Comparison

Balatro vs StackJack

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

Head to head
About

Balatro

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
Read full description

Welcome to the official Balatro mobile game! Hypnotic and endlessly satisfying, Balatro is a magical mix of card games like Solitaire and Poker, that lets you twist the rules in ways never seen before! Your goal is to beat the Boss Blinds by making strong poker hands. Find new Jokers that change the game and create awesome and exciting combos! Win enough chips to beat tricky bosses, and find hidden bonus hands and decks as you play. You’ll need all the help you can get to beat the big boss, win the final challenge, and win the game. Features: * Remastered controls for touch screen devices. * Each run is different: every pick-up, discard and joker can dramatically alter the course of your run. * Multiple game items: discover over 150 Jokers, each with special powers. Use them with different decks,upgrade cards and vouchers to boost your scores. * Different Game modes: Campaign mode and challenge mode for you to play. * Beautiful Pixel Art: Immerse yourself in the CRT fuzz and enjoy detailed, hand-crafted pixel art.

About

StackJack

Read full description

Stack Jack is a fast card race. Flip, stack, and clear the pile before anyone else does. Rounds take a couple of minutes, and the difference between winning and losing is usually half a second. PLAY WITH FRIENDS Create a room, share the code or the link, and start. Up to a full table, no accounts, no setup. Anyone who taps your invitation lands straight in the room. PLAY ALONE Bots at every difficulty, including one that will genuinely beat you. Practice a shuffle, learn the timing, then take it back to the table. CLIMB THE LEADERBOARD Every round counts toward the season. Track your wins, your fastest clears, and where you land against everyone else. Seasons reset, so a bad week is only a bad week. UNLOCK CARD BACKS Keep playing and keep collecting. Cosmetic only, nothing that helps you win. LEARN IN A MINUTE A short tutorial walks you through your first round. After that it is all reflex.

Screenshots

Balatro4 screens
StackJack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: StackJack at Free against Balatro's $9.99. StackJack also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 days). Balatro's advantage is chart position (#3 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Balatro ships an update every 8 days, StackJack every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Balatro versus StackJack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBalatroStackJack
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (108K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews81.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings108K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#3 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB9 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPlaystack LtdCorvus Consulting Inc.

Bugs and requests

Balatro

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

3 requests
  • Cloud save sync across devices
  • Portrait mode option
  • Customizable UI and accessibility settings

StackJack

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Balatro

No in-app purchases

None

StackJack

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Balatro free?
Balatro costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is StackJack free?
StackJack is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Balatro or StackJack have ads?
Neither Balatro nor StackJack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Balatro or StackJack?
Balatro ships an update every 8 days, and StackJack every 2 days. Most recently, Balatro was updated on November 4, 2026 and StackJack on October 31, 2026.

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