# Spades Gold vs The Spades

Spades Gold and The Spades both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 79% of Spades Gold's written reviews are positive against 47% of The Spades's. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Spades Gold sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and The Spades sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Spades Gold against 4.6 for The Spades. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.3K and 8.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Spades Gold's written reviews are positive against 47% of The Spades's.

Spades Gold ships an update every 5 months, The Spades every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spades Gold | The Spades |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (4.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spades-gold/id733771893/reviews)** | [4.6 (8.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spades/id929909607/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4.3K | **8.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **79.2% of reviews** | 47.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 206 MB | 116 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Mana Battery ApS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1855950280) | [UNBALANCE Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/358617691) |

## What reviewers say

### Spades Gold

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spades-gold/id733771893)

Experience a visually appealing and engaging game of Spades. Play against intelligent AI or compete with other players in multiplayer mode. Customize your game with various rules and settings.

**Highlights:** Play against AI or human players, Multiple rule variations, High resolution graphics, Tablet support, Achievements and leaderboards, Customizable game settings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All content and no advertisements. | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast gameplay
- 👍 Customizable game settings
- 👍 Smooth graphics and interface
- 👍 Enjoyable spades experience
- 👍 Challenging gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches and crashes
- 🤖 Weak AI partner performance
- 🤖 AI opponents make poor decisions
- 🔍 Lack of score history/tracking
- 💰 Intrusive ads

**Reported bugs**

- Losing game progress after crashes
- Incorrect scoring and bid calculations
- Unexpected app behavior after updates

**Requested features**

- Add joker and wild card options
- Improve AI partner strategy
- Provide score sheet/history
- Offer multiplayer/social features
- Add more game mode variations


### The Spades

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spades/id929909607)

Experience the classic 4-player contract trick-taking card game on iOS. Enjoy smooth gameplay, scalable difficulty, and track your performance against 18 AI opponents. Customize your partnerships and challenge yourself to beat them all.

**Highlights:** Full Spades partnership play, 18 CPU characters with varying skill, Choose partners and opponents, Undo play and hint facility, Save player statistics, Customizable graphics and sound

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ad | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Enjoyable game
- 👍 Good entertainment
- 🕹️ Relaxing gameplay
- 🧠 Improves gameplay skills

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Too many ads
- 🤖 Biased AI partners
- 🤔 Inconsistent partner behavior
- 🧠 Questionable AI decision-making

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes and crashes
- Scoring issues and discrepancies
- Undo feature locked behind ads

**Requested features**

- Option to customize game rules
- Ability to lead with spades
- More balanced AI partners
- Add-free version


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spades Gold free?

Spades Gold is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is The Spades free?

The Spades is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Spades Gold or The Spades?

Spades Gold is rated higher. Spades Gold averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.3K ratings, while The Spades averages 4.6 from 8.2K ratings.

### Do Spades Gold or The Spades have ads?

Both Spades Gold and The Spades show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Spades Gold or The Spades?

Spades Gold ships an update every 5 months, and The Spades every 4 months. Most recently, Spades Gold was updated on October 12, 2026 and The Spades on October 15, 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.*