A good Canasta app means a game is always there when you want one: in a waiting room, on a train, or when your usual partner is busy. The trouble is that app stores are full of Canasta apps, many of them paid for by ads, and few explain which rules they actually play.
I looked at the main Canasta and Hand and Foot apps for iPhone and Android, and checked their rules, prices and ads. Here are the three worth installing, plus a free option if you’d rather not install anything.
Our pick, with nothing to install: Tableza. Free Canasta and Hand and Foot against the computer at three levels, or with friends at a private table. It runs in your phone’s browser, so there’s no app to download and no storage used.
The 3 best Canasta apps compared
| LITE Games Canasta | Extreme Hand and Foot | Canasta Junction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Classic Canasta, free | Hand and Foot | Modern American Canasta |
| Game | Classic Canasta | Hand and Foot | Modern American Canasta |
| iPhone and iPad | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | No | Yes |
| Price | Free, with ads; no ads from $0.99/month | $3.99 one time | Free solitaire vs robots; Live Play $7.99/month in the app |
| Vs the computer | Yes, adjustable strength | Yes | Yes |
| Online play | Yes, worldwide and with friends | Yes, turn-based with friends | Yes, live with audio chat (subscription) |
| App Store rating | 4.4 (about 8,500 ratings) | 4.6 (about 4,100 ratings) | 4.6 (about 7,000 ratings) |
| Our review | LITE Games review | Extreme Hand and Foot review | Canasta Junction review |
No download needed: Tableza
Before the apps, one option that skips the app store altogether. Tableza is a free classic games site that works in your phone’s browser, with Canasta and Hand and Foot for four players in two partnerships.
- A computer opponent at three levels, with a Hint button on easy in Canasta
- Games against other players, and private tables for your partner and friends
- Free, nothing to install
Each game is a single hand rather than a full game to 5,000. Read our Tableza Canasta review.
Play Canasta & Hand and Foot on Tableza
Practise against the computer or invite your partner and friends to a private table, on desktop or mobile.
Play free on Tableza →Free to play · No download
1. LITE Games Canasta: best free Classic Canasta app
Canasta – The Card Game by LITE Games, a German studio, is a free app for iPhone, iPad and Android. It has a 4.4-star average from about 8,500 App Store ratings.
What you get
- Classic Canasta: 11 cards each, jokers and 2s wild, first to 5,000 offline
- A computer partner and opponents whose strength you can adjust, offline
- Online games against players worldwide, in two-player and four-player modes, with leaderboards
- A friends list, so you can challenge friends and family
- Free with ads; no ads from $0.99 a month, $1.99 for 3 months or $4.49 a year
Carol’s take: This is the closest thing to the Canasta most of us learned at home, and it costs nothing to try. Two things to know: it doesn’t play Modern American rules, and you can’t change the winning score (online games stop at 3,000). If the ads bother you, the no-ads subscription is cheap.
Download: App Store · Google Play.
Read our full LITE Games Canasta review.
2. Extreme Hand and Foot: best Hand and Foot app
Extreme Hand and Foot by James Swiney is a paid Hand and Foot app for iPhone and iPad. It has been on the App Store since 2013, and has a 4.6-star average from about 4,100 ratings.
What you get
- Hand and Foot with customizable rules, including the number of decks
- Extreme mode, with two feet and higher score targets
- A computer opponent, with your progress saved
- Turn-based online games with friends through Game Center, and local play without internet
- $3.99 once, with no in-app purchases listed
Carol’s take: If Hand and Foot is your family’s game and you all have iPhones, this is the one to get. Being able to set your own rules matters, as Hand and Foot house rules vary so much. It isn’t on Android, and the listing only mentions a single computer opponent, not four-player partnership games.
Download: App Store.
Read our full Extreme Hand and Foot review.
3. Canasta Junction: best for Modern American Canasta
The Canasta Junction app is the mobile version of the Modern American Canasta site, and the only Modern Canasta app endorsed by the Canasta League of America. It has a 4.6-star average from about 7,000 App Store ratings, and runs on iPhone, iPad and Android.
What you get
- Modern American Canasta under CLA rules: 13 cards each, games to 8,500
- Free solitaire mode against three robots
- Live Play with audio chat, by subscription: $7.99 a month or $79.90 a year in the app
- Duplicate tournaments, entered with tokens bought in the app
- Experience points and a ranking system
- Play across your phone and computer
Carol’s take: For club players, this is the app. It’s the only one here that plays Modern American rules, and the tournaments give you a reason to keep improving. It’s also the most expensive: live games need a subscription, and the subscription costs less on the website ($6.99 a month) than in the app.
Download: App Store · Google Play.
Read our full Canasta Junction review.
How to choose
Which game do you play?
Classic Canasta: LITE Games. Hand and Foot: Extreme Hand and Foot on iPhone, or Tableza in your browser. Modern American Canasta: Canasta Junction.
iPhone or Android?
LITE Games and Canasta Junction are on both. Extreme Hand and Foot is iPhone and iPad only. Tableza works in any phone browser.
How do you feel about ads and subscriptions?
Extreme Hand and Foot is a one-time $3.99. LITE Games is free with ads, or ad-free for a small subscription. Canasta Junction’s live games need a subscription. Tableza is free.
Do you want to play offline?
LITE Games plays offline against the computer, Extreme Hand and Foot has local play without internet, and Canasta Junction’s solitaire mode works offline.
The bottom line
Pick the app that plays your game. LITE Games is the best free choice for Classic Canasta, Extreme Hand and Foot is the best Hand and Foot app on iPhone, and Canasta Junction is the only real choice for Modern American Canasta. If you’d rather not install anything, Tableza gives you both Canasta and Hand and Foot free in your phone’s browser.
Want to play on a computer instead? See our Top 3 Best Online Canasta Sites, or start with our Canasta rules.
FAQ
What is the best free Canasta app?
For Classic Canasta, LITE Games’ Canasta – The Card Game is free on iPhone and Android, with ads. Tableza is free in your phone’s browser, with nothing to install.
Is there a Hand and Foot app?
Yes. Extreme Hand and Foot is a $3.99 app for iPhone and iPad. On Android, you can play Hand and Foot on Tableza in your browser.
Which app plays Modern American Canasta?
Canasta Junction. It’s endorsed by the Canasta League of America and plays CLA rules.
Can I play Canasta on my phone without internet?
Yes. LITE Games plays offline against the computer, and Canasta Junction’s solitaire mode works offline.
Can I play Canasta with friends on my phone?
Yes. LITE Games lets you challenge friends online, Extreme Hand and Foot has turn-based games with friends, and Canasta Junction has private tables. Tableza lets you invite friends to a private table in your browser.
