# Five In a Row vs XO Master

The clearest difference is update cadence: XO Master at fortnightly against Five In a Row's every 8 months. XO Master also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 70%). Five In a Row's advantage is ratings volume (735 vs 110). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Five In a Row sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and XO Master sells 9 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 — 4.5 for Five In a Row against 4.6 for XO Master. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Five In a Row has 735 ratings behind it against 110, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Five In a Row's written reviews are positive against 100% of XO Master's.

Five In a Row ships an update every 8 months, XO Master fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Five In a Row | XO Master |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (735 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/five-in-a-row-gomoku/id944919326/reviews) | **[4.6 (110 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xo-master/id1472542258/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **735** | 110 |
| Positive reviews | 70.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 39 MB | 147 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [OutOfTheBit Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/286210012) | [Ubwab Tech](https://appshunter.io/developer/1252865332) |

## What reviewers say

### Five In a Row

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/five-in-a-row-gomoku/id944919326)

Challenge friends or AI in this classic strategy board game. Connect five pieces of your color in a line to win. Perfect for quick challenges, relaxation, or teaching strategy.

**Highlights:** Online multiplayer, 2 player mode on same device, 3 AI difficulty levels, Game Center achievements, Colorful themes, Global high-score ranking

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gomoku Premium | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great game
- 🤩 Very addictive and fun
- 🎮 Excellent quick game
- 🎨 Really nice UI and customization settings
- 🧠 Helps everyone to keep getting smarter

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 AI is not smart enough to play with
- 🚧 Game locks up so much
- 📺 Too many ads that last way too long
- 🛑 Endless ads
- 🤯 Never seen that many adds which can't even stop

**Reported bugs**

- Multiplayer doesn't work
- Game has too many bugs
- Misplaced markers due to phone not responding or accidental touches

**Requested features**

- Option for up to 4 players
- Harder levels
- Undo button or hold to place token option
- Better control of leaderboard scores


### XO Master

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xo-master/id1472542258)

Engage in a challenging 5-in-a-row tic-tac-toe experience. Play offline against AI with adjustable difficulties or compete online in multiplayer battles. Chat with friends, bid against opponents, and team up in 2v2 modes.

**Highlights:** 5-in-a-row gameplay, Offline single-player vs AI, Online multiplayer battles, 2v2 team mode, In-game chat, Bidding system

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 4500 coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| 30K coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| Silver XO | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gold XO | $1.99 | one-time |
| Heart XO | $2.99 | one-time |
| Sword And Shield XO | $2.99 | one-time |
| Ice And Fire XO | $2.99 | one-time |
| 200K coins | $6.99 | one-time |
| 2M coins | $21.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Five In a Row free?

Five In a Row is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is XO Master free?

XO Master is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Five In a Row or XO Master?

XO Master is rated higher. Five In a Row averages 4.5 out of 5 from 735 ratings, while XO Master averages 4.6 from 110 ratings.

### Do Five In a Row or XO Master have ads?

Both Five In a Row and XO Master show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Five In a Row or XO Master?

Five In a Row ships an update every 8 months, and XO Master fortnightly. Most recently, Five In a Row was updated on November 1, 2026 and XO Master on November 3, 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.*