Comparison

Hardwood Spades vs The Spades

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

Head to head
About

Hardwood Spades

Play the classic card game of Spades solo or online with thousands of players worldwide. Enjoy excellent graphics, soothing environments, and various game modes. Tutorials are available for new players.

Highlights
  • Play solo or online multiplayer
  • Multiple Spades game variations
  • Excellent graphics and soothing environments
  • How to play tutorials
  • Post winnings to Facebook
  • Optional subscriptions for more features
Features
Read full description

Pull up a chair. Hardwood Spades has been bringing players together for over 20 years -- and our medieval tavern is still going strong. Whether you're a Spades veteran or just learning the ropes, you'll find a welcoming atmosphere, good company, and a great game. Free to play, always. If you're tired of card games dressed up as casinos, you've found your medieval tavern. Play online with thousands of players worldwide, team up with friends, or enjoy a quiet solo game against AI opponents that actually play like real people. No casino noise. No slot machine gimmicks. Just Spades. Why Players Keep Coming Back: • A Mature Community: Moderated and friendly -- sportsmanship comes first • Play Anywhere: Smart AI opponents for solo play anytime, no internet required • Competitive Edge: Online tournaments and global leaderboards • Immersive Experience: Stunning environments and high-quality audio • Total Customization: Unique card decks, backgrounds, and animated FOOMS effects -- available with tokens, purchasable anytime Spades Variations: • Partnership: Traditional, Mirrors • Individual: Standard, Mirror, Cutthroat • Specialty: Whiz • And more! Want chat, rated games, an ad-free experience, and 200 tokens every month? Plus membership is optional and affordable. More Hardwood Games: • Hardwood Euchre -- Jacks are Trump • Hardwood Hearts -- avoid the points • Hardwood Backgammon -- race to safety Prefer a quiet game alone? All of our games can be played solo -- but for the ultimate single player experience, check out Hardwood Solitaire IV, also available on the App Store. Questions, suggestions, or found an issue? We love hearing from our players at support@silvercrk.com ____________________ Hardwood Games Subscriptions are optional and available at a rate of 1 month for $4.99, 3 months for $14.99 or 1 year for $29.99. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions will auto-renew unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Your subscriptions can be managed from your iTunes account settings. Cancellation of subscriptions is not allowed. Our privacy policy may be viewed at http://www.hardwoodgames.com/about/privacy/ Our terms of service may be viewed at http://www.hardwoodgames.com/about/terms/

About

The Spades

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
Read full description

The most downloaded Spades app now available !! 'The Spades' brings this classic 4-player contract trick taking card game to the iOS, based on the No.1 downloaded Spades app by AI Factory! 'The Spades' supplies classy graphics, super smooth gameplay, addictive background music and sound effects, highly scalable difficulty & much more. The game will track your wins/losses and draws against each of the difficulty levels. You can monitor how well you have performed in partnership with all the 18 CPU players provided for the game. Beat them all and partner them all! Features: -- Full Spades Partnership Play -- 18 CPU characters of varying skill (beginner to expert) -- Choose who to partner with and who to play against! -- Undo your play anytime -- Hint facility -- Backgroud Music and Sound Effects (ON/OFF) -- Beautiful Card and Background graphics -- Animation speed (Normal/ Fast) -- Saves history of your and CPU player stats -- Remove ads

Screenshots

Hardwood Spades4 screens
The Spades4 screens

Verdict

The call

Hardwood Spades and The Spades both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 81% of Hardwood Spades's written reviews are positive against 47% of The Spades's. The Spades's advantage is ratings volume (8.2K vs 949). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Hardwood Spades sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and The Spades sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Hardwood Spades against 4.6 for The Spades. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Spades has 8.2K ratings behind it against 949, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Hardwood Spades's written reviews are positive against 47% of The Spades's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hardwood Spades ships an update every 2 months, The Spades every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Hardwood Spades versus The Spades: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHardwood SpadesThe Spades
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (949 ratings) — better4.6 (8.2K ratings)
Positive reviews81.2% of reviews — better46.6% of reviews
Number of ratings9498.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB116 MB
Age rating9+17+
DeveloperSilver Creek EntertainmentUNBALANCE Corporation

Customer experience

Hardwood Spades

All ratings948 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews133 reviews
Positive81.2%
Neutral6.0%
Negative12.8%

The Spades

All ratings8,204 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral4.7%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews118 reviews
Positive46.6%
Neutral12.7%
Negative40.7%

User reviews

Hardwood Spades

From 949 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive game
  • 🎨 Great graphics and visuals
  • 🕹️ Engaging gameplay
  • 🕰️ Relaxing and calming experience
  • 🌐 Ability to play with real people online

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional server disconnections
  • 🤖 Issues with AI partner bidding and play
  • 🤬 Toxic player behavior and harassment
  • 💰 Complaints about subscription model
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding consistent games

The Spades

From 8.2K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

Hardwood Spades

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Scoring issues and incorrect point calculations
  • Crashes and freezes, especially on older devices
  • Inconsistent card dealing and distribution
  • Glitches with card swapping and bidding

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add reporting system for toxic players
  • Improve AI partner bidding and strategy
  • Introduce a timer or faster gameplay option
  • Allow customization of game settings
  • Provide more offline/single-player modes
Show 1 more
  • Improve cross-device syncing and account management

The Spades

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Hardwood Spades

Subscriptions5
  • Plus Membership$4.991 Month
  • 1 Month Plus Membership$4.991 Month
  • Plus Membership$14.993 Months
Show 2 more
  • Plus Membership$29.991 Year
  • 12 Month Plus Membership$29.991 Year
One-time8
  • Pack of 80 Tokens$0.99
  • Pack of 165 Tokens$1.99
  • Plus Membership$2.99
Show 5 more
  • Pack of 425 Tokens$4.99
  • 1 Month Plus Membership$4.99
  • Plus Membership$4.99
  • Pack of 865 Tokens$9.99
  • Plus Membership$19.99
1 purchases

The Spades

One-time1
  • Remove Ad$5.99

Questions

Is Hardwood Spades free?
Hardwood Spades 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, Hardwood Spades or The Spades?
Hardwood Spades is rated higher. Hardwood Spades averages 4.7 out of 5 from 949 ratings, while The Spades averages 4.6 from 8.2K ratings.
Do Hardwood Spades or The Spades have ads?
Both Hardwood Spades and The Spades show ads.
Which is updated more often, Hardwood Spades or The Spades?
Hardwood Spades ships an update every 2 months, and The Spades every 4 months. Most recently, Hardwood Spades was updated on October 24, 2026 and The Spades on October 24, 2026.

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