Comparison

Shelem vs Backgammon

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

Head to head
About

Shelem

Test your strategic thinking and memory in this challenging card game. Compete with friends online or join a league to face skilled players. Prove your worthiness for the Shelem title and enjoy hours of fun.

Highlights
  • Strategic card gameplay
  • Memory and reasoning skill improvement
  • Online multiplayer with friends
  • League competition
  • Challenging gameplay
Features
Read full description

Do you have what it takes to be a ruler? Are you smart enough to win against all the odds? Are you worthy of the Shelem title? Bring it on! Boost up your memory and improve your reasoning skills by playing the most strategical card game known to man. Play with your online friends or compete in a league against top-notch players. Either way, Shelem is going to take you on a journey of fun. Be ready to play all night long!

About

Backgammon

Experience a classic two-player board game on your device. This logic puzzle involves rolling dice and strategically moving checkers across a board to remove them. It's designed to exercise your mind and provide a fun way to relax.

Highlights
  • Classic backgammon gameplay
  • Logic puzzle for two players
  • Dice rolling and checker movement
  • Brain training and relaxation
  • Intuitive design
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Backgammon is a classic board game popular with many players around the world. Whether you are a beginner or expert player, this game may help to exercise your mind or relax after a long day at work. Enjoy classic gameplay right on your device, train your brain and have fun! How to play Backgammon: - Classic Backgammon is a logic puzzle for two, played on a board of 24 triangles called points. - Each player sits on the opposite sides of the board with 15 checkers, black or white. - To start the game, players take turns and roll the dice. - Players move pieces based on the numbers rolled. For example, if you roll 2 and 5, you can move one piece 2 points and another one 5 points. Alternatively, you can move one piece 7 points. - Once all of a player’s pieces are in his or her “home”, that player may begin removing pieces off of the board. - A player wins once all of their pieces are removed from the board. A few more things to know: - Rolling two of the same number allows you to move 4 times. For example, for a roll of 4 and 4, you can move a total of 16 points, although each piece must move 4 points at a time. - You cannot move a piece to a point that is occupied by 2 or more of your opponent’s pieces - If you move a piece to a point with only 1 of your opponent’s pieces on it, the rival’s piece is removed from the board and placed on the middle partition. Simple and intuitive design lets you focus on the gameplay and master your skills. Start your first round, challenge yourself and keep your brain active!

Screenshots

Shelem4 screens
Backgammon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shelem at 59% against Backgammon's 18%. Shelem also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Backgammon's advantage is chart position (#175 vs unranked) and ratings volume (84K vs 27K). On price, ads, 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. Shelem sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Backgammon 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

Shelem holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27K and 84K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Shelem's written reviews are positive against 18% of Backgammon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shelem ships an update every 2 weeks, Backgammon every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Shelem versus Backgammon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShelemBackgammon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (27K ratings) — better4.5 (84K ratings)
Positive reviews59.2% of reviews — better17.9% of reviews
Number of ratings27K84K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#175 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size68 MB227 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBabak BostanEasybrain Ltd

Customer experience

Shelem

All ratings26,953 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews130 reviews
Positive59.2%
Neutral13.8%
Negative26.9%

Backgammon

All ratings83,511 ratings
Positive88.0%
Neutral5.8%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews1,507 reviews
Positive17.9%
Neutral15.6%
Negative66.5%

User reviews

Shelem

From 27K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fantastic game
  • 🤔 Challenging brain game
  • 🎨 Great graphics and design
  • 🎶 Soothing background music

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🤖 Dumb AI/computer players
  • ⏱️ Short timer/time issues
  • 🔌 Server/connectivity problems
  • 🤯 Frustrating gameplay issues

Backgammon

From 84K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Clean interface
  • 🚀 Quick gameplay
  • 🎮 Fun game

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Unfair dice rolls
  • 🤖 AI plays too conservatively
  • 💰 Too many ads
  • 🔧 Glitchy gameplay

Bugs and requests

Shelem

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Game progress not saved
  • Unexpected card discarding
  • Incorrect point calculations
  • Unresponsive controls
  • Frequent crashes and freezes

Requested features

6 requests
  • Online multiplayer mode
  • Customizable timer/time settings
  • Improved AI/computer player logic
  • Save/resume game progress
  • Detailed game rules/tutorial
Show 1 more
  • Leaderboard/ranking system improvements

Backgammon

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Doubling cube blocks board view
  • Incorrect bearing off rules

Requested features

4 requests
  • Additional difficulty settings
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Customizable board colors
  • Game statistics tracking

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Shelem

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
1 purchases

Backgammon

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$14.99

Questions

Is Shelem free?
Shelem is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Backgammon free?
Backgammon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shelem or Backgammon?
Shelem is rated higher. Shelem averages 4.8 out of 5 from 27K ratings, while Backgammon averages 4.5 from 84K ratings.
Do Shelem or Backgammon have ads?
Both Shelem and Backgammon show ads.
Which is updated more often, Shelem or Backgammon?
Shelem ships an update every 2 weeks, and Backgammon every 2 months. Most recently, Shelem was updated on October 15, 2026 and Backgammon on October 15, 2026.

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