Prices at a glance
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Practise against bots · Join casual games and friends · Join couch co-op · Host casual games with a free account · Full screen. No ads. |
| Pro | $2.99 a month | Ranked games · Every player colour |
| Max | Coming soon | Host couch co-op · Large maps and custom maps · Map maker and board skinsNot on sale yet. Every line here is open to every signed-in account until Max launches. |
| Tier | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | Features the Store lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plus | $8.99 a month | $6.99 a monthbilled $83.88 a year | No Ads + Fullscreen · Premium Matchmaking · Basic Replay |
| Premium | $18.99 a month | $14.99 a monthbilled $179.88 a year | No Ads + Fullscreen · Premium Matchmaking · Full Replay · Host All Expansions & Maps |
| Elite | $24.99 a month | $19.99 a monthbilled $239.88 a year | No Ads + Fullscreen · Premium Matchmaking · Full Replay · Host All Expansions & Maps · All Player Colors |
Archipelago Pro is $2.99 a month and Free costs nothing. Colonist’s lowest tier is Plus at $8.99 a month. The plans are not the same shape, so the next table lines up what each one actually lists.
Feature by feature
| Topic | Archipelago | Colonist |
|---|---|---|
| Free to start | Practise against bots · Join casual games and friends · Join couch co-op · Host casual games with a free account · Full screen. No ads. | Colonist calls itself a free alternative to Settlers of Catan on its About page. |
| Ads and full screen | Full screen and no ads on the Free plan. | “No Ads + Fullscreen” is listed on Plus, Premium and Elite. |
| Ranked play | Ranked games are part of Pro. | “Premium Matchmaking” is listed on every tier. The Store explains it as “Unlimited Shuffle & Ranked Cities & Knights matches.” |
| Player colours | Every player colour is part of Pro. | “All Player Colors” is listed on Elite only. |
| Hosting maps and variants | Host couch co-op · Large maps and custom maps · Map maker and board skins are part of Max, which is not on sale yet; they are open to every signed-in account until it launches. | “Host All Expansions & Maps” is listed on Premium and Elite. The Store explains it as “Other players do not need a Membership to play with the host.” |
| Friends who do not pay | Friends join a casual table from the host’s invite link without a subscription. The host needs a free account. | The Store notes: “To play with your friends only 1 player needs a Membership”. |
| Replays | Not compared here. | “Basic Replay” on Plus (“Watch your last 5 games.”) and “Full Replay” on Premium and Elite (“Watch all games.”). |
| Expansions and bigger tables | Not offered. Archipelago tables seat up to four players. | The Store sells Seafarers, Cities & Knights, Base 5-6 Player, Base 7-8 Player separately. |
Where Archipelago fits
- You want full screen and no ads without a subscription.
- You want to host a casual game for friends with only a free account.
- You want ranked games for the price of Pro.
Where Colonist is the better fit
- Your group plays Seafarers, Cities & Knights or games of five or more players.
- Your group, your rating and your replays are already there and nothing is pushing you to move.
Questions
- How much does Colonist cost compared with Archipelago?
- On 5 October 2026 Colonist's Store listed three memberships: Plus at $8.99 a month ($6.99 a month billed yearly), Premium at $18.99 and Elite at $24.99. Archipelago is free to start, and Pro is $2.99 a month. The plans do not line up feature for feature, so read the table before comparing the numbers.
- Is Archipelago free?
- Yes. The Free plan includes practise against bots, join casual games and friends, join couch co-op, host casual games with a free account, full screen and no ads.
- Do my friends need a subscription to join an Archipelago game?
- No. Friends join a casual table from the host’s invite link without a subscription. The person who hosts a casual table needs a free account.
- Does Colonist charge for playing with friends?
- Colonist's Store carries this note under its memberships: “To play with your friends only 1 player needs a Membership”. For its hosting line it says: “Other players do not need a Membership to play with the host.”. See Colonist's own Store and FAQ for the current rules.
- Can I bring my Colonist account, rating or replays to Archipelago?
- No. Archipelago does not import anything from Colonist and never asks for your Colonist login. Your group, your habits at the table and the base-game rules you already know are what come with you.
- Is Archipelago affiliated with Colonist or CATAN?
- No. Archipelago is an independent game. This page compares published plans and prices only; it makes no claim about the other service’s games, dice or fairness.
- What does a year cost?
- Twelve months of Archipelago Pro at the monthly price is $35.88. Twelve months of Colonist Plus is $107.88 on monthly billing, or $83.88 billed yearly. Colonist Plus and Archipelago Pro include different things.
Sources and scope
- Colonist Store: Membership
The three membership tiers, their monthly and yearly prices in US dollars, the feature lines under each, and the details panel behind the info icons. Read on 5 October 2026 as a signed-out visitor.
- Colonist: About
Colonist describes itself as a free alternative to Settlers of Catan. Read on 5 October 2026.
- Archipelago plans
Prices and features come from Archipelago’s own plan catalogue and match the plans page.
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