Best Cribbage App
Best for full games, online play and friends: Cribbage Pro. Best for learning discards: Cribbage Classic, whose Discard Analyzer shows the minimum, maximum and average score of every keep-and-discard split. Best for a fast, large-card game: Cribbage JD. Best for checking a hand's score: Cribbage Score. Best for short drills with the reason on every answer: Cribbage Trainer, the app I make.
Most cribbage apps are games against a computer. Three of the five below are games, one is a scorer and analyzer, and one is a practice app with no opponent, so the right pick depends on whether you want to play, check or practice.
How we compared (October 2026): I ran Cribbage Classic, Cribbage JD and Cribbage Score on a Mac and read the App Store listing and a sample of recent reviews for Cribbage Pro, which I did not run. For all five I checked ratings, update dates, devices and purchase types from Apple's lookup data. Prices are left out on purpose, because they vary by region and change.
Disclosure: Jack Wallner makes Cribbage Trainer, one of the apps below. I tried to start every description with what the app does well.
Side by side
Ratings and counts are the US App Store figures as of October 2026. Last updated is the date of the current version.
| App | Best for | Price model | Apple Watch | iPad | Account | Rating (count) | Last updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cribbage Pro | Full games, online play, friends | Free with ads + one-time ad removal | No | Yes | Not checked | 4.71 (60,311) | 2026-09-09 |
| Cribbage Classic | Learning discards | Free with ads, no purchases | No | Yes | None | 4.62 (31,333) | 2023-10-31 |
| Cribbage JD | A fast game with big cards | Free with ads + one-time ad removal and coin packs | No | Yes | Guest login offered | 4.73 (18,875) | 2025-10-14 |
| Cribbage Score | Scoring a hand and ranking discards | Free, optional tips | No | Yes | None | 4.70 (526) | 2026-09-26 |
| Cribbage Trainer | Short drills with the why on every answer | Free + subscription or lifetime purchase | No | Yes | None | No ratings yet | 2026-10-10 |
The apps, one by one
Cribbage Pro
Cribbage Pro is the most-rated app here and the only one with cross-platform online multiplayer, including an online tournament sanctioned by the American Cribbage Congress, per its listing. Alone, you get three difficulty levels, a daily Scrimmage challenge you can share, friend leaderboards, 80+ achievements, VoiceOver support, hints, and a manual counting option with muggins that teaches counting by making you do it. The trade-off is the free version's ads. In the recent reviews I read, the common complaints were ads after games and deals that felt unlucky.
Cribbage Classic
Cribbage Classic is the best learning tool among the games. Its Discard Analyzer lists every keep-and-discard split with minimum, maximum and average score, offers a crib-owner toggle, and shows the result of every possible starter card. Settings can warn you about suboptimal plays, turn on hints and require manual counting with muggins. Those aids are off by default, so look for them. The trade-offs: it showed a banner ad on every screen in my test, the layout was landscape-only, and the current version dates from 2023.
Cribbage JD
Cribbage JD plays quickly. You tap cards and confirm, the running pegging count is shown in large type, cards are large, and scoring is automatic with a breakdown of the points. It offers four difficulty levels, a detailed statistics table and, per the listing, online and offline play. The trade-offs: it opens on a login screen (guest access works), I saw a full-screen video ad after my first game, and I found no hints or explanations of why a play was good on the medium level.
Cribbage Score
Cribbage Score is a tool, not a game. Pick the cards or deal a random hand, and it lists each scoring combination with the cards that make it (Fifteen 2, Fifteen 2, Run 4). Its Discard Analysis ranks all fifteen keep-and-discard splits by average, for your crib or your opponent's, and a random-hand mode lets you count first and check after. There were no ads or paywall in my test. The trade-offs: it has no pegging, no streaks and no progress tracking, and the first screen gives one line of guidance.
Cribbage Trainer (my app)
Cribbage Trainer has four free practice rooms: Card, Scoring, Discard and Pegging. Swipeable cards explain the reason on the back, scoring drills show a hand and ask for the count, discard drills ask you to pick two cards and compare with the coach's reasoning, and pegging drills cover running totals, 15s, 31, pairs, runs and go. There are no opponents, no ads and no account. Its limits are real. It is not a game, so there is no board or opponent. The discard drill gives the coach's pick and explanation, not the table of average scores for every split that Cribbage Classic and Cribbage Score show. It has no tool for scoring an arbitrary hand, and it is new, with no ratings yet. Endless practice, Fix My Mistakes and the timed challenge need Cribbage+.
Which should you pick?
- You want to play a full game or play friends online: Cribbage Pro.
- You want to get better at discarding: Cribbage Classic or Cribbage Score for the numbers, Cribbage Trainer for the reasoning in words.
- You want a quick offline game with large cards: Cribbage JD.
- You are at the table and need a second opinion on a count: Cribbage Score.
- You are new and want to learn counting and pegging before you play: Cribbage Trainer, then a game app. The hand counting guide covers the same rules with worked examples.
- You want ad-free: Cribbage Score and Cribbage Trainer had no ads in my test. Cribbage Pro and Cribbage JD sell one-time ad removal.
Practice counting and pegging without an opponent
Cribbage Trainer has four free rooms for the card, scoring, discards and pegging, with the reason on every answer. No ads, no account.
See Cribbage TrainerQuestions
What is the best free cribbage app for iPhone?
For games, Cribbage Pro is the most-rated, with ads in the free version. For analysis, Cribbage Classic and Cribbage Score are free. For practice drills, Cribbage Trainer has four free rooms. Free tiers change, so check each listing.
Is there a cribbage app that shows the best discard?
Yes. Cribbage Classic has a Discard Analyzer with minimum, maximum and average score for every split, and Cribbage Score ranks all discards by average for your crib or your opponent's. Cribbage Trainer's Discard Room gives the coach's pick with a written reason rather than a table.
Which cribbage app has no ads?
Cribbage Score and Cribbage Trainer showed no ads in my test. Cribbage Pro and Cribbage JD offer a one-time purchase to remove ads, and Cribbage Classic showed a banner ad.
Which app is best for learning to count a hand?
Cribbage Score lists every combination in a hand, Cribbage Pro has a manual counting option with muggins, and Cribbage Trainer's Scoring Room drills fifteens, pairs, runs, flushes and nobs with explanations.
Can I play cribbage offline on iPhone?
Yes. Cribbage JD says it works online or offline, Cribbage Classic and Cribbage Score play against or analyze on the device, and Cribbage Trainer works offline. Cribbage Pro's online multiplayer needs a connection.
Sources
- Cribbage Pro (App Store)
- Cribbage Classic (App Store)
- Cribbage JD (App Store)
- Cribbage Score (App Store)
- Cribbage Trainer: Count & Peg (App Store)
- American Cribbage Congress
Cribbage Trainer is an independent app and is not affiliated with the American Cribbage Congress or with any app compared here. App details were checked in October 2026 and may change.