Primus Chess Lite vs ChessBased
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Primus Chess Lite
This chess engine is designed for intermediate players, mimicking human play with strategic depth and occasional blunders. It offers local multiplayer options and practice modes.
- Human-like chess engine
- Intermediate player focus (up to 2000 Elo)
- Local multiplayer (Bluetooth/LAN)
- Tabletop virtual chessboard mode
- Five skill levels
- Selected puzzles and practice levels
- Mini-tournament mode
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NOTE: This is the 'lite' version of Primus. The full version contains a mate puzzle generator, many more difficulty levels, puzzles, pieces and boards. A more human chess engine. Primus is an entirely original, modern chess engine specifically designed for the intermediate player (up to 2000 Elo). It has been carefully tuned to play less like a machine and more like a human. At lower levels, it makes blunders of a straightforward kind that are easy to spot, but at higher levels more careful play is required to take advantage of more subtle tactical and even strategic errors. At its highest levels, Primus plays at around 2000 Elo, but even at the very highest levels, it still has occasional simulated lapses of concentration. The engine was conceived out of frustration with the overwhelming tactical strength of modern chess engines. Most modern chess engines are so tactically strong that extremely careful defensive and anti-computer play is required to make any progress; in other words, it's nothing like playing a human. We wanted to create an engine that allows for a more human, strategic style of play where there's room to take advantage of the occasional blunder. We've included multiplayer modes that allow you to use your device as a virtual chessboard, or play via bluetooth or wireless with a local opponent. Features in this "lite" version include: - Two player mode over Bluetooth / Lan. - Tabletop mode so you can use your device as a virtual chessboard. - Five different skill levels from total novice to expert (21 in the full version) - Supports all orientations, so you can make full use of your iPad Smart Case or stand. - Supports multitasking, so you can follow along with videos/ebooks. - Focus mode, to hide the UI so you can focus on the board. - Five selected puzzles and practice levels (30 in the full version), so you can practice your endgames or play some interesting challenge levels. - Mini-tournament mode - a six-game mini tournament mode for the more serious player. - Elo rating estimation from your game results.
ChessBased
Analyze chess openings with millions of games and advanced engine evaluations. Prepare like a grandmaster with a seamless interface, win-loss statistics, and move-by-move exploration. Save your favorite lines for later study on your iPhone or iPad.
- Millions of games database
- Stockfish 18 engine evaluations
- Win-loss statistics
- Move-by-move exploration
- Save favorite lines
- Seamless UI
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Now with Stockfish 19!! The only chess app with the strongest chess player on the planet in your pocket. ChessBased:Stockfish 19 takes opening analysis to a whole new level. At a glance, users see a seamless UI of openings databases with millions of games, win-loss statistics, and depth 60+ (!!) Stockfish 19 evaluations. That's right. With trillions of positions in the engine database, we did the hard work for you when it comes to looking at evals in your favorite chess openings. Now you can prepare like Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, without having to spend thousands on expensive hardware. Explore openings move by move, compare master-game trends, review engine-backed recommendations, and save your favorite lines in Lichess-like fashion for later study. ChessBased is built for fast, focused preparation on iPhone and iPad, whether you’re checking a tournament line, building a repertoire, or just curious what a depth 60+, 192 core engine thinks. Simple UI. Powerful engine. Better prep.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Primus Chess Lite at none against ChessBased's 1. Primus Chess Lite also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (23 vs 1). ChessBased's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 9 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. ChessBased sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Primus Chess Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.
Primus Chess Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Primus Chess Lite has 23 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Primus Chess Lite's written reviews are positive against 100% of ChessBased's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Primus Chess Lite ships an update every 9 months, ChessBased every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Primus Chess Lite | ChessBased |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (23 ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 78.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 23 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 78 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DBRG Ltd. | ENVISIONAIRY LLC |
Customer experience
Primus Chess Lite
ChessBased
In-app purchases
Primus Chess Lite
No in-app purchases
ChessBased
- ChessBased: Stockfish 18$4.99
Questions
Is Primus Chess Lite free?
Is ChessBased free?
Which has better reviews, Primus Chess Lite or ChessBased?
Do Primus Chess Lite or ChessBased have ads?
Which is updated more often, Primus Chess Lite or ChessBased?
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