Comparison

Hardwood Backgammon vs Master Backgammon

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

Master Backgammon

Master Backgammon offers a classic board game experience with multiple game modes, including single games without the doubling cube and longer matches that utilize it. Track your progress with a built-in history log of game results.

Highlights
  • Single games (no doubling cube)
  • 5-game matches (with doubling cube)
  • 9-game matches (with doubling cube)
  • History log of game results
Features
Read full description

Game options: (1) Single games--no doubling cube (2) 5 game matches--uses doubling cube (3) 9 game matches--uses doubling cube History log kept of game results.

Screenshots

Hardwood Backgammon4 screens
Master Backgammon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Hardwood Backgammon at Free against Master Backgammon's $2.99. Hardwood Backgammon also leads on ratings volume (166 vs 1). Master Backgammon's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (100% vs 63%). On update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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

Hardwood Backgammon is free to download; Master Backgammon costs $2.99 up front. Hardwood Backgammon sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Master Backgammon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Master Backgammon holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hardwood Backgammon has 166 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Hardwood Backgammon's written reviews are positive against 100% of Master Backgammon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Hardwood Backgammon versus Master Backgammon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHardwood BackgammonMaster Backgammon
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.3 (166 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings166 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB36 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperSilver Creek EntertainmentKen Fox

Customer experience

Hardwood Backgammon

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

Master Backgammon

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Master Backgammon

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
None

Master Backgammon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hardwood Backgammon free?
Hardwood Backgammon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Master Backgammon free?
Master Backgammon costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hardwood Backgammon or Master Backgammon?
Master Backgammon is rated higher. Hardwood Backgammon averages 4.3 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while Master Backgammon averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Hardwood Backgammon or Master Backgammon have ads?
Hardwood Backgammon shows ads; Master Backgammon does not.
Which is updated more often, Hardwood Backgammon or Master Backgammon?
Hardwood Backgammon ships an update every 2 months, and Master Backgammon every 2 months. Most recently, Hardwood Backgammon was updated on October 6, 2026 and Master Backgammon on October 4, 2026.

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