# Pinochle Pro vs Spades

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.

Both are free to download. Pinochle Pro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spades asks for nothing beyond the download.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Pinochle Pro | Spades |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (593 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinochle-pro/id567644839/reviews) | **[4.7 (2.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spades/id872912030/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 593 | **2.5K** |
| Positive reviews | 39.7% of reviews | **45.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 28 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Black Panther Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/559955615) | [fishdog.net](https://appshunter.io/developer/337519299) |

## What reviewers say

### Pinochle Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinochle-pro/id567644839)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 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)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Spades

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spades/id872912030)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Scoring discrepancies
- Cards blocked by ads
- Freezing on last card
- Sounds always on after update

**Requested features**

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


## Frequently asked 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.

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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.*