# Balatro vs Trestle

The clearest difference is price: Trestle at Free against Balatro's $9.99. Trestle also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 81%). Balatro's advantage is ratings volume (109K vs 2) and chart position (#2 vs unranked). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Trestle 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 5.0 for Trestle. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Balatro has 109K ratings behind it against 2, 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 100% of Trestle's.

Balatro ships an update every 8 days, Trestle weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Balatro | Trestle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (109K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balatro/id6502453075/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trestle-stacking-card-game/id6814054219/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **109K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 81.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 94 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Playstack Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1133080356) | [Joseph Cox](https://appshunter.io/developer/6814054221) |

## What reviewers say

### Balatro

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

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Paid · Card, #3 Top Paid · Strategy, #7 Top Paid · Games, #10 Top Paid, #100 Top Grossing · Card, #144 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


### Trestle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trestle-stacking-card-game/id6814054219)

A fast-paced card game where players stack cards on five trestles, creating chains for higher scores. Match the top card to clear a trestle and earn tokens to unlock better cards for future rounds. Enjoy offline play with no ads or in-app purchases.

**Highlights:** Stack cards on five trestles, Chain runs for bigger scores, Match top card to clear trestle, Earn tokens for better cards, Offline play, No ads, No in-app purchases

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Balatro free?

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

### Is Trestle free?

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

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

Trestle is rated higher. Balatro averages 5.0 out of 5 from 109K ratings, while Trestle averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Balatro or Trestle have ads?

Neither Balatro nor Trestle shows ads.

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

Balatro ships an update every 8 days, and Trestle weekly. Most recently, Balatro was updated on November 9, 2026 and Trestle on October 31, 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.*