Comparison

Magnus Trainer vs Chessify

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Magnus Trainer

Master chess with engaging games and interactive lessons created by Grand Masters and the World Chess Champion. Learn fundamentals, openings, and endgames through bite-sized challenges and puzzles for all skill levels.

Highlights
  • 250+ unique lessons
  • Bite-sized chess games
  • Thousands of puzzles
  • Beginner to advanced levels
  • Expert-crafted courses
  • Interactive learning
Features
Read full description

A better, more fun way to learn and train chess! Master chess through engaging games and interactive lessons with Magnus Carlsen, the World Chess Champion! WHY MAGNUS TRAINER? Curated courses created by our learning experts and Grand Masters. 250+ unique lessons covering chess foundation to openings and endgames. Bite-sized games designed to reinforce your learning, each game has dozens of levels and thousands of puzzles. Caters to beginners and advanced players alike. Learn chess with the greatest player of all time! UNIQUE TRAINING BY CHESS EXPERTS Play unique, beautiful games crafted by chess experts and game design experts. Deepen your chess skills through premium lessons based on games by Magnus Carlsen and other world-leading chess players. All games and lessons are created by Magnus Carlsen and his team of experienced Grand Masters, all of whom have years of coaching experience. Magnus Trainer makes learning chess easy and engaging for players of all levels. New games are updated and added regularly to bring you the best possible experience, and we're adding new theory lessons every week. Each mini-game has dozens of levels, ranging from beginner to advanced, allowing all chess players, new and experienced, to find a challenging fit to improve their skills. Those who have never played chess before are able to learn the fundamentals in a series of introductory lessons, while more experienced players have access to advanced tactics and strategies, covering a range of endgame essentials. FROM AN AWARD WINNING TEAM The Magnus Trainer app has been featured in Fast Company, The Guardian and VG, and is the creation of the team behind the popular Play Magnus app, winner of several design awards. “I’ve always done things a little differently. That is what inspired me to create Magnus Trainer. Chess has always been fun, but this takes learning and training chess to a new level. Magnus Trainer is chess training for everyone!” — Magnus Carlsen “The Future of Chess!” — Rob, App Store Reviewer You can also check out our other free app, Play Magnus. Play against Magnus at any age from 5 years and up! REACH FURTHER WITH A MEMBERSHIP The app is free to use, with added benefits for paying members. Members enjoy instant access to all 250+ premium lessons, many exclusive only for members. As a member, you also get infinite lives so you can always keep playing, including exclusive bonus levels. In addition, members get detailed statistics with insights into their performance and game progress. For Magnus Trainer we offer the following subscriptions: 1 month 12 months Lifetime TERMS OF PAYMENT Payment will be charged to your iTunes account after you’ve confirmed a purchase. Subscription to a membership automatically renews, unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, and the price for the renewal will be provided. You can change your subscription settings in Subscriptions in App Store, or in the More tab in Magnus Trainer when a subscription is active. It is not possible to cancel an active subscription to get a refund of the remaining time. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. TERMS OF USE https://company.playmagnus.com/terms PRIVACY POLICY https://company.playmagnus.com/privacy

About

Chessify

This app offers advanced chess analysis tools, including a real-time chessboard scanner, powerful cloud-based engines, and a unique video finder. Analyze games, puzzles, and learn chess theory with comprehensive features for players of all levels.

Highlights
  • Real chessboard scanner
  • Superfast cloud chess engine analysis
  • Video finder for chess positions
  • Offline play against Stockfish
  • Opening Explorer with Lichess database
  • Import/export FEN/PGN
  • Online real-time Blitz
Features
Read full description

Chessify is an all-in-one chess platform built for players who want to improve with professional-level chess tools. Analyze with powerful cloud engines running on servers up to 1024 threads and 1 Billion NPS speed, explore databases of 12 million+ professional games, scan real chessboards and books, prepare openings, and review games from anywhere. Features that once required heavy desktop software are now available in a single mobile app designed for players of all levels. Whether you’re solving puzzles, training openings, or analyzing tournament games, Chessify combines advanced chess tools into one fast and easy-to-use experience. Features: ZIUK — YOUR AI CHESS ASSISTANT Ziuk is your AI chess assistant that helps you analyze games, understand positions, learn from mistakes, and explore openings. Unlike traditional chess engines that show you the best moves and evaluations, Ziuk explains the ideas behind them. Ask questions in your own language and get explanations that help you understand the game. Ziuk combines artificial intelligence, powerful chess engines, and Chessify’s analysis tools in one conversation. Connect your Chess.com or Lichess account to import your games and analyze them with Ziuk. - Powerful Cloud Engine Analysis Analyze with Stockfish 18, Lc0, Berserk, Caissa, Crystal, Patricia, Viridithas, AsmFish, ShashChess, Koivisto, RubiChess, and Sugar AI chess engines on cloud servers with up to 1024 threads, reaching up to 1BN/s speed. - Mega Database Search through 10 million+ professional FIDE-rated games with move statistics, player ratings, and opening trends. - Correspondence Chess Database Study the 2 Million+ official ICCF database games played with deep engine-assisted preparation. - Scan 2D & 3D Chessboards Scan real boards and diagrams from books or screens with high accuracy and instantly analyze the position with Stockfish 18. - Chess PDF Scanner Import chess PDF books and scan positions directly from pages for quick analysis and study. - Play Against Stockfish Challenge one of the world’s strongest chess engines with adjustable strength settings. Play from initial or any given position. - PGN & Move Notation Create analysis files with multiple variations and comments or import your existing files and review them with your phone at any time. - Save Games & Analysis Store your games, analysis, and studies locally or in the cloud and access them anytime. - Import, Export, and Share PGN/FEN Easily import your games or export positions and analysis to share with chess friends or students. Whether you’re a beginner, club player, coach, or grandmaster, Chessify provides powerful analysis and training tools for every stage of your chess journey. Privacy Policy: https://chessify.me/privacy-policy Terms of Use / End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Magnus Trainer4 screens
Chessify4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chessify at none against Magnus Trainer's shown. Magnus Trainer's advantage is review sentiment (81% vs 46%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Magnus Trainer sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per month and Chessify sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Magnus Trainer holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magnus Trainer has 13K ratings behind it against 398, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Magnus Trainer's written reviews are positive against 46% of Chessify's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magnus Trainer ships an update every 5 weeks, Chessify monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Magnus Trainer versus Chessify: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagnus TrainerChessify
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (13K ratings) — better4.4 (398 ratings)
Positive reviews80.8% of reviews — better45.8% of reviews
Number of ratings13K — better398
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size187 MB140 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChess.comChessify Inc.

Customer experience

Magnus Trainer

All ratings12,671 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews416 reviews
Positive80.8%
Neutral6.0%
Negative13.2%

Chessify

All ratings398 ratings
Positive85.4%
Neutral2.8%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive45.8%
Neutral12.0%
Negative42.2%

User reviews

Magnus Trainer

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Well-structured lessons
  • 👍 Clear and informative
  • 👍 Helpful for beginners to masters
  • 🚀 Improves chess skills quickly
  • 👍 Engaging and entertaining

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Strict time limits on exercises
  • 🐛 Puzzle engine only accepts one solution
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
  • 🔀 Inability to skip lessons and progress at own pace
  • 🔀 Lack of option to practice without time pressure

Chessify

From 398 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📸 Accurate chess board scanning from photos
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient position analysis
  • ☁️ Cloud-based powerful chess engine (Stockfish)
  • 💾 Easy PGN export and saving functionality
  • 📚 Perfect for studying chess books

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • 📸 Inconsistent scanning accuracy
  • ❌ App doesn't work on iOS 18 and older versions
  • 💰 Expensive paywall with limited free features
  • 🔥 Device overheating issues reported

Bugs and requests

Magnus Trainer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Pieces disappearing during games
  • Moves not recognized by the engine
  • Crashes on loading lessons

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to view solution when failing puzzles
  • Ability to customize chess board and piece design
  • More organized and structured content
  • Integrated chess game mode to apply learned skills
  • Progress sync across multiple devices

Chessify

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Black screen in camera view during scanning
  • Scanning omits first or last rank of board
  • App crashes when loading images
  • Buttons not clickable on certain iOS versions
  • Position not recognized from screenshots
Show 7 more
  • App closes immediately after opening
  • Board rotation lock resets to landscape
  • Analysis not visible unless switching apps
  • Scanning fails 3 out of 5 times
  • Subscription billing issues (wrong tier shown)
  • App doesn't load past starting screen
  • Photo library order reversed for board photos

Requested features

12 requests
  • Add move comments and annotations capability
  • Board flip option during gameplay
  • Auto-save functionality to prevent position loss
  • Ability to edit and extend saved games
  • Tactics puzzle mode with move verification
Show 7 more
  • Automatic analysis on position scan
  • Lc0 engine option
  • iPad version support
  • Lichess app integration
  • Move sound toggle persistence
  • Better indication of which side has advantage
  • Depth control for analysis (stop at specific depth)

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Magnus Trainer

Subscriptions7
  • Monthly Premium Membership$4.491 Month
  • Monthly Premium Membership2 Months trial$6.991 Month
  • Monthly Premium Membership1 Month trial$6.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Monthly Premium Membership7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium Membership$37.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium Membership$55.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium Membership7 Days trial$74.991 Year
One-time3
  • Refill All Lives$1.99
  • Premium Membership$149.99
  • Lifetime Premium Membership$299.99
19 purchases

Chessify

Subscriptions10
  • Bronze 1 Month$0.991 Month
  • Silver 1 month$2.491 Month
  • Gold 1 Month$7.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Bronze 12 months$7.991 Year
  • Amateur$12.991 Month
  • Silver 12 months$14.991 Year
  • Gold 12 months$49.991 Year
  • Master$59.991 Month
  • Amateur Yearly$129.991 Year
  • Master$559.991 Year
One-time9
  • SuperFast analysis - 1000 sec.$0.99
  • SuperFast analysis - 10000sec.$3.99
  • SuperFast analysis - 30000sec.$5.99
Show 6 more
  • Starter Pack$5.99
  • Standard Pack$11.49
  • SuperFast analysis - 100000sec$13.99
  • Popular Pack$29.49
  • SuperFast analysis - unlimited$34.99
  • Ultimate Pack$117.99

Questions

Is Magnus Trainer free?
Magnus Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chessify free?
Chessify is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Magnus Trainer or Chessify?
Magnus Trainer is rated higher. Magnus Trainer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Chessify averages 4.4 from 398 ratings.
Do Magnus Trainer or Chessify have ads?
Magnus Trainer shows ads; Chessify does not.
Which is updated more often, Magnus Trainer or Chessify?
Magnus Trainer ships an update every 5 weeks, and Chessify monthly. Most recently, Magnus Trainer was updated on October 30, 2026 and Chessify on October 29, 2026.

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