Comparison

Solitaire Ultra vs Cardways

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

Head to head
About

Solitaire Ultra

Enjoy five classic card games, including Klondike and TriPeaks, with customizable themes and realistic animations. Compete with friends via Game Center leaderboards and sync progress across devices. No ads or paywalls, with an optional tip jar for support.

Highlights
  • Five classic card games
  • Customizable themes and card styles
  • Daily challenges with leaderboards
  • Game Center integration
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Realistic animations and haptic feedback
Features
Read full description

Solitaire Ultra brings five classic card games together in one elegant app โ€” designed for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Play Klondike and Yukon the way you remember them. Race against par on Pyramid, sweep the peaks of TriPeaks and DuoPeaks. Every game features smooth, realistic card-by-card dealing, drag-and-drop movement, and intelligent hints when you're stuck. FIVE GAMES, ONE APP โ€ข Klondike โ€” the classic. Choose 1-card or 3-card draw, unlimited or single redeal, and auto-complete when only foundations remain. โ€ข Yukon โ€” a Klondike-style solitaire where all cards are dealt face-up and any card can be moved with everything stacked on top of it โ€” no stock pile. โ€ข Pyramid โ€” pair cards that total 13 to clear the pyramid before time runs out. โ€ข TriPeaks โ€” race up three peaks chaining cards ยฑ1 from the waste, building streaks for huge bonus points. โ€ข DuoPeaks โ€” a faster, tighter twin-peaks variant for shorter sessions. DAILY CHALLENGE A new DuoPeaks puzzle every day, identical for every player. Build your streak, compete on the daily leaderboard, and never miss a day with optional reminders. MAKE IT YOURS โ€ข 4 card face styles โ€” Classic, Grey, Four-Colour, and Double Index for accessibility. โ€ข 18 card back designs โ€” from minimal Sakura and Ivory to dramatic Obsidian, Circuit, and Celestial. โ€ข 7 table themes โ€” Classic green, Paprika, Burgundy, Jade, Walnut, Ocean, Midnight. โ€ข Two deck sizes โ€” standard or poker proportions. โ€ข Sound effects that actually sound like cards on a table โ€” modern or classic style, fully adjustable. THOUGHTFUL DETAILS โ€ข Realistic card-by-card dealing animation. โ€ข Drag-to-move and double-tap to auto-send to the foundation. โ€ข Per-game hint system and undo-friendly scoring. โ€ข Haptic feedback on iPhone. โ€ข Light, dark, or follow-system appearance. โ€ข Daily reminder notifications you can schedule to your time. GAME CENTER Leaderboards for every game mode and the Daily Challenge. Achievements for streaks, perfect games, fast wins, and more. Compete with friends or chase the global rankings. ICLOUD SYNC Your settings, daily challenge history, and preferences sync across all your devices automatically. NO ADS. NO PAYWALLS. NO TRACKING. Solitaire Ultra is a complete card game, not a marketing funnel. Play as much as you want, customise to your heart's content, no ads, no popups, no paywalls. An optional Tip Jar in Settings lets you support development if you'd like to โ€” but nothing is ever locked behind it. Every bit helps me keep building this app and creating future ones. Access Tips in Settings > Support This App

About

Cardways

Features
Read full description

Classic solitaire games in one app โ€” Klondike, FreeCell, Spider, Yukon, Spiderette, Pyramid, TriPeaks and Golf โ€” and every one of them is completely free. Totally ad-free and nothing to pay for Cardways has no ads of any kind, ever. There are no in-app purchases, no subscriptions, no premium version and no tip jar. Every game, every deal and every feature is available from the moment you download it, without any charge โ€” nothing is locked away. Every deal can be won Each deal is checked by a solver before you see it, so there is always a way through. If a game goes wrong, undo as far back as you like and try another route. The games โ€ข Klondike โ€” the classic patience game, with Draw 1 or Draw 3. โ€ข FreeCell โ€” every card starts face up, with four free cells to plan your moves. โ€ข Spider โ€” build runs in a single suit, with 1, 2 or 4 suits, from relaxing to really tough. โ€ข Yukon โ€” no stock, and you can move any face-up card together with the cards on top of it. โ€ข Spiderette โ€” Spider with one deck and seven columns, in 1, 2 or 4 suits. โ€ข Pyramid โ€” take away pairs of cards that add up to 13 and clear the pyramid. โ€ข TriPeaks โ€” clear three peaks of cards by playing ones that are one higher or one lower than the waste, and build long runs for bigger scores. โ€ข Golf โ€” clear seven columns of cards by playing ones that are one higher or one lower than the waste. Every card is face up from the start, so you can plan ahead. Play your way Tap a card to send it to the best place, or drag it exactly where you want it. Undo as many moves as you like. Stuck? Tap the light bulb for a good next move โ€” it will even tell you when there's no way left to win. Cards that are no longer needed go to the foundations by themselves. Easy to pick up Each game has its own How to Play guide, one tap away. Your game is saved as you play, and your games won, win rate and best score are kept for every game. Comfortable to play Large, clear cards drawn for iPhone and iPad, in portrait or landscape, a choice of three table colors, and sound effects and vibration you can switch off. No ads. No purchases. No accounts. No internet connection needed. Just solitaire.

Screenshots

Solitaire Ultra4 screens
Cardways4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cardways at none against Solitaire Ultra's 3. Cardways also leads on update cadence (daily vs weekly) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Solitaire Ultra sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Cardways asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Solitaire Ultra ships an update weekly, Cardways daily. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 5 level
Solitaire Ultra versus Cardways: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolitaire UltraCardways
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyWeeklyDaily โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
MonetizationFreeโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.6 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size84 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonathan ClarkeGary Watson

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Solitaire Ultra

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Generous Tip$4.99
None

Cardways

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Solitaire Ultra free?
Solitaire Ultra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cardways free?
Cardways is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Solitaire Ultra or Cardways have ads?
Neither Solitaire Ultra nor Cardways shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Solitaire Ultra or Cardways?
Solitaire Ultra ships an update weekly, and Cardways daily. Most recently, Solitaire Ultra was updated on October 14, 2026 and Cardways on October 17, 2026.

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