# Penrose stairs vs TriLevelChess

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TriLevelChess at none against Penrose stairs's 8. TriLevelChess also leads on price ($0.99 vs $2.99). Penrose stairs's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.6). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Penrose stairs costs $2.99 and TriLevelChess $0.99 up front. Penrose stairs sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. TriLevelChess asks for nothing beyond the download.

Penrose stairs ships an update every 6 weeks, TriLevelChess every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penrose stairs | TriLevelChess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **$0.99** |
| Rating | **[1.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penrose-stairs/id1090010583/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 11 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Johannes Loeffler](https://appshunter.io/developer/967323440) | [David Michael Matusow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1835497022) |

## What reviewers say

### Penrose stairs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penrose-stairs/id1090010583)

A two-player board game inspired by impossible stair designs. Players strategically stack and eliminate opponent's blocks by jumping on them. Offers both turn-based and real-time gameplay, with online multiplayer and single-player training modes.

**Highlights:** Chess-like strategy gameplay, Paradoxical board designs, Block stacking and elimination, Turn-based and real-time modes, Online multiplayer via Game Center, Single-player training modes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Level 0 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Level 1 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Level 3 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Level 2 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Level 4 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Level 5 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Levels | $19.99 | one-time |


### TriLevelChess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trilevelchess/id6754844510)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penrose stairs free?

Penrose stairs costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is TriLevelChess free?

TriLevelChess costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Penrose stairs or TriLevelChess have ads?

Neither Penrose stairs nor TriLevelChess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penrose stairs or TriLevelChess?

Penrose stairs ships an update every 6 weeks, and TriLevelChess every 2 months. Most recently, Penrose stairs was updated on November 6, 2026 and TriLevelChess on October 30, 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.*