Comparison

Hardwood Backgammon vs FriendGammon

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

Head to head
About

Hardwood Backgammon

Experience the classic board game with this digital adaptation. Play against a strong AI, challenge friends locally, or compete with players worldwide. Features include full match play, a doubling cube, and engaging achievements.

Highlights
  • Single player vs AI
  • Online multiplayer
  • 2 player local mode
  • Full match play
  • Doubling cube
  • Achievements
Features
Read full description

Pull up a chair at the Hardwood Inn. Backgammon is one of the oldest games in the world -- and Hardwood Backgammon has been bringing players together for over 20 years. Whether you're a seasoned player or just learning the board, you'll find a welcoming atmosphere, good company, and a great game. Free to play, always. If you're tired of board games dressed up as casinos, you've found your Hardwood Inn. Play online with players worldwide, challenge a friend sitting next to you, or test yourself against our world-class Neural Net AI. For the ultimate face-to-face experience, our exclusive Tablet Board Mode lets you place your device flat on the table like a real backgammon board -- the UI flips automatically between players on each turn. Why Players Keep Coming Back: • A Mature Community: Moderated and friendly -- sportsmanship comes first • World-Class AI: Neural Net engine plays like a real opponent, not a pushover • Play Anywhere: Solo, online, or local multiplayer -- no internet required for solo • Tablet Board Mode: Place your device flat and play face-to-face just like a real board • Full Match Play with doubling cube support • Competitive Edge: Online tournaments and global leaderboards • Immersive Experience: Stunning environments and high-quality audio • Total Customization: Unique boards, checkers, dice, and backgrounds -- available with tokens, purchasable anytime Sign in with your Hardwood account across all our games and your cosmetics come with you. One collection, every game. Want chat, rated games, an ad-free experience, and 200 tokens every month? Plus membership is optional and affordable. More Hardwood Games: • Hardwood Spades -- the classic trick taking game • Hardwood Euchre -- Jacks are Trump • Hardwood Hearts -- avoid the points • Video Poker Duel -- competitive video poker for two 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

FriendGammon

Engage in classic backgammon matches with friends. This app offers a beautifully designed interface for enjoyable gameplay. Connect and compete with your social circle in strategic board game fun.

Highlights
  • Play backgammon
  • Compete with friends
  • Beautifully designed interface
  • Online multiplayer
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 • 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

Hardwood Backgammon4 screens
FriendGammon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: FriendGammon at none against Hardwood Backgammon's shown. FriendGammon also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). Hardwood Backgammon's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (63% vs 53%). On price, ratings volume, 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. Hardwood Backgammon sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and FriendGammon sells 15 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

Hardwood Backgammon holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 166 and 70 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Hardwood Backgammon's written reviews are positive against 53% of FriendGammon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hardwood Backgammon ships an update every 2 months, FriendGammon every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Hardwood Backgammon versus FriendGammon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHardwood BackgammonFriendGammon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (166 ratings) — better3.8 (70 ratings)
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews — better52.6% of reviews
Number of ratings166 — better70
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB95 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperSilver Creek EntertainmentKiss My Art LLC

Customer experience

Hardwood Backgammon

All ratings166 ratings
Positive82.5%
Neutral5.4%
Negative12.0%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral8.8%
Negative28.7%

FriendGammon

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

Bugs and requests

Hardwood Backgammon

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App fails to load on some devices
  • Apple TV version blocks legal moves
  • Controls unresponsive on Apple TV
  • Unclear how to enable local multiplayer between devices
  • Game becomes unresponsive during gameplay

Requested features

8 requests
  • Acey-Deucey game variant
  • Larger, scalable game board for tablets
  • Better difficulty settings based on strategy, not just dice manipulation
  • More multiplayer players available
  • Customizable game rules and settings
Show 3 more
  • Ability to select teammates in multiplayer
  • Penalty system for players who quit mid-game
  • Improved Apple TV compatibility and local multiplayer

FriendGammon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Hardwood Backgammon

Subscriptions6
  • Plus Membership$4.991 Month
  • 1 Month Plus Membership$4.991 Month
  • Plus Membership$14.993 Months
Show 3 more
  • 3 Month Plus Membership$14.993 Months
  • Plus Membership$29.991 Year
  • 12 Month Plus Membership$29.991 Year
One-time10
  • Pack of 80 Tokens$0.99
  • Pack of 165 Tokens$1.99
  • Plus Membership$2.99
Show 7 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$14.99
  • Plus Membership$19.99
  • Pack of 1800 Tokens$19.99
15 purchases

FriendGammon

Subscriptions5
  • Premium subscription (monthly)$4.991 Month
  • $5 Donation Subscription$4.991 Month
  • $10 Donation Subscription$9.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • $20 Donation Subscription$19.991 Month
  • Premium subscription (yearly)$50.001 Year
One-time10
  • Costa-Rica$4.99
  • Amalfi$4.99
  • NYC$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Los Angeles$4.99
  • $5 One Time Donation$4.99
  • $10 One Time Donation$9.99
  • $20 One Time Donation$19.99
  • $30 One Time Donation$29.99
  • $50 One Time Donation$49.99
  • $100 One Time Donation$99.99

Questions

Is Hardwood Backgammon free?
Hardwood Backgammon 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, Hardwood Backgammon or FriendGammon?
Hardwood Backgammon is rated higher. Hardwood Backgammon averages 4.3 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while FriendGammon averages 3.8 from 70 ratings.
Do Hardwood Backgammon or FriendGammon have ads?
Hardwood Backgammon shows ads; FriendGammon does not.
Which is updated more often, Hardwood Backgammon or FriendGammon?
Hardwood Backgammon ships an update every 2 months, and FriendGammon every 6 days. Most recently, Hardwood Backgammon was updated on October 23, 2026 and FriendGammon on October 25, 2026.

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