# Chess Opening Lab (1400 vs ChessBase Mobile Chess

The clearest difference is rating: Chess Opening Lab (1400 at 4.7 against ChessBase Mobile Chess's 2.9. Chess Opening Lab (1400 also leads on review sentiment (66% vs 41%) and ratings volume (593 vs 18). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chess Opening Lab (1400 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ChessBase Mobile Chess sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Chess Opening Lab (1400 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Opening Lab (1400 has 593 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Chess Opening Lab (1400's written reviews are positive against 41% of ChessBase Mobile Chess's.

Chess Opening Lab (1400 ships an update every 3 months, ChessBase Mobile Chess every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess Opening Lab (1400 | ChessBase Mobile Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (593 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-opening-lab-1400-2000/id1129879784/reviews)** | [2.9 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessbase-mobile-chess/id6739000093/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **593** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | **65.5% of reviews** | 40.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 45 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chess King](https://appshunter.io/developer/1096660597) | [ChessBase GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/417720797) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess Opening Lab (1400

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-opening-lab-1400-2000/id1129879784)

This app offers a comprehensive chess opening manual with theoretical reviews and instructive games from grandmasters. It features detailed classifications, evaluations, and characteristics of key moves, along with interactive lessons and over 350 training exercises.

**Highlights:** Theoretical review of all chess openings, Instructive games with detailed annotations, Interactive theoretical lessons, 350+ training exercises, Evaluations and characteristics of key moves, History and current status of variations

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full course | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Very convenient app
- 👍 Ideal for practicing openings
- 👍 Great for chess studies
- 👍 Fantastic teaching tool
- 👍 Excellent teacher

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 Barely any information
- 😞 Difficult and confusing to work
- 😞 No content
- 😞 Useless
- 😞 Scam

**Reported bugs**

- Recorded moves not highlighted or disappear
- White spot instead of recorded move
- Have to buy full course multiple times
- App forgets purchase
- Animation speed doesn't decrease

**Requested features**

- More exercises for different openings
- More examples of opening systems
- Give 20 or more examples of different openings
- Explanations in French
- Reference books


### ChessBase Mobile Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessbase-mobile-chess/id6739000093)

Access a vast chess game database, save and analyze your own games, and practice openings. This app offers advanced notation and sharing features, with a free tier and optional premium upgrades for more extensive cloud storage and search capabilities.

**Highlights:** Access 13+ million chess games, Save and sync personal game databases, Analyze games with built-in engine, Live opening book statistics, Create and practice opening repertoires, Advanced game notation and sharing, PGN file compatibility

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ChessBase Premium (Monthly) | $3.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess Opening Lab (1400 free?

Chess Opening Lab (1400 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ChessBase Mobile Chess free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Chess Opening Lab (1400 or ChessBase Mobile Chess?

Chess Opening Lab (1400 is rated higher. Chess Opening Lab (1400 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 593 ratings, while ChessBase Mobile Chess averages 2.9 from 18 ratings.

### Do Chess Opening Lab (1400 or ChessBase Mobile Chess have ads?

Neither Chess Opening Lab (1400 nor ChessBase Mobile Chess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess Opening Lab (1400 or ChessBase Mobile Chess?

Chess Opening Lab (1400 ships an update every 3 months, and ChessBase Mobile Chess every 6 months. Most recently, Chess Opening Lab (1400 was updated on October 24, 2026 and ChessBase Mobile Chess on October 28, 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.*