Comparison

Nearby Backgammon vs Backgammon Online with Friends

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

Head to head
About

Nearby Backgammon

Features
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Nearby Backgammon lets you challenge friends and players around you to a classic game of backgammon over Bluetooth — no internet required. Simply open the app, discover nearby players, and start a match in seconds. Roll the dice, move your checkers, and enjoy the timeless strategy of backgammon face-to-face with anyone around you. Features: • Play backgammon with nearby players via Bluetooth • No internet connection required • Classic backgammon rules with a beautiful board • Pass & Play mode for two players on one device • Fast and easy matchmaking • Works anywhere — cafes, parks, travel

About

Backgammon Online with Friends

Features
Read full description

Backgammon against a real person — and you can hear them. At a table joined by an invite code you see their face too. The dice are fair: the game seed is on the table and every roll can be recomputed. No coins, no banners, no sign-up. VOICE AND FACE AT THE TABLE At an online table you can talk. The microphone is asked for once, when you sit down; say no and nothing else changes — the game simply goes on in silence. Video is switched on with a button and only at a table joined by an invite code, that is, between people who know each other; the camera is off by default. You can mute your opponent, report them, and never be matched with them again. GLASS DICE Every roll is computed from the game seed (HMAC-SHA256). The seed is shown on the table; “Verify” recomputes every die. Face, doubles and luck statistics for you and your opponent. No rigged dice, ever. BACKGAMMON AND THREE MORE RULE SETS • Backgammon: hitting, the bar, the doubling cube, the Crawford rule, gammon and backgammon. • Long nardy: the head, the 6-6/4-4/3-3 first-move exception, the six-block rule, mars and koks. • Tavla and Shesh Besh presets. Matches to 3, 5 and 7 points. A CHAMPION-LEVEL COACH Hints show the best play; the post-game review shows where points were lost. In backgammon the evaluation comes from a neural net stronger than GNU Backgammon, on your phone, offline. HONEST OPPONENTS Six bot characters from novice to master, always labelled. No fake “humans”. Two players on one phone. ONLINE WITH LIVE PLAYERS Find an opponent by rating or play a friend with a table code. Online dice come from the arbiter: the seed hash is shown to both before the first roll, and after the match the seed is revealed so every roll can be recomputed. Elo rating and a top-100 table — only for matches against real people. NO COINS, NO BANNERS Nothing you can buy makes you stronger. The Store screen holds Pro, three boards sold separately, and tips. Pro unlocks board themes, unlimited hints and the full luck history. Tips (“Support the yard”) unlock nothing — they are just a thank-you. The whole game is free. No banners and no ads mid-game — just a short video between games, and Pro or any purchased board turns it off. Any board can be tried on for a day for one video. ONE HAND Portrait board, tap a checker and tap a point, two-dice jumps in one tap, auto-move when there is no choice. Works offline. No sign-up. Interface in 19 languages.

Screenshots

Nearby Backgammon3 screens
Backgammon Online with Friends4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nearby Backgammon at none against Backgammon Online with Friends's 7. Nearby Backgammon also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and update cadence 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. Backgammon Online with Friends sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Nearby Backgammon asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nearby Backgammon ships an update fortnightly, Backgammon Online with Friends every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 4 level
Nearby Backgammon versus Backgammon Online with Friends: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNearby BackgammonBackgammon Online with Friends
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 11 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOnder Ilke SeverNTSAUTOSIGA LLC

In-app purchases

None

Nearby Backgammon

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Backgammon Online with Friends

One-time7
  • Tea for Gocha$0.99
  • Night board$1.99
  • Tbilisi board$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Istanbul board$1.99
  • Dinner for the yard$4.99
  • Narde Pro$5.99
  • A new board for the yard$9.99

Questions

Is Nearby Backgammon free?
Nearby Backgammon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Backgammon Online with Friends free?
Backgammon Online with Friends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Nearby Backgammon or Backgammon Online with Friends have ads?
Backgammon Online with Friends shows ads; Nearby Backgammon does not.
Which is updated more often, Nearby Backgammon or Backgammon Online with Friends?
Nearby Backgammon ships an update fortnightly, and Backgammon Online with Friends every 11 days. Most recently, Nearby Backgammon was updated on October 24, 2026 and Backgammon Online with Friends on October 25, 2026.

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