Comparison

Pinochle Pro vs Spades

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

Head to head
About

Pinochle Pro

Experience classic Pinochle with animated characters that react to gameplay. Challenge advanced AI opponents, customize your game, and track your progress with detailed statistics. Earn rewards and achievements as you master this strategic card game.

Highlights
  • Advanced AI opponents
  • Animated characters
  • Customizable gameplay
  • Detailed statistics
  • Engaging rewards and achievements
Features
Read full description

Dive into the world of classic Pinochle with our immersive card game that combines strategic gameplay with whimsical characters that respond to the game. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a newcomer to the game, our app offers a captivating experience that will keep you coming back for more. Key Features: Advanced AI Opponents: Challenge yourself against our top-notch AI opponents, each designed to provide a challenging and realistic gameplay experience. Sharpen your skills and enjoy the thrill of strategic card play as you face off against virtual opponents who adapt to your every move. Animated Characters: Watch your gameplay come to life with animated characters that respond to the twists and turns of each match. Our characters express joy, frustration, and anticipation, adding an extra layer of entertainment to your Pinochle experience. Customizable Gameplay: Tailor your Pinochle experience to your liking with customizable settings. Adjust difficulty levels, choose your preferred rules, and explore different variations of the game to keep things exciting. Detailed Statistics: Track your progress and analyze your gameplay with detailed statistics. Monitor your win-loss record, study your strategies, and become a Pinochle master. Engaging Rewards and Achievements: Earn rewards and unlock achievements as you progress through the game. Celebrate your victories and strive for new milestones, adding an extra layer of motivation to your Pinochle journey. Download now and immerse yourself in the ultimate Pinochle card game experience. The cards are dealt, the characters are ready – are you?

About

Spades

A digital adaptation of the classic trick-taking card game. Play solo or with partners, bidding on the number of tricks you can win. Customize game rules, opponent difficulty, and visual elements.

Highlights
  • 3 or 4 player solo modes
  • 4 player partnership mode
  • Customizable bid and lead rules
  • Adjustable AI opponent aggression
  • Table and card appearance customization
  • In-app instructions
Features
Read full description

Spades is a trick-taking card game that can be played with 3 players solo, 4 players solo, or 4 players with partners (2 teams of 2). A standard 52-card deck is dealt, then players bid the number of tricks they can take. The goal is to take as many tricks as were bid. When playing with partners, North/South is one team, West/East is the other, and teammates' bids and tricks are combined, so one player's underbid can compensate for his teammate's overbid. This app allows you to configure number of players and teams, the appearance of the table and cards, rules about nil bids and when spades can be lead. There are instructions included in the app, as well as a setting to make your robot opponents less aggressive or more aggressive.

Screenshots

Pinochle Pro4 screens
Spades4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Spades at none against Pinochle Pro's 1. Spades also leads on ratings volume (2.5K vs 593) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Pinochle Pro's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Pinochle Pro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spades asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Pinochle Pro against 4.7 for Spades. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 593 and 2.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 40% of Pinochle Pro's written reviews are positive against 45% of Spades's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pinochle Pro ships an update every 2 weeks, Spades monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pinochle Pro versus Spades: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPinochle ProSpades
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (593 ratings)4.7 (2.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.7% of reviews45.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5932.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlack Panther Software LLCfishdog.net

Customer experience

Pinochle Pro

All ratings485 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.5%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive39.7%
Neutral8.8%
Negative51.5%

Spades

All ratings2,548 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews84 reviews
Positive45.2%
Neutral19.0%
Negative35.7%

User reviews

Pinochle Pro

From 593 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Realistic and intelligent AI partner bidding and play
  • 🎮 Engaging gameplay that keeps users addicted
  • 🧮 Automatic meld calculation feature
  • 👥 Customizable player characters
  • 📱 Accessible for screen reader users (VoiceOver)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent game freezes and crashes
  • 📺 Excessive and inappropriate advertisements
  • 💳 Payment issues and failed transactions
  • 🎨 Poor quality and unappealing graphics
  • 🤖 AI partner makes illogical card passes

Spades

From 2.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast game play
  • 👍 Minimal advertisements
  • 👍 Good graphics
  • 💡 Helps keep mind sharp

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Partner doesn't understand nil bids
  • 🐛 Partner overbids frequently
  • 🐛 Partner doesn't protect nil bids
  • 🐛 Partner makes poor card plays
  • 🐛 Inconsistent in counting books

Bugs and requests

Pinochle Pro

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Game freezes when bidder has no meld
  • App crashes mid-game after bidding phase
  • Only allows one hand at a time instead of full game
  • Cards disappear during gameplay
  • Cannot see cards being played or count trump
Show 7 more
  • Screen size prevents selecting 'Done' button on iPad Pro Max
  • Player character (Shirley) repeats same dialogue inappropriately
  • Trick scoring incorrectly assigned to wrong partnership
  • App fails to load or requires device restart
  • Payment/upgrade purchase errors and spinning screens
  • Partner passes non-trump 9s and other illogical cards
  • Meld calculation includes cards in player's hand

Requested features

10 requests
  • Option to pass 4 cards instead of 3
  • Clear trump indicator for both bidder and opponents
  • Reward for running the board (taking every trick)
  • Allow playing hands without meld to block opponents
  • Option to disable passing cards feature
Show 5 more
  • Meld-only bid option
  • No-passing pinochle variant
  • Better graphics and character design
  • Improved partner AI bidding commitment
  • Display trump suit more prominently in color

Spades

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Scoring discrepancies
  • Cards blocked by ads
  • Freezing on last card
  • Sounds always on after update

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow confirmation for bidding entry box
  • Automatic play for last card in suit
  • Implement bid 10 get 200 feature

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pinochle Pro

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$7.99
None

Spades

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pinochle Pro free?
Pinochle Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Spades free?
Spades is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pinochle Pro or Spades?
Spades is rated higher. Pinochle Pro averages 4.6 out of 5 from 593 ratings, while Spades averages 4.7 from 2.5K ratings.
Do Pinochle Pro or Spades have ads?
Both Pinochle Pro and Spades show ads.
Which is updated more often, Pinochle Pro or Spades?
Pinochle Pro ships an update every 2 weeks, and Spades monthly. Most recently, Pinochle Pro was updated on November 1, 2026 and Spades on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons