Spider vs FreeCell: Which Solitaire Should You Play?

The short version

Play FreeCell if you want an open puzzle where almost every deal is winnable and losing means you misplayed.
Play Spider if you want hidden cards, two decks, and the satisfying grind of building suit runs — with luck as part of the challenge.
New to both? Start with FreeCell or one-suit Spider.

Spider and FreeCell are both wildly popular, but they sit at opposite ends of the solitaire spectrum. The quickest way to tell them apart: FreeCell shows you everything and is almost always winnable, while Spider hides cards, uses two decks, and leaves some deals genuinely unbeatable. Here's how that plays out.

How they're dealt

FreeCell deals all 52 cards face up into eight cascades, plus four free cells as workspace. There's no stock and nothing hidden — the whole puzzle is in front of you from move one. Spider uses two decks (104 cards) across ten columns, most of them face down, with a stock that deals a new row whenever you're stuck. You don't know what you're sitting on until you uncover it.

The goal

In FreeCell you build the four foundations Ace-to-King by suit, using alternating-colour stacking in the cascades along the way. In Spider you don't build foundations at all — you assemble complete King-to-Ace runs in a single suit right in the columns, and each finished run is removed. Clear all eight runs and you win. That single-suit rule is what makes Spider's difficulty scale so sharply with the suit count.

Difficulty and winnability

This is the biggest practical difference. FreeCell is almost always winnable — of the classic 32,000 numbered deals only #11982 has no solution — so a loss is nearly always a misplay you can learn from. Spider's deals are not screened for solvability: one-suit is forgiving, but two suits and especially four suits include deals that cannot be won no matter how you play. Our are solitaire games winnable? guide has the full breakdown.

Which should you play?

Choose FreeCell for a calm, fair, plan-it-all-out puzzle where skill is everything — it's the best game on the site for getting genuinely better. Choose Spider when you want a longer, more atmospheric grind with the tension of hidden cards and the luck of the draw. Many players keep both in rotation: FreeCell to sharpen up, Spider to unwind. Dig deeper with the FreeCell strategy guide and the Spider strategy guide, or compare FreeCell with the other classic in FreeCell vs Klondike.

Frequently asked questions

Is FreeCell easier than Spider?

Usually, yes. Almost every FreeCell deal is winnable and nothing is hidden, so with careful play your win rate can be very high. Spider — especially at two and four suits — has hidden cards and unscreened deals, so a meaningful share simply cannot be won. One-suit Spider is the exception and is beginner-friendly.

Which is more about skill?

Both reward planning, but in different ways. FreeCell is a pure open puzzle: all the information is on the table, so a loss is nearly always a misplay. Spider mixes skill with the luck of what the face-down cards turn out to be, so even perfect play loses some deals.

Which should a beginner start with?

Start with FreeCell or one-suit Spider. FreeCell teaches deliberate, plan-ahead play with almost every deal winnable; one-suit Spider teaches the build-and-clear rhythm without the punishing suit rules. Save two- and four-suit Spider for once those habits are second nature.