Online Bridge Platforms: BBO, Funbridge, RealBridge, and More Compared

Playing bridge online has gone from novelty to necessity. Whether you can’t get to a club, want to practice at 2am, or just prefer playing in your pajamas, online platforms let you play serious bridge whenever you want.

But not all platforms are created equal. Each has different strengths, different player bases, and different approaches to the game. Here’s what you need to know about the major options.

Bridge Base Online (BBO)

BBO is the 800-pound gorilla of online bridge. Founded in 2001, it’s the largest and most established platform with hundreds of thousands of players worldwide.

What BBO Does Well

The player base is massive. Any time of day, you can find games. Tournaments run constantly. Want to play pairs at 3am? There’s a game. Looking for a team match at noon? Easy.

BBO offers every format you can imagine. Casual play, tournaments, team matches, money games, teaching tables, robot games, and more. ACBL-sanctioned tournaments run daily, awarding masterpoints just like in-person events.

Vugraph is BBO’s killer feature. You can watch live broadcasts of major championships with expert commentary. The Bermuda Bowl, world championships, big national events all stream on BBO. It’s like having courtside seats to top-level bridge.

The interface works across devices. Desktop, tablet, phone, all supported. The client isn’t fancy, but it’s functional and reliable.

Free play is available. You can play casual bridge, watch vugraph, and participate in free tournaments without paying anything. Many players use BBO for years without spending a dime.

Where BBO Falls Short

The interface looks dated because it is. The design hasn’t changed much in 20 years. It’s functional but ugly. New players find it confusing.

The skill level varies wildly. You might get a solid partner or someone who doesn’t know Stayman. Free games especially can be frustrating if you’re looking for competitive bridge.

Robot partners are available but not great. They play okay but make weird bids and defensive errors that would embarrass a decent club player.

The community can be toxic. Chat often includes complaints, arguments, and the occasional rude player. You can turn off chat, but it’s still there.

No video or voice. You’re playing with usernames, not people. That works fine for some, but it loses the social aspect of bridge.

BBO Best For

Tournament players who want ACBL points online. People who want to watch top-level bridge. Players looking for games anytime. If you’re serious about competitive bridge, you probably need a BBO account.

Cost: Free for casual play. Tournament entries vary, usually $5-15. Robot play requires subscription (~$10/month).

Funbridge

Funbridge takes a different approach. It’s an app-first platform focused on playing against robots with a social scoring system.

What Funbridge Does Well

The app is beautiful. Modern interface, smooth animations, works great on phones and tablets. If BBO looks like 2001, Funbridge looks like 2024.

Everyone plays the same deals. You play a set of boards against robots, then see how you scored compared to thousands of other players worldwide. Did you bid the game everyone else found? Did you make 11 tricks when most made 10? The scoring tells you.

This format is perfect for practice and learning. You can see exactly how your decisions compared to the field. Maybe your 3NT went down while 80% made it. Time to figure out what you missed.

No partner needed. You play whenever you want without finding opponents or teammates. Perfect for practicing during lunch break or while traveling.

The robots are decent. Not perfect, but better than BBO’s robots. They follow standard bidding and make reasonable plays.

Built-in lessons and challenges teach specific techniques. Want to practice endplays? There’s a series for that. Working on competitive bidding? Funbridge has exercises.

Where Funbridge Falls Short

No human opponents. You’re always playing robots. If you want the psychological warfare and table feel of bridge against real people, Funbridge doesn’t deliver.

The social aspect is limited to comparing scores. You can’t actually play with friends in real-time partnerships.

Limited bidding systems. Funbridge uses standard bidding. If you play unusual methods, you’ll have to adapt.

The competition format means you’re judged against the field, not just beating the robots. Sometimes that feels artificial. Did you bid better or did the field just miss something obvious?

Tournaments run on schedules. You can’t start a game at 2am like on BBO.

Funbridge Best For

Solo practice and improvement. Players who want convenient, bite-sized bridge sessions. People learning the game who need consistent robot opponents. If you travel a lot or have unpredictable schedules, Funbridge is perfect.

Cost: Free version with limitations. Premium subscription $7-10/month unlocks unlimited play and features.

RealBridge

RealBridge exploded during the pandemic by adding what other platforms missed: video.

What RealBridge Does Well

Video conferencing built in. You see your partner and opponents on camera while playing. This brings back the social element of bridge. You can chat, joke, read tells, and actually feel like you’re at a table.

Voice is integrated. Talk about the hands after, discuss bidding, apologize for that horrible misdefense. The platform feels more like real bridge because you’re interacting with real people in real-time.

The interface is clean and modern. Cards are clear, bidding is easy to follow, and everything works smoothly.

Clubs and tournaments use RealBridge to host online games. Your local club might run games on RealBridge, letting you play with familiar faces from home.

Partnership and team play work great. You can form regular partnerships, run team games, and organize private events. The social features actually matter.

Screen-based competitive events maintain integrity better. Harder to cheat when you’re on camera and everyone can see you.

Where RealBridge Falls Short

Player base is smaller than BBO. You can’t always find pickup games. You need to join organized events or schedule games with people.

ACBL masterpoints are limited. Some sanctioned games exist, but fewer than BBO.

Requires webcam and microphone. If you don’t want to be on camera or don’t have the equipment, you can’t fully participate.

Internet bandwidth matters more. Video uses more data than text-based platforms. Slow connections struggle.

It’s newer, so features are still being added. Some things you’d expect aren’t there yet.

RealBridge Best For

Club games moving online. Regular partnerships who want face-to-face interaction. Social players who miss the human element. Team matches where communication matters. If you hated losing the social side of bridge when playing online, RealBridge fixes that.

Cost: Free for players. Clubs/organizers pay to host events.

Shark Bridge

Shark Bridge is educational software disguised as a game platform. It’s all about learning through analysis.

What Shark Bridge Does Well

Deep analysis tools. After each hand, you can review every decision. The software shows alternative lines, explains why certain plays work, and helps you understand your mistakes.

Built for improvement. Shark Bridge assumes you want to get better. The entire system is designed around learning, not just playing.

Deals are curated for teaching. You’re not playing random hands. You’re playing deals that illustrate important techniques.

Statistical tracking shows your progress. See your percentage of correct plays improving over time. Identify weak areas in your game.

The bidding practice is systematic. Work through specific conventions and agreements until they become automatic.

Where Shark Bridge Falls Short

Smaller player base. This isn’t a platform for finding casual games with thousands of players.

It’s more expensive. This is premium software, priced accordingly.

The focus on education can feel clinical. If you just want to play for fun, the constant analysis might be too much.

Not primarily a competitive platform. There are games, but it’s not replacing BBO for tournament play.

Shark Bridge Best For

Serious students of the game. Players who want structured improvement. Teachers working with students. If you’re willing to pay for quality bridge education, Shark Bridge delivers.

Cost: $200-300 for software, various subscription options for online features.

Other Platforms Worth Mentioning

OKBridge was a pioneer in online bridge, predating BBO. It’s still around with a dedicated user base, but it’s smaller now and charges fees for most play. The level is generally higher because players are paying.

Trickster Cards offers bridge among other card games. It’s casual, aimed at social play with friends. Think of it like playing at the kitchen table, but online.

Swan Games is growing in Europe. Modern interface, video options, and integration with European tournaments make it popular there. North American presence is limited.

PlayBridge (formerly GOTO Bridge) focuses on teaching. It’s similar to Funbridge but with more educational content built in.

What Should You Play?

Depends what you want:

For ACBL masterpoints and serious tournament play: BBO is still the answer. Largest player base, most events, best tournament structure.

For convenient solo practice and improvement: Funbridge wins. Beautiful app, play anywhere, compare yourself to the field.

For social bridge with friends and familiar faces: RealBridge brings back the club atmosphere with video and voice.

For intensive study and systematic improvement: Shark Bridge or similar educational software.

Most serious players end up using multiple platforms. BBO for tournaments and watching championships. Funbridge for practice on the phone. RealBridge for team games with friends. Each serves different needs.

The Etiquette Question

Online bridge etiquette matters just like table etiquette. Don’t be slow. Don’t berate partners. Don’t claim you were disconnected when you just don’t like your result.

Most platforms have report functions for genuinely bad behavior. Use them if someone is abusive, cheating, or making games miserable.

Remember there’s a human on the other end. Your random pickup partner might be new, might be having an off day, might just be trying to enjoy the game. Be nice.

The Cheating Problem

Online bridge has cheating problems that face-to-face bridge doesn’t. Screen-sharing with your partner, using software to analyze hands in real-time, getting help from experts watching, all possible.

Platforms fight this with various tools. BBO analyzes play patterns for suspicious consistency. RealBridge uses video to monitor players. Tournaments have increasingly strict rules about what you can have open on your screen.

For casual play, don’t worry about it too much. For serious money games or championship events, be aware it exists.

The Future

Online bridge isn’t going away. The pandemic proved millions of hands can be played online successfully. Many players who might have quit when clubs closed found online bridge and kept playing.

Platforms will keep improving. Better interfaces, better anti-cheating measures, better social features. The line between “real” bridge and online bridge is blurring.

If you haven’t tried online bridge, pick a platform and start. If you only play online, consider trying in-person bridge sometime. Both have value. Both are legitimate ways to play the game.

Whatever platform you choose, there are people waiting to play. Pull up a chair (virtual or otherwise) and deal the cards.