Comparison

Canasta. vs Samba Game

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

Head to head
About

Canasta.

Experience the strategic card game of the rummy family, featuring joker cards for unpredictable gameplay. Form melds, create canastas, and aim for 5000 points to win team rounds.

Highlights
  • Rummy family card game
  • Joker cards for unpredictability
  • Team play against computer
  • Forming melds and canastas
  • Scoring to 5000 points
Read full description

Canasta is the popular card game of the rummy family also known as Argentine Rummy. Use of joker cards makes the game unpredictable and very challenging. You play as a team with computer opponent against computer team. Pick up cards and fit them into groups (melds). Group of seven cards called canasta and allows team to finish the round. Points go for the melds, the first team scoring 5000 points wins.

About

Samba Game

Features
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Deal yourself into Samba: outsmart computer rivals, play friends live or at your own pace, master beloved variants, and invent custom games with rules all your own. Samba is a rich and strategic member of the Canasta family, combining familiar melding gameplay with sequences, multiple decks, and exciting high-scoring possibilities. Whether you already love Canasta or are discovering this style of card game for the first time, Samba makes it easy to deal in and start playing. Learn at your own pace, challenge computer opponents, or gather friends around a flexible online table. PLAY YOUR WAY • Enjoy classic Samba and a wide selection of regional variants • Play popular Hand and Foot variants • Challenge computer players in solo games • Play online in real time or take turns at your own pace • Invite friends, add computer players, and manage your table • Create your own variant with custom rules and scoring • Share custom games with other players BUILT FOR CARD PLAYERS Animated, interactive cards and intuitive controls keep the table easy to follow. Quickly review open and completed melds, zoom in to inspect every card, and stay focused on strategy instead of bookkeeping. MORE THAN ONE WAY TO WIN Build melds, complete canastas, form Sambas, manage your hand, and decide exactly when to take the discard pile. Every round presents new choices, and every variant changes the strategy. From relaxed solo games to competitive multiplayer tables, Samba brings the wider Canasta family together in one polished card-playing experience. Available in nine languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Bosnian, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Arabic, and Persian.

Screenshots

Canasta.4 screens
Samba Game4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Samba Game at none against Canasta.'s 12. Samba Game also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 71%). Canasta.'s advantage is ratings volume (25K vs 4). On price, ads, 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

Both are free to download. Canasta. sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Samba Game asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Samba Game holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Canasta. has 25K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Canasta.'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Samba Game's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Canasta. ships an update every 2 months, Samba Game every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Canasta. versus Samba Game: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCanasta.Samba Game
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (25K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSergey SkosyrevIYAD NAHAS

Customer experience

Canasta.

All ratings25,130 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral3.5%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews659 reviews
Positive70.7%
Neutral10.3%
Negative19.0%

Samba Game

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Canasta.

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Partner ignores player's instructions
  • Opponents get unrealistic card draws
  • Incorrect implementation of Canasta rules
  • Game freezes or crashes unexpectedly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Online multiplayer mode
  • Customizable difficulty levels
  • Ability to choose partner skill level
  • Clearer display of canasta information
  • Option to play 2-player version

Samba Game

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Canasta.

One-time12
  • 1000 diamonds$0.99
  • Cards from deck$1.99
  • 2200 diamonds$1.99
Show 9 more
  • Win Points$2.99
  • 3400 diamonds$2.99
  • 4700 diamonds$3.99
  • Partner difficulty$4.99
  • Opponents difficulty$4.99
  • 6000 diamonds$4.99
  • 8500 diamonds$6.99
  • Advanced Features$9.99
  • 12500 diamonds$9.99
None

Samba Game

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Canasta. free?
Canasta. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Samba Game free?
Samba Game is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Canasta. or Samba Game?
Samba Game is rated higher. Canasta. averages 4.7 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while Samba Game averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Canasta. or Samba Game have ads?
Neither Canasta. nor Samba Game shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Canasta. or Samba Game?
Canasta. ships an update every 2 months, and Samba Game every 2 days. Most recently, Canasta. was updated on October 25, 2026 and Samba Game on October 24, 2026.

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