Balatro is the better app overall, scoring 9.2 to 8.9. Balatro wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Lichess on 2.
Card game fans who love building combos and chasing high scores
Chess players who want serious tools without ads or subscriptions
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Balatro | Lichess |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Card & Board Games | Card & Board Games |
| Category rank | #1 of 8 | #3 of 8 |
| Developer | LocalThunk / Playstack | Lichess.org |
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| Usable for free | No | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | — |
| Windows | ✓ | — |
| Web | — | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Balatro better than Lichess?
Balatro is the better app overall, scoring 9.2 to 8.9. Balatro wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Lichess on 2.
Which is cheaper, Balatro or Lichess?
Balatro: $9.99 once on iOS and Android, no in-app purchases; Balatro+ is on Apple Arcade. Lichess: Completely free; funded by donations, with no ads or paid features. On value for money, Lichess scores higher.
Do Balatro and Lichess work on the same devices?
Only Balatro runs on Windows, Mac. Only Lichess runs on Web.
Which is more private, Balatro or Lichess?
Lichess scores higher on privacy (9.2/10). App Store label: contact info and identifiers may be linked to you; user content, search history and diagnostics are collected but not linked. No tracking is listed.
Strengths and weaknesses
Balatro
- Every run plays out differently
- Pay once: no ads and no in-app purchases
- Controls feel built for touch, not ported
- The big 1.1 content update still has no release date
- Bad luck can sink a promising run
Balatro takes the poker hands you already know and turns them into a roguelike you'll keep coming back to. You build hands to beat each blind, then bend the rules with more than 150 Jokers, so every run becomes a different combo puzzle. The controls are remastered for touch, and it's a single price with no ads or upsells. Your only real risk is losing whole evenings to one more run.
Full Balatro review
Lichess
- Everything is free, with no ads or premium tier
- Open source and funded by donations
- Strong analysis and puzzles that work offline
- Fewer structured lessons than paid rivals
- The interface feels plainer than Chess.com's
Lichess gives you everything most chess apps charge for, and asks for nothing. Play live or correspondence games, join arena tournaments, grind themed puzzles or Puzzle Storm, and analyze games with the latest Stockfish, all without ads or a paywall. Offline bots now include Maia, which plays more like a human. The app is younger than Chess.com's and lighter on lessons, but it improves every few weeks.
Full Lichess review
