Hey friend! Have you ever just wanted to play a quick game of solitaire, only to be bombarded by video ads every 30 seconds? I‘ve been there too. As a fellow solitaire lover, I wanted to dig into this question and share what I‘ve learned.
The short answer is yes – there are some good options to enjoy solitaire on your phone without constant disruptive ads. But most "free" mobile solitaire apps make you watch ads or pay to remove them.
In this guide, I‘ll break down the common ad experiences in solitaire apps. I‘ll also give you my top picks for completely ad-free solitaire, so you can start enjoying your card game time again!
Why free solitaire apps always have ads
To understand why ads are everywhere in free mobile games like solitaire, you first have to know how app developers make money.
According to data from Statista, over 98% of total revenue for mobile games comes from in-app ads and in-app purchases. Less than 2% comes from paid downloads of the apps themselves.
For a popular game like solitaire with tens of millions of players, ads can generate huge amounts of revenue. Industry experts estimate top mobile titles make between $4-12 million dollars per month from in-app ads!
So it‘s easy to see why every publisher sticks ads in their "free" apps. Annoying as they are, ads let developers earn good money while giving the apps away for free. This gets the games in front of the most users.
Of course, the result for us players is constant video ads, banner ads, interstitial ads, and more, even in basic solitaire games. Some apps take it to frustrating extremes, like showing unskippable 30 second ads every 1-2 minutes.
Let‘s look at the most common ways solitaire apps show ads, and how you can avoid them.
Ad experiences in popular solitaire apps
Here‘s an overview of the ad experiences you‘ll encounter in the top free mobile solitaire apps:
Microsoft Solitaire Collection – Video ads between hands, with banner ads during play. $1.99/month subscription removes them.
Solitaire by MobilityWare – Full screen ads every 4-5 minutes. $4.99 one-time purchase unlocks ad-free version.
Solitaire City – Banner and video ads, even with power ups purchased. $3.99/month subscription removes ads.
Solitaire TriPeaks – Non-stop banner and video ads after almost every action. Subscriptions from $2.99/month to remove ads.
Solitaire by Zynga – Frequent full screen video ads interrupting play. Watch more ads to earn power ups.
Classic Solitaire – Banner ads at bottom during play. $1.99 one time purchase for ad-free Pro.
The most frustrating aspect across these otherwise great solitaire apps is the barrage of ads constantly disrupting your flow. Even if you pay for power ups or upgrades, annoying ads remain unless you pay a recurring subscription.
Below I‘ll highlight some better ad-free options. But first, let‘s look at how mobile ads affect people. Understanding why they frustrate us so much can help you pick the right no-ads solitaire app.
Why ads in solitaire apps feel so disruptive
There are good psychological reasons why excessive mobile ads really stand out as aggravating:
They distract us: Getting interrupted triggers the release of stress hormones. Even brief diversions while enjoying a simple game of cards can be bothersome.
They constrain us: Feeling forced to watch ads instead of freely choosing feels uncompassionate and limits our autonomy. We want to play solitaire at our own pace.
They‘re manipulative: Many ads try to create false urgency or other emotions solely to get us to spend money. They feel like exploitative psychological tricks rather than adding enjoyment.
They‘re repetitive: Hearing and seeing the same ad repeatedly builds frustration and annoyance far more than varied content. Unfortunately, solitaire ads tend to be very repetitive!
They disrupt flow: Ads break the pleasurable immersion of getting "in the zone" while enjoying an activity like solitaire. We resent the intrusion pulling us suddenly out of our flow.
For these reasons and more, excessive mobile ads really can negatively impact people‘s well-being and mood. It‘s especially true in leisure activities meant to be relaxing like playing solitaire!
So with all that in mind, let‘s look at how you can instead play solitaire on mobile without constant ad barrage killing your calm enjoyment.
Top picks for ad-free solitaire apps
Here are my recommendations for providers of truly free, ad-free solitaire apps:
Ad-blocking tools
One option is using an ad blocker app to remove ads from free solitaire and other games. Popular choices include:
AdLock – Blocks ads in apps using a local VPN proxy on Android or iOS. Easy to turn on system-wide or for certain apps only.
Blokada – Open source ad blocker for Android that works across apps and browsers using a local VPN. Requires some permissions tweaking.
Firefox Focus – Android/iOS browser with built in tracking/ad blocking. Add solitaire sites to home screen for convenient ad-free play.
The benefit here is you can keep using your favorite solitaire app but strip out the ads. Downsides are potential tech hassles setting up the blockers, and they don‘t work on all platforms.
Premium solitaire apps
Paid solitaire apps provide an ad-free experience in exchange for an upfront fee:
Solitairica – Clever RPG/solitaire mashup with fun battle mechanics. No ads or IAPs. $4.99 on mobile, $9.99 on Steam.
Card Game Solitaire – Straightforward Klondike play. Ad-free on iOS and Android for a $1.99 one-time purchase.
Solitaire City Premium – Unlocks ad-free play across game modes in popular Solitaire City app. $4.99 on Android, $2.99 on iOS.
Pretty Pretty Solitaire – Cute graphics and 200+ puzzle levels. $3.99 one-time purchase removes ads.
The advantage here is pay once, play forever with no ads or distracting IAPs. Downsides are higher upfront cost than free apps, and less variety or features than the ad-supported versions.
Web and PC solitaire
Sometimes going back to basics is best. Play solitaire in a browser on your phone, PC, or Mac:
Google solitaire – Simple Klondike game conveniently available in browser on all platforms.
Mozilla solitaire – Browser-based versions from the Firefox team available as extensions.
CardGames.io – Online home for many classic card games including multiple solitaire variants.
Windows solitaire – Microsoft‘s classic version included for free on Windows PCs.
Benefits are fast access, simplicity, and avoiding ads/IAPs altogether. Drawbacks can be lack of features or gameplay customization compared to full mobile apps.
DIY no-ads options
If you want to get creative, you can build your own tailored ad-free solitaire experience:
Find an old solitaire APK from before mid-2010s when ads became standard. Versions without baked-in ads do exist if you search! Just use caution downloading APKs from unknown sources.
Load solitaire on an old iPod Touch or iPad that can‘t run latest iOS/apps. Older apps often lack ads even if newer versions are ad-heavy.
Use Guided Access on iPhone or iPad to block parts of the screen where ads appear. Requires some tinkering per app.
These methods take more effort but let you craft a personalized setup to keep enjoying solitaire‘s simple pleasures.
Start playing solitaire again without constant ads!
As a fellow solitaire enthusiast, I hope these recommendations help you find an enjoyable ad-free experience that works for you!
Ads may allow "free" apps, but they‘ve gone overboard in many solitaire games by constantly disrupting the flow of play. That‘s why I suggest:
Trying out one of the premium or DIY ad-free options above to stop the solitaire ad madness. Many let you play uninterrupted at your own pace.
At a minimum, limiting play time on the most aggressive ad-filled solitaire apps that prioritize monetization over user experience. Protect your sanity!
Whichever route you take, with a little effort you can get back to enjoying solitaire anytime without annoying ads dragging you down. Here‘s to many more happy hours of ad-free solitaire playing! Let me know if you have any other favorite no-ads solitaire discoveries. I‘m always open to new card game adventures.
