Comparison

Backgammon PlayGem vs FriendGammon

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

Head to head
About

Backgammon PlayGem

Engage in thrilling multiplayer Backgammon matches against friends or players worldwide. Learn the rules, refine your strategy, and compete in tournaments to climb the leaderboards. Unlock unique boards and enjoy unlimited, free gameplay.

Highlights
  • Multiplayer Backgammon
  • Online challenges and tournaments
  • Play with friends or global players
  • Learn rules and perfect strategy
  • Unlockable unique boards
  • Leaderboard progression
  • Certified dice
Features
Read full description

The best free multiplayer Backgammon game. Join a game instantly or play with friends now! Play live backgammon with friends and players around the world with PlayGem Backgammon for iOS. Download the FREE app from iTunes and enjoy the best version of this game on the Internet. PlayGem Backgammon offers FREE play with people you know, your Facebook friends, or millions of players worldwide. This leading social strategy game attracts hundreds of thousands of people who seek to challenge themselves each day! We’ve taken one of the oldest board games and made it even more fun! Download the app today to learn the rules of backgammon, perfect your strategy, and have a great time with a super cool mobile app for iPhone and iPad. Online Challenges and Tournaments Backgammon is a game of skill and luck. It’s a challenge you can now engage in with millions of players from all over the world, so set up PlayGem Backgammon on your iOS cell phone or mobile device and start competing! Take part in matches and tournaments and let our unique matching system quickly find you another player to go up against. Or, challenge one of your real-life or Facebook friends! Fun with Worthy Opponents Have a good time playing online matches and tournaments while improving your strategy against worthy opponents. The app finds you an international player to challenge, so you both can master the rules and become increasingly better. Climb the Leader Board Gain experience (XP), level up, unlock achievements, and climb the Leaders Board to get to international backgammon fame! Invite your friends to join in the excitement, too, and find out who truly is the best player. Beautiful and Unique Boards As you’re playing PlayGem Backgammon, you can work to unlock seven beautiful and exotic boards. Each has its own special music and themes! Features Awesome additional features that you’ll find in PlayGem Backgammon include: • Live contests that are quick, simple, and smooth • Multi-platform challenges across Facebook and iOS cell phones and mobile devices • 100 percent certified dice • Best customer support • Free and unlimited gameplay! By Any Name, It’s Still The Same Players from around the world love backgammon, but they sometimes call it by different names. It doesn’t matter if you refer to it as Tavla, Dado, Tavli, Tapa, Trictrac, Tric Trac, Tabula, Acey Deucey, Narde, Shesh Besh, Nackgammon, Plakoto, Gul Bara, Takhteh, or Moultezim—they all mean the same thing, and they refer to one of the best games on the planet! Start playing with your friends or enjoy a fun match with a new international friend. If you don’t know how the rules, it’s okay! You’ll be able to learn quickly and take part in cool online challenges. Grab your dice and board, and download PlayGem Backgammon today! Players from all over the world love their backgammon board and dice, but can call this great board game by different names. Some call it: Tavla, Tavli, Tapa, Trictrac, Tric Trac, Tabula, Acey Deucey, Narde, Shesh Besh, Nackgammon, Plakoto, Turkish Backgammon, Greek Backgammon, Russian Backgammon, Roman Backgammon, Gul Bara, Hyper Backgammon, Takhteh or Moultezim, ששבש,שש בש – they all mean the same fun game, and we LOVE it! Even if you misspelled it and wrote back gammon, nackgammon, nack gamon, backgamon, bacgamon, bakgamon or anything else – we don’t mind misspellers, you’re invited to an exciting free online backgammon game.

About

FriendGammon

Play turn-based backgammon with friends or practice against an expert AI. Track scores, chat during games, and climb the ranks in competitive leagues. Customize your game with unique board designs.

Highlights
  • Play friends via contacts or username
  • Turn-based gameplay
  • In-game chat
  • Play against expert AI
  • Game review and move analysis
  • Elo rating system and leagues
  • Customizable board designs
Features
Read full description

FriendGammon is a beautifully designed app made for playing backgammon with your friends. PLAY YOUR FRIENDS • Start a game with anyone in your contacts, or find them by username • Play at your own pace: games are turn-based, so you move whenever suits you • Keep a running score with every friend, and see who's ahead at a glance • Chat during games, with your conversation carried over from game to game • Full rules, with the doubling cube, gammons and backgammons PLAY THE COMPUTER • Practise any time against the computer, which always plays at expert level, doubling cube included • After every game, see your PR: a score of how well you played • Game review: see your costliest mistakes on the board, with arrows comparing your move to the best move • Games against the computer never affect your Elo CLIMB THE RANKS • Every game against a friend counts toward your Elo rating • Compete in the Beginner, Intermediate and Pro leagues and on the leaderboard MAKE IT YOURS • Choose from hand-designed boards • Undo a move before you end your turn, and replay your opponent's last turn Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ [:mav: 22.4.49]

Screenshots

Backgammon PlayGem4 screens
FriendGammon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Backgammon PlayGem at 4.5 against FriendGammon's 3.8. Backgammon PlayGem also leads on ratings volume (16K vs 70). FriendGammon's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 PlayGem sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and FriendGammon sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Backgammon PlayGem holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backgammon PlayGem has 16K ratings behind it against 70, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 52% and 53% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backgammon PlayGem ships an update monthly, FriendGammon every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Backgammon PlayGem versus FriendGammon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammon PlayGemFriendGammon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (16K ratings) — better3.8 (70 ratings)
Positive reviews51.6% of reviews52.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16K — better70
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size398 MB95 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPlaygem Technologies LtdKiss My Art LLC

Customer experience

Backgammon PlayGem

All ratings15,670 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral5.9%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews852 reviews
Positive51.6%
Neutral6.7%
Negative41.7%

FriendGammon

All ratings70 ratings
Positive68.6%
Neutral5.7%
Negative25.7%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive52.6%
Neutral7.9%
Negative39.5%

Bugs and requests

Backgammon PlayGem

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to move pieces when needed
  • Inconsistent behavior when opponent times out
  • Freezing and crashing during gameplay
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Chat feature to communicate with opponents
  • Improved matchmaking based on skill level
  • More customization options for the game board
  • Better customer support and issue resolution

FriendGammon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Backgammon PlayGem

One-time10
  • 50,000 backgammon chips$0.99
  • 100,000 backgammon chips$1.99
  • 300,000 backgammon chips$4.99
Show 7 more
  • 500,000 backgammon chips$4.99
  • Super Bonus$4.99
  • 300,000 backgammon Chips$4.99
  • 1,500,000 backgammon chips$9.99
  • 750,000 backgammon chips$9.99
  • 2,400,000 backgammon chips$24.99
  • 15,000,000 backgammon Chips$59.99
10 purchases

FriendGammon

Subscriptions2
  • Premium subscription (monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Premium subscription (yearly)$50.001 Year
One-time8
  • Costa-Rica$4.99
  • NYC$4.99
  • Los Angeles$4.99
Show 5 more
  • $5 One Time Donation$4.99
  • $10 One Time Donation$9.99
  • $20 One Time Donation$19.99
  • $50 One Time Donation$49.99
  • $100 One Time Donation$99.99

Questions

Is Backgammon PlayGem free?
Backgammon PlayGem is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FriendGammon free?
FriendGammon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Backgammon PlayGem or FriendGammon?
Backgammon PlayGem is rated higher. Backgammon PlayGem averages 4.5 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while FriendGammon averages 3.8 from 70 ratings.
Do Backgammon PlayGem or FriendGammon have ads?
Backgammon PlayGem shows ads; FriendGammon does not.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon PlayGem or FriendGammon?
Backgammon PlayGem ships an update monthly, and FriendGammon every 6 days. Most recently, Backgammon PlayGem was updated on November 13, 2026 and FriendGammon on November 11, 2026.

Other comparisons