# SmartGo One — user reviews

> 143 indexed App Store user reviews of SmartGo One by Smart Go, Inc., rated 4.80/5 from 1,879 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-one/id1465746992/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-one/id1465746992.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 1,638 · 4★ 158 · 3★ 42 · 2★ 13 · 1★ 28

## What do users think of SmartGo One?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Awesome app
- 👍 Great for playing and learning Go
- 📚 Excellent integration with Go books
- 🔍 Powerful analysis and review features
- 💻 Seamless experience across devices

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Unintuitive user interface for beginners
- 💰 Paywall for full 19x19 board and some features
- 🤖 AI too strong for novice players

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Illegal move detection issues on certain board positions
- Problems with missing variations or incorrect answers
- Inconsistent behavior when passing moves

**Most requested features**

- Add read-only mode
- Improve move suggestion explanations
- Introduce difficulty settings for AI
- Integrate online play functionality
- Provide more randomness in AI moves

## Newest reviews (16 of 143)

### 3/5 — Play AI Bug

*2026-08-17, version 3.1.6*

There seems to be a bug when selecting to Play AI. Sometimes it works, but more than half of the time, I end up a game where I’m playing both the black and white pieces. I end up having to delete the game and start a new one over and over until the AI finally kicks in. It’s a nice app when it works, but it doesn’t always work as expected.

### 3/5 — Problems not beginner friendly

*2026-08-08, version 3.1.6*

I wanted to use the problems to gain a good foundation as a beginner. The first problem I tried labeled “Elementary” was over my head, had no explanatory tips, and when researched in Gemini AI, said requires reading multiple moves ahead and knowing a tactical concept of crane’s nest tesuji. Things I hope to get to someday, but not where I am now. I see only frustration ahead with the problems in this set for a total beginner.

### 4/5 — Très bon

*2026-07-15*

Beaucoup d’exercices. Manque juste des explications quand on se trompe

### 2/5 — Ui ist grottig

*2026-02-11*

Die Ui ist aus der hölle, unübersichtlich, ka was man tun kann und wo man etwas tut. Wo startet man ein einfaches spiel. Gefühlt bin ich in einem Verwaltungsprogramm aus den 90ern. Das geht sowas von besser.

### 4/5 — Plays a mean 13x13 game

*2026-01-25, version 2.8*

The software gives me a substantial handicap and still wins at 13x13 board size. If I wanted to go up to the standard 19x19 size I would have to buy a subscription and I do not want to do that. Otherwise an excellent program. Interface was hard to figure out at first.

### 2/5 — Zum lernen völlig ungeeignet

*2025-12-28*

Die Züge werden nicht erklärt und falsche Züge nicht korrigiert. Rätselraten warum ein Zug falsch sein soll und kein Hinweis darauf, was und wie gelöst werden soll.

### 5/5 — The best, most comprehensive way to play and study go.

*2025-12-01*

It features the largest available curated library of go games, many problems for all levels, hundreds of Go Books in multiple languages. And many more features.

### 5/5 — Best Go Game App

*2025-11-18*

Wonderful UI and Options

### 5/5 — Go

*2025-11-03, version 2.6.3*

Awesome app, everyone who plays Go should use this app.

### 3/5 — Need to show the steps

*2025-11-02, version 2.6.3*

In the problems, instead of showing the user made a bad choice and stopping the play, the software needs to play alone with the user choice to the end to show why it is bad move. That will great help the learning

### 5/5 — Great software for studying Go.

*2025-10-06, version 2.6.3*

A nice integration of programs into one swissa knife of Go study programs.  Author continues to improve game. Has great communication and is open to suggestions.  Good software, good customer service = win win for Go players.

### 5/5 — The best Go app!

*2025-09-22, version 2.6.1*

This is the best all-purpose go app available. What else would you expect from the inventor of the sgf format?

### 3/5 — Why game mode?

*2025-09-13, version 2.6*

Kind of bizarre to run this app in game mode and make the top of the application just blank white instead of showing my status bar. It’s Go… not Honkai Impact. Maybe it’s because I’m on iOS 18. 26 isn’t even out yet. Not everyone will upgrade right away.

### 5/5 — awesome Go app

*2025-09-04, version 2.5.2*

it's awesome for play and learning Go!

I hope it will be available on Android soon

### 3/5 — Игра вылетает.

*2025-07-15*

Добрый день. При игре с противником-компьютером игра вылетает каждые 4-5 сделанных ходов. Пожалуйста, устраните неисправность. Игра обновлена до последней версии 2.5.

### 5/5 — Great app for beginners

*2025-07-10, version 2.5*

This is a very difficult game to learn but the tutorials combined with AI adapted opponents allows you to progress at a reasonable speed. Great game!

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work

*2026-08-06, version 3.1.5*

These must be paid reviews the AI/play against computer function dos even work.

### 1/5 — on est supposé jouer où

*2026-03-15*

application inutile et aussi compliquée inutilemebt que le jeu de go, normalement la première chose que tu vpos ds une app pr jouer c un bouton jouer mais là y‘a rien à part des livres, des partied, un truc pr analyser les parties et des puzzles ??? on joue ou ptn

### 1/5 — How to start a game?

*2026-03-01, version 2.8.2*

New player - no idea how to start a game - intro mentions a + to start, but + nowhere to be found

### 1/5 — Problems are a mess

*2025-07-03, version 2.4.1*

I assume this is popular because there’s so little choice out there. So many problems have missing paths, both mistakes (what’s the use of a problem that only shows the correct path) and solutions. They clearly stole the problems from some user-submitted database and didn’t bother to QA any of it.

### 1/5 — 起動しない

*2025-02-14*

アップデートされてから起動しなくなった

**Developer response:** 問題が発生して申し訳ありません。何が起こっているのか調べるために、support@smartgo.com までご連絡ください。

### 1/5 — Crashes constantly

*2024-11-06*

Every time I try to play it crashes.

**Developer response:** I'm sorry you're having a bad experience. Please set Settings > Computer Play > Number of Threads to the minimum and see if that fixes the issue. If not, please contact me at support@smartgo.com so I can figure out what's going on.

### 1/5 — Unbeatable for beginners

*2024-08-28, version 2.0.4*

As a beginner to go this app is unbeatable even on the easiest setting

### 1/5 — Unstable- crashes after 1 move

*2024-07-30, version 2.0.4*

Unusable and locks down 19x19 unless you pay

### 1/5 — Does not work

*2024-07-30, version 2.0.4*

Game crashes and does not work when play against computer.

### 1/5 — uselesness

*2023-09-22, version 1.6.7*

it is terribly useless

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Great app

*2026-08-14, version 3.1.6*

Really enjoying playing this with my son

### 5/5 — Superb

*2026-08-10, version 3.1.6*

Simply excellent. SmartGo One is exactly what I needed. Working Go problems has dramatically improved my game.

### 5/5 — Excellent Go Resource

*2026-07-11, version 3.1.3*

I love this app for the interactive books. Thank you development team!

### 5/5 — 非常好

*2026-05-07, version 2.8.3*

如题

### 5/5 — Been using for years

*2026-04-03, version 2.8.3*

Such a well written app. Big fan of all of Anders' go projects. Easily the best option for offline play & study on IOS.

### 5/5 — Perfect!

*2026-03-22*

Best go app ever!!!

### 5/5 — Top programmiert

*2026-02-24*

Lange keine so gut programmierte App ohne Nonsense gesehen. Klein, sparsamer Akkuverbrauch und voll mit Features die wirklich Sinn machen.

### 5/5 — Been using for years

*2026-01-24, version 2.7.1*

Such a well written app. Big fan of all of Anders' go projects.

### 5/5 — Outstanding!

*2026-01-18, version 2.7.1*

I absolutely love this app. Its goban is quite nice, enabling me to play against human players when I am out and about and the AI is a good player too.

The problems are inexpensive and plentiful and the books are a next level addition. I love that you can play the book problems directly in the book as you encounter them. 

It’s like having a Go set, a tutor, and a Go library in your pocket at all times.

### 5/5 — The Swiss Army Knife Of Go Apps

*2025-12-13*

Dies ist das »das Schweizer Offiziersmesser unter den Go-Programmen« – unverzichtbar und mächtig, außerdem benutzerfreundliche/s Preisgestaltung und Lizenzmodell, das Abo gilt für iOS UND macOS.

This is ”the Swiss Army Knife of Go Apps“ – indispensable and powerful, furthermore user-friendly pricing and licensing: the subscription applies to iOS and macOS.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-05.*