# Kim's Game vs SmartGo One

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SmartGo One at 77% against Kim's Game's 30%. SmartGo One also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.3) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 8 months). Kim's Game's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 47) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SmartGo One sells 47 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Kim's Game asks for nothing beyond the download.

SmartGo One holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartGo One has 2K ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Kim's Game's written reviews are positive against 77% of SmartGo One's.

Kim's Game ships an update every 8 months, SmartGo One every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kim's Game | SmartGo One |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.3 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kims-game/id1034160710/reviews) | **[4.8 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-one/id1465746992/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 30 | **2K** |
| Positive reviews | 30.0% of reviews | **76.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 2 MB | 156 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Clostra](https://appshunter.io/developer/957251660) | [Smart Go, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/290948289) |

## What reviewers say

### Kim's Game

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kims-game/id1034160710)

Test your memory and observation skills by memorizing a set of shapes within a time limit. This classic game, inspired by Rudyard Kipling, is suitable for all ages and helps improve cognitive abilities.

**Highlights:** Memorize shapes, Timed challenges, Brain training, Observation skills, Suitable for all ages

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### SmartGo One

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-one/id1465746992)

Learn, play, and improve at the ancient game of Go. This app offers adjustable board sizes, a strong AI opponent, and tools to study professional games and solve Go problems. It's designed for players of all skill levels, from beginners to masters.

**Highlights:** Adjustable board sizes (9x9 to 19x19), Strong KataGo game engine, Study professional game records, Solve Go problems and tutorials, Pattern matching for move suggestions, Territory estimator, Game recording and annotation

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (47)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SmartGo One Pro – Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Pro Games and Features | $29.99 | per year |
| Just Enough Japanese 1 | Free | one-time |
| Key Concepts in Life and Death | $2.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Master Collection | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Add-on 2: Medium | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Add-on 1: Easy | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Add-on 3: Hard | $3.99 | one-time |
| Counting Liberties | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Monkey Jump | $4.99 | one-time |
| Double Digit Kyu Games | $5.99 | one-time |
| Go: A Complete Introduction | $5.99 | one-time |
| How Not to Play Go | $5.99 | one-time |
| Encyclopedia of Go Principles | $5.99 | one-time |
| Want to Play Go? Level 1 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Black to Play 30-25 Kyu | $5.99 | one-time |
| The Workshop Lectures 1 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Rethinking Opening Strategy | $6.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 1 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 2 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 3 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Correct Joseki | $7.99 | one-time |
| “The Theory of Go” | $7.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 4 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Buddhist Philosophy Game of Go | $8.99 | one-time |
| Graded Go Problems 1 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Graded Go Problems 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Want to Play Go? Level 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Basic Techniques of Go | $9.99 | one-time |
| Graded Go Problems 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Get Strong at Life and Death | $9.99 | one-time |
| Mastering Mini Go by Mark Tomlinson | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fuseki Revolution | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fundamental Principles of Go | $11.99 | one-time |
| The Basics of Life and Death | $11.99 | one-time |
| Joseki Revolution | $11.99 | one-time |
| Life and Death | $11.99 | one-time |
| A Survey of the Basic Tesujis | $11.99 | one-time |
| Tesuji | $11.99 | one-time |
| Tesuji for Beginners | $14.99 | one-time |
| AlphaGo to Zero, vol. 4 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Trouble Master, volume 2 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Trouble Master, volume 1 | $14.99 | one-time |
| AlphaGo to Zero, Vol. 2 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Invincible | $24.99 | one-time |
| Essential Go Proverbs | $24.99 | one-time |
| Pro – Lifetime Unlock | $99.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kim's Game free?

Kim's Game is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SmartGo One free?

SmartGo One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Kim's Game or SmartGo One?

SmartGo One is rated higher. Kim's Game averages 2.3 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while SmartGo One averages 4.8 from 2K ratings.

### Do Kim's Game or SmartGo One have ads?

Neither Kim's Game nor SmartGo One shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Kim's Game or SmartGo One?

Kim's Game ships an update every 8 months, and SmartGo One every 10 days. Most recently, Kim's Game was updated on October 9, 2026 and SmartGo One on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*