
  • Freezing or black screens
  • Inconsistent dice rolls and game outcomes
  • Inability to close or exit advertisements

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to play against friends or in private rooms
  • More customization options for the game interface
  • Improved chat functionality and sportsmanship
  • Better matchmaking based on player skill levels
  • Offline or single-player mode for practice

BG Buddy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Backgammon Live

One-time3
  • Set of 2 $Tickets$2.99
  • Set of 7 $Tickets$9.99
  • Set of 15 $Tickets$17.99
1 purchases

BG Buddy

One-time1
  • BG Buddy Full Upgrade$1.99

Questions

Is Backgammon Live free?
Backgammon Live is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BG Buddy free?
BG Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Backgammon Live or BG Buddy?
BG Buddy is rated higher. Backgammon Live averages 4.0 out of 5 from 139 ratings, while BG Buddy averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Backgammon Live or BG Buddy have ads?
Backgammon Live shows ads; BG Buddy does not.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon Live or BG Buddy?
Backgammon Live ships an update monthly, and BG Buddy monthly. Most recently, Backgammon Live was updated on October 4, 2026 and BG Buddy on September 25, 2026.

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