Comparison

Backgammon Classic Board Live vs The Backgammon

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

Head to head
About

Backgammon Classic Board Live

Experience the classic board game with progressive skill levels and competitive online play. Master the game through solo challenges or compete against players worldwide with an ELO ranking system. Enjoy fair play with random dice rolls and customizable graphics.

Highlights
  • 10 progressive skill levels
  • Competitive online play with ELO rankings
  • Solo mode for skill mastery
  • Pass & Play for local multiplayer
  • One-tap checker movement
  • Fair play with random dice rolls
  • Customizable board skins and themes
Features
Read full description

Master Backgammon — rise through 10 skill levels from Novice to Grandmaster and compete online with ELO rankings! 10 SKILL LEVELS Challenge yourself with progressive difficulty that grows with you: • 10 levels — from Novice to Grandmaster • Unlock new levels as you win matches • Track your progress and statistics for each level • Perfect for beginners learning the game or experts seeking a challenge COMPETITIVE ONLINE PLAY • ELO Rating System — climb the ranks against real players worldwide • Fast matchmaking — find opponents in seconds • Play friends in private rooms GAME FEATURES • Solo Mode — master your skills through 10 progressive levels • Pass & Play — challenge a friend on the same device • Online Mode — compete with players around the world • One-Tap Movement — intuitive checker controls • Fair play guaranteed — 100% random dice rolls • Doubling Cube — with Crawford rule support • Beautiful graphics — multiple board skins and themes • Premium sound — immersive music and effects FREE TO PLAY All game modes and features are completely free. No paywalls, no pay-to-win — just pure backgammon skill. Supports Portrait and Landscape on all iPhone and iPad devices. Download now and start your journey to Grandmaster!

About

The Backgammon

Engage in classic backgammon matches online against players worldwide or offline against an AI with adjustable difficulty. Enhance your skills with detailed game analysis and practice tools. Enjoy a free, feature-rich experience with customizable rules and visually appealing boards.

Highlights
  • Online multiplayer games
  • Offline AI opponent
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • Rating and ranking system
  • Match replay and review
  • Customizable rules
  • Hint facility
Features
Read full description

Play online games against players all over the world! Play against the offline AI to improve your skills! Enjoy the classic board game completely Free with The Backgammon. *Online Games - The Backgammon Quest* You can play online games against backgammon players all over the world completely free! The Backgammon Quest provides the features below to make your online games more exciting and competitive: -Rating system -Ranking table -Watch other player's live games -Match against your friend using a keyword -View replays of previous games If you make a Quest account you will be able to enjoy other boardgames such as Go, Chess, Shogi, Othello and Gomoku with the same account. *Offline Games* There are 5 levels of difficulty which should be challenging for everyone. Also we have provided very useful features for beginners to learn and improve your game. Please select the match length and the rules as you want, and enjoy this game of skill and strategy. Collect medals by defeating computer in the 'Challenge mode'. We have provided a more challenging and thrilling game mode to test your skills. The Backgammon offers you the following features that makes the game more enjoyable and challenging: -- Strong Backgammon AI -- 5 Difficulty levels -- Human vs Computer, Human vs Human (sharing a single device) -- 6 types of match length -- Doubling cube (ON/OFF) -- Crawford rule (ON/OFF) -- Beautiful boards and piece sets -- Hint facility -- Review mode during a game -- Save/Load game records -- Autosaves your current game -- Saves history of your matches -- Dice Statistics -- Manual dice input (ON/OFF) -- Show possible moves (ON/OFF) -- Show PIP count (ON/OFF) -- Background music (ON/OFF) -- Auto-move when forced (ON/OFF) -- Animation speed (Normal/ Fast) -- Music and sound effects (ON/OFF)

Screenshots

Backgammon Classic Board Live4 screens
The Backgammon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Backgammon Classic Board Live at 4.2 against The Backgammon's 2.3. Backgammon Classic Board Live also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (53K vs 64). The Backgammon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18). On price, ads, monetization model 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 Classic Board Live sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Backgammon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Backgammon Classic Board Live holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backgammon Classic Board Live has 53K ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Backgammon Classic Board Live's written reviews are positive against 8% of The Backgammon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backgammon Classic Board Live ships an update every 11 days, The Backgammon every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Backgammon Classic Board Live versus The Backgammon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammon Classic Board LiveThe Backgammon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (53K ratings) — better2.3 (64 ratings)
Positive reviews24.4% of reviews — better8.1% of reviews
Number of ratings53K — better64
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS1815.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size106 MB324 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperAdikusUNBALANCE Corporation

Customer experience

Backgammon Classic Board Live

All ratings53,046 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral4.9%
Negative15.1%
Written reviews3,297 reviews
Positive24.4%
Neutral8.0%
Negative67.6%

The Backgammon

All ratings64 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral10.9%
Negative64.1%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive8.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative85.6%

User reviews

Backgammon Classic Board Live

From 53K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast-paced gameplay
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
  • ✨ Enjoyable for backgammon enthusiasts

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Questionable dice roll algorithms
  • 🤖 Suspected use of bots or rigged AI
  • 🤯 Frustrating and unbalanced gameplay
  • 💰 Excessive advertisements and monetization

The Backgammon

From 64 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Good for learning the game
  • 👍 Pleasant interface and display
  • 👍 Efficient matching
  • 👍 Good for casual players
  • 👍 Can be played for free

Room to improve

  • 😠 Overwhelmingly negative sentiment due to rigged dice
  • 😠 Excessive and intrusive ads
  • 😠 Dice rolls are not random
  • 😠 AI favors the computer
  • 😠 Unfair advantage for higher-rated players

Bugs and requests

Backgammon Classic Board Live

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incorrect piece movement tracking
  • Freezing or crashing during gameplay
  • Inconsistent behavior when resigning a game

Requested features

4 requests
  • True random dice rolls
  • Ability to play longer matches
  • Option to disable doubling cube
  • Chat functionality for online play

The Backgammon

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Ads block the game board
  • Ads won't go away, requiring app restart
  • Game freezes frequently
  • App crashes and closes unexpectedly
  • Game rolls back after restart
Show 5 more
  • Timer issues (losing time when not on turn, clock resetting)
  • Videos play in the background and cannot be exited
  • Disconnection results in a loss
  • Cannot move pieces that should be movable
  • Count is sometimes off

Requested features

6 requests
  • Option to buy a version with no ads
  • Improve sound settings (separate BGM and SFX)
  • Add a chat option for online play
  • Improve controls and piece manipulation
  • Option to choose dice button position
Show 1 more
  • More frequent updates based on user feedback

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Backgammon Classic Board Live

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99
None

The Backgammon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Backgammon Classic Board Live free?
Backgammon Classic Board Live is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Backgammon free?
The Backgammon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Backgammon Classic Board Live or The Backgammon?
Backgammon Classic Board Live is rated higher. Backgammon Classic Board Live averages 4.2 out of 5 from 53K ratings, while The Backgammon averages 2.3 from 64 ratings.
Do Backgammon Classic Board Live or The Backgammon have ads?
Both Backgammon Classic Board Live and The Backgammon show ads.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon Classic Board Live or The Backgammon?
Backgammon Classic Board Live ships an update every 11 days, and The Backgammon every 2 months. Most recently, Backgammon Classic Board Live was updated on September 24, 2026 and The Backgammon on September 2, 2026.

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