# Balatro vs 52

The clearest difference is price: 52 at Free against Balatro's $9.99. 52 also leads on review sentiment (92% vs 81%). Balatro's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (109K vs 16). On rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

52 is free to download; Balatro costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Balatro against 4.8 for 52. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Balatro has 109K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Balatro's written reviews are positive against 92% of 52's.

Balatro ships an update every 8 days, 52 every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Balatro | 52 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (109K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balatro/id6502453075/reviews)** | [4.8 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/52-cards-anytime/id6747363374/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **109K** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | 81.0% of reviews | **91.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 94 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.2 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Playstack Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1133080356) | [Justin Michael Laiti](https://appshunter.io/developer/1728679488) |

## What reviewers say

### Balatro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balatro/id6502453075)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Paid · Card, #3 Top Paid · Strategy, #8 Top Paid · Games, #13 Top Paid, #117 Top Grossing · Card, #160 Top Grossing · Strategy (US App Store)

This game blends poker and solitaire mechanics with unique rule-bending twists. Build powerful poker hands, discover game-changing Joker cards, and create exciting combos to defeat challenging Boss Blinds. Explore different decks and game modes for endless replayability.

**Highlights:** Poker and Solitaire hybrid gameplay, Rule-bending mechanics, Collect over 150 unique Joker cards, Create powerful combos, Campaign and challenge modes, Pixel art visuals

**Features:** Game Controller support, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Addictive gameplay
- 💎 Unique and compelling mechanics
- 👍 Easy to learn, hard to master
- 🎨 Charming pixel art and music
- 💰 Great value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and save issues
- 🔍 Small text and UI elements
- 🔋 Battery draining
- 🔇 No background music support

**Reported bugs**

- Unlocks and achievements not registering properly
- Crashes and freezes on certain devices
- Joker and card interactions not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Cloud save sync across devices
- Portrait mode option
- Customizable UI and accessibility settings


### 52

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/52-cards-anytime/id6747363374)

This app provides a digital deck of cards for playing various card games on your phone. It offers customizable layouts, shuffling options, and multiplayer functionality across multiple devices. Enjoy solo or group games anywhere, anytime.

**Highlights:** Digital deck of cards, Customizable layouts, Shake to shuffle, Multiplayer across devices, Private hand views, Customizable backgrounds and designs

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Balatro free?

Balatro costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is 52 free?

52 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Balatro or 52?

Balatro is rated higher. Balatro averages 5.0 out of 5 from 109K ratings, while 52 averages 4.8 from 16 ratings.

### Do Balatro or 52 have ads?

Neither Balatro nor 52 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Balatro or 52?

Balatro ships an update every 8 days, and 52 every 3 months. Most recently, Balatro was updated on November 11, 2026 and 52 on November 5, 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.*