# The Spades vs Backgammon Plus

The Spades and Backgammon Plus both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 45% of The Spades's written reviews are positive against 18% of Backgammon Plus's. Backgammon Plus's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Spades sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Backgammon Plus sells 25 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for The Spades against 4.6 for Backgammon Plus. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8.2K and 4.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of The Spades's written reviews are positive against 18% of Backgammon Plus's.

The Spades ships an update every 4 months, Backgammon Plus every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Spades | Backgammon Plus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (8.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spades/id929909607/reviews) | [4.6 (4.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backgammon-plus-board-games/id1619948547/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8.2K** | 4.7K |
| Positive reviews | **45.2% of reviews** | 17.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 116 MB | 389 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [UNBALANCE Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/358617691) | [Zynga Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/295913422) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Backgammon Plus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backgammon-plus-board-games/id1619948547)

Play the ancient dice and board game of backgammon against friends or AI. Race your checkers to the end, master strategy, and compete in daily challenges for rewards. Offers both online and offline play for a classic gaming experience.

**Highlights:** Play against AI or friends, Offline play available, Daily challenges and rewards, Learn to play backgammon, Customize dice and boards, Authentic game experience

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (25)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amazing Coin Pack | $0.49 | one-time |
| Wheel Tier 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Big Sale | $0.99 | one-time |
| Piggy Bank Tier 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Starter Stack | $1.29 | one-time |
| Small Stack of Gems | $1.29 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $1.49 | one-time |
| X5 Coin Offer | $1.99 | one-time |
| Great Sale | $1.99 | one-time |
| Small Stack of Chips | $2.49 | one-time |
| Medium Stack of Gems | $2.49 | one-time |
| Piggy Bank VOL.2 | $2.49 | one-time |
| Wheel Tier 2 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Medium Stack X3 | $4.49 | one-time |
| Wheel Tier 3 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Medium Great Value of Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| Trophy Road Coin Pack VOL.3 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Medium Stack of Chips | $6.99 | one-time |
| Medium Great Value | $7.49 | one-time |
| Big Treasure of Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| Medium Great X3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Big Stack X3 | $12.99 | one-time |
| Wheel Tier 5 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Piggy Bank Tier 5 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Mega Wheel Tier 5 Multiplier 4 | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast gameplay
- 👍 Enjoyable experience
- 🎨 Good graphics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎲 Rigged dice rolls
- 🤖 Suspicious bot-like opponents
- 💰 Aggressive monetization
- 🔍 Lack of transparency
- 🤬 Frustrating gameplay

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent disconnections during gameplay
- Freezing and crashing issues

**Requested features**

- Ability to choose opponents
- Option to play offline
- Fair and random dice rolls


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Spades free?

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

### Is Backgammon Plus free?

Backgammon Plus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

The Spades and Backgammon Plus are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 8.2K and 4.7K ratings respectively.

### Do The Spades or Backgammon Plus have ads?

Both The Spades and Backgammon Plus show ads.

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

The Spades ships an update every 4 months, and Backgammon Plus every 3 weeks. Most recently, The Spades was updated on September 25, 2026 and Backgammon Plus on September 24, 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.*