# ™ Chinese Chess vs Chess Royale

The clearest difference is ads: ™ Chinese Chess at none against Chess Royale's shown. ™ Chinese Chess also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 60%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Chess Royale's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (20K vs 172). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ™ Chinese Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess Royale sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Chess Royale holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Royale has 20K ratings behind it against 172, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 91% of ™ Chinese Chess's written reviews are positive against 60% of Chess Royale's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

™ Chinese Chess ships an update every 9 months, Chess Royale every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ™ Chinese Chess | Chess Royale |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (172 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-chess/id1090706558/reviews) | **[4.5 (20K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-royale/id1434658250/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 172 | **20K** |
| Positive reviews | **90.9% of reviews** | 59.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#205** |
| Size | 72 MB | 490 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [VM Mobile Team](https://appshunter.io/developer/646128457) | [SayGames LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1551847165) |

## What reviewers say

### ™ Chinese Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-chess/id1090706558)

Experience the strategic depth of Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) with this app. Challenge AI opponents across five difficulty levels, customize your game with a board editor and various themes, and track your progress as you ascend to grandmaster status.

**Highlights:** AI opponents with 5 difficulty levels, Board editor for custom game setups, Customizable boards, pieces, themes, and sounds, Undo and Save/Load functionality, Timer-based matches, Experience points and ranking system

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $3.99 | one-time |


### Chess Royale

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-royale/id1434658250)

**Currently charting:** #205 Top Free · Strategy (US App Store)

Engage in the classic game of chess with millions worldwide. This app offers AI challenges, multiplayer matches, and extensive training tools including puzzles and post-game analysis to improve your strategic skills.

**Highlights:** Play against AI, Multiplayer matches, Chess puzzles, Post-game analysis, Beginner and advanced training, Multiple game modes

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Vip | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Vip | $19.99 | per month |
| Annual Vip | $39.99 | per year |
| Tiny Coins Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tiny Gems Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Coins Pack Offer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Disable Ads Forever | $4.99 | one-time |
| Medium Gems Pack | $6.99 | one-time |
| Large Gems Pack | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable gameplay
- 🚀 Seamless matchmaking
- 💡 Helpful chess lessons and puzzles
- 🤩 Great for learning and improving chess skills

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤬 Excessive and disruptive advertisements
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🕰️ Long wait times between games due to ads
- 🤖 Suspicion of playing against bots instead of real players

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect puzzle solutions being marked as wrong
- Game losses due to connection issues or app freezes
- Inconsistent trophy/ranking system
- Inability to report cheating or suspicious behavior

**Requested features**

- Ability to play longer timed games
- Option to disable ads for a one-time fee
- More advanced chess analysis and training features
- Improved matchmaking to pair players of similar skill levels


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ™ Chinese Chess free?

™ Chinese Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Chess Royale free?

Chess Royale is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ™ Chinese Chess or Chess Royale?

Chess Royale is rated higher. ™ Chinese Chess averages 4.4 out of 5 from 172 ratings, while Chess Royale averages 4.5 from 20K ratings.

### Do ™ Chinese Chess or Chess Royale have ads?

Chess Royale shows ads; ™ Chinese Chess does not.

### Which is updated more often, ™ Chinese Chess or Chess Royale?

™ Chinese Chess ships an update every 9 months, and Chess Royale every 5 weeks. Most recently, ™ Chinese Chess was updated on November 2, 2026 and Chess Royale on November 5, 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.*