# Spades vs The Spades

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Spades at none against The Spades's 1. Spades also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). The Spades's advantage is ratings volume (8.2K vs 2.5K). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Spades sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spades asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Spades against 4.6 for The Spades. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.5K and 8.2K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 46% and 47% positive.

Spades ships an update monthly, The Spades every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spades | The Spades |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spades/id872912030/reviews)** | [4.6 (8.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spades/id929909607/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2.5K | **8.2K** |
| Positive reviews | 46.4% of reviews | **47.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 55 MB | 116 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [fishdog.net](https://appshunter.io/developer/337519299) | [UNBALANCE Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/358617691) |

## What reviewers say

### Spades

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spades/id872912030)

A digital adaptation of the classic trick-taking card game. Play solo or with partners, bidding on the number of tricks you can win. Customize game rules, opponent difficulty, and visual elements.

**Highlights:** 3 or 4 player solo modes, 4 player partnership mode, Customizable bid and lead rules, Adjustable AI opponent aggression, Table and card appearance customization, In-app instructions

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast game play
- 👍 Minimal advertisements
- 👍 Good graphics
- 💡 Helps keep mind sharp

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Partner doesn't understand nil bids
- 🐛 Partner overbids frequently
- 🐛 Partner doesn't protect nil bids
- 🐛 Partner makes poor card plays
- 🐛 Inconsistent in counting books

**Reported bugs**

- Scoring discrepancies
- Cards blocked by ads
- Freezing on last card
- Sounds always on after update

**Requested features**

- Allow confirmation for bidding entry box
- Automatic play for last card in suit
- Implement bid 10 get 200 feature


### 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 free?

Spades is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Spades free?

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

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

Spades is rated higher. Spades averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while The Spades averages 4.6 from 8.2K ratings.

### Do Spades or The Spades have ads?

Both Spades and The Spades show ads.

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

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