# Blackbird! vs Raven

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Raven at none against Blackbird!'s 2. Raven also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 71%) and price ($0.99 vs $2.99). Blackbird!'s advantage is ratings volume (7K vs 22) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). On rating, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Blackbird! costs $2.99 and Raven $0.99 up front. Blackbird! sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Raven asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Blackbird! against 4.6 for Raven. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blackbird! has 7K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Blackbird!'s written reviews are positive against 86% of Raven's.

Blackbird! ships an update every 2 months, Raven every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Blackbird! | Raven |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **$0.99** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackbird/id563960217/reviews)** | [4.6 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/raven/id1615441791/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7K** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | 71.3% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | — |
| Size | 38 MB | 244 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [R. Don Wilson](https://appshunter.io/developer/563960220) | [John Davis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1615441793) |

## What reviewers say

### Blackbird!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackbird/id563960217)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Paid · Casino, #42 Top Paid · Card (US App Store)

Experience a classic trick-taking card game with customizable rules and competitive AI. Bid strategically, take tricks, and achieve your goals to win. Track your progress with detailed statistics and unlock achievements.

**Highlights:** Classic trick-taking gameplay, Customizable rule sets, AI opponents, Achievement system, Detailed statistics tracking, Multiple rule variations

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Christmas Theme | $0.99 | one-time |
| Independence Day Theme | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun game
- 👍 Customizable rules
- 👍 Accurate to real Rook game
- 👍 Great for practicing Rook skills
- 👍 Brings back nostalgic memories

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Partner AI plays poorly
- 🐛 Opponents seem to have unfair advantage
- 🐛 Inability to continue saved games
- 🐛 Rook card not played correctly
- 🐛 Buggy multiplayer experience

**Reported bugs**

- Forced to take bid even when undesirable
- Inability to reverse trump or discard mistakes
- Inconsistent card dealing
- Multiplayer crashes and glitches
- Themes and settings not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Multiplayer mode to play with friends
- Option to call your own partner
- Ability to shoot the moon
- Customizable nest size
- More rule variations


### Raven

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/raven/id1615441791)

A single-player trick-taking card game inspired by ROOK®. Enjoy changing scenery and card colors as you play through rounds, with automatic dealing, sorting, and scoring to enhance the experience.

**Highlights:** Single-player trick-taking gameplay, Dynamic scenery and card colors, Automatic card dealing and sorting, Bid-tracking and point counting, Serene, atmospheric backgrounds

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Blackbird! free?

Blackbird! costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Raven free?

Raven costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Blackbird! or Raven?

Blackbird! is rated higher. Blackbird! averages 4.7 out of 5 from 7K ratings, while Raven averages 4.6 from 22 ratings.

### Do Blackbird! or Raven have ads?

Neither Blackbird! nor Raven shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Blackbird! or Raven?

Blackbird! ships an update every 2 months, and Raven every 8 months. Most recently, Blackbird! was updated on September 26, 2026 and Raven on September 27, 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.*