Comparison

Goban3D vs 碁楽 Goraku

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

Head to head
About

Goban3D

Experience the ancient game of Go with stunning 3D visuals or a clean 2D interface. Play against the world's strongest AI offline, challenge friends online via Game Center, or enjoy local matches on a single device. Offers extensive accessibility features for all players.

Highlights
  • Play Go in 3D or 2D
  • Offline AI play with KataGo
  • Online matches with friends
  • Local pass-and-play mode
  • Multiple board sizes (9x9, 13x13, 19x19)
  • Extensive accessibility features
  • Customizable board and stone textures
Features
Read full description

Goban3D brings the ancient game of Go — also known as 囲碁 (igo), 바둑 (baduk), or 圍棋 (wéiqí) — to iPhone and iPad. Play on a beautifully rendered 3D goban or switch instantly to a clean 2D board. Local matches, private online games with friends via Game Center requested matches, and the world's strongest Go AI, KataGo, all in one app. Whether you've never placed a stone before, want a private match with a friend or club-mate, or are ready to test your skills against the strongest Go engine on the planet — Goban3D is for you. KATAGO AI (FREE, 100% OFFLINE) • The world's strongest open-source Go engine, running natively on Apple Silicon — no internet, no account, no data sent anywhere. The AI is fully on-device • Board sizes 9×9, 13×13, and 19×19 • 26 skill levels: 20 Kyu (complete beginner) through 5 Dan, plus full-strength AI for serious study • Weaker levels use KataGo's Human-style network (trained on human games) so the AI plays like a real person at your rank — not a crippled superhuman • Full-strength mode runs the latest strongest KataGo network published on katagotraining.org as of 15 April 2026 • There's an old Go proverb: "Lose your first 50 games as quickly as possible." Start on 9×9 at 20 Kyu — after 2 or 3 games, winning comes easier than you might think. Each time you win, raise the skill by 1 or 2. KataGo is the best Go teacher ever built, and it speaks every language ONLINE PLAY WITH FRIENDS • Private matches over Game Center with people already in your contacts • Invite a specific friend — no public matchmaking, no strangers • All online games are untimed — take your time and enjoy the game LOCAL PLAY • Two players on one device, pass-and-play • Board sizes: 9×9, 13×13, 19×19 • Handicap stones (0–9) with automatic komi adjustment • Japanese scoring with 6.5 komi — mark dead stones, confirm the score • Untimed by default — take your time and enjoy the game BOARD & VISUALS • 3D board powered by RealityKit — physically-based materials, 60 fps animations for every placement and capture • Instant 2D mode in SwiftUI for low-power play • 4 board textures, 8 stone textures, multiple ground and gridline options — all free • Haptic feedback and authentic wooden stone sound effects • NHK broadcast-style move announcements with optional Go terminology (atari, tsuke, hane, nobi...) ACCESSIBILITY — GO FOR EVERYONE Goban3D makes Go genuinely accessible — across ability, skill level, device, region, and language. No other Go app on the App Store declares any accessibility features. Goban3D has 100% coverage across all seven Apple categories: VoiceOver with full board-position labels, Voice Control, Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion, Reduce Transparency, Sufficient Contrast, and Differentiate Without Color. The app starts in 2D by default, and the 2D SwiftUI board is where the full accessibility stack lives — including complete VoiceOver board navigation. When VoiceOver is on, the 3D toggle is disabled to keep the accessible experience front and centre. A dedicated high-contrast mode and adjustable grid-line thickness help players with low vision. DEVICES • Also runs on Mac and visionOS via "Designed for iPad" • Minimap on smaller iPhones ensures every intersection meets Apple's 44pt minimum tap target, even on 19×19 Free to play, with gameplay that is always ad-free. A brief ad appears on launch and just before scoring mode, so your time on the board is never interrupted. Remove all ads with an optional yearly subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://goban3d.com/en-US/privacy.html

About

碁楽 Goraku

Features
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--- 碁楽 – 誰でも遊べる囲碁アプリ 肢体に不自由のある方もハンズフリーで囲碁が楽しめる、誰でも遊べる囲碁アプリです。9路・13路・19路の3種類の盤面に対応し、 ローカル対局からオンライン対戦、検討モード、棋譜の保存まで、囲碁ライフに必要な機能を一つにまとめました。 【主な機能】 ・音声で石を打てる(日本語・英語対応) ・9路・13路・19路 の3種の盤面サイズ ・ローカル2人対局 ・オンライン対局(ルームコード共有) ・対局中チャット(碁盤を見ながら会話可能) ・検討モード(リアルタイム共有・変化図保存) ・棋譜のSGF書き出し ・投了・パス・一手戻すなど標準的な対局操作 【音声入力について】 画面に触れずに、声だけで石を打つことができます。 例: 「ごのご」→ 5の5に着手 「じゅういちのなな」→ 11の7に着手 「みぎ」「ひだり」「うえ」「した」→ 直前の手の隣へ 「とうりょう」「ぱす」「もどる」→ 投了・パス・一手戻す 手先がうまく使えない方も、画面に触れずに対局を進められます。日本語音声認識を使い、自然な発話で打てるよう調整しています。 【オンライン対局】 ルームコードを共有するだけで離れた相手と対局できます。 ・ホストは先手(黒)・後手(白)・ランダムから選択可能 ・ルームコードはメッセージ、メール、LINEなどから簡単に共有 ・対局中はワンタップでチャットを開閉、開いている間も碁盤は表示されたまま ・対局終了後はそのまま検討モードに移行、両者の画面が同期 【検討モード】 ・対局を1手ずつ進めたり戻したり、自由に局面を行き来 ・盤面タップで仮想着手「もしここに打っていたら…」を試せます ・分岐(変化図)を複数保存し、SGFファイルとして書き出せる ・オンライン対局では2人で同じ画面を見ながら検討できます 【棋譜保存・共有】 対局結果はSGF形式で保存・共有できます。検討モードで作成した変化図も個別のファイルとして書き出し可能。他の囲碁ソフトでもそのまま読み込めます。 【こんな方におすすめ】 ・手や指が不自由で、画面操作が難しい方 ・音声で囲碁を楽しみたい方 ・友人と離れた場所でオンライン対局したい方 ・対局を後で振り返って学習したい方 ・9路・13路・19路を気軽に遊びたい方 囲碁の楽しさを、すべての人に。 碁楽をぜひお楽しみください。 ---

Screenshots

Goban3D3 screens
碁楽 Goraku4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: 碁楽 Goraku at none against Goban3D's 1. 碁楽 Goraku also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Goban3D's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Goban3D sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per year. 碁楽 Goraku asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Goban3D ships an update every 4 days, 碁楽 Goraku every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Goban3D versus 碁楽 Goraku: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoban3D碁楽 Goraku
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size246 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam GibbonsTsuyoshi Nakagawa

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Goban3D

Subscriptions1
  • Remove Ads (Yearly)$7.991 Year
None

碁楽 Goraku

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Goban3D free?
Goban3D is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 碁楽 Goraku free?
碁楽 Goraku is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Goban3D or 碁楽 Goraku have ads?
Neither Goban3D nor 碁楽 Goraku shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Goban3D or 碁楽 Goraku?
Goban3D ships an update every 4 days, and 碁楽 Goraku every 3 months. Most recently, Goban3D was updated on October 15, 2026 and 碁楽 Goraku on October 19, 2026.

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