Comparison

Chess REAL vs Active Chess

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

Head to head
About

Chess REAL

Experience classic chess with stunning visuals and smooth gameplay. Challenge AI opponents to hone your skills or compete with friends and family in engaging multiplayer matches. This app offers a straightforward and enjoyable way to play, perfect for both new and seasoned players.

Highlights
  • Beautiful graphics
  • Classic chess gameplay
  • Single player mode with AI
  • Multiplayer with friends and family
  • Simple and easy-to-use controls
  • Suitable for beginners and experienced players
Features
Read full description

Chess REAL is a classic chess game with beautiful graphics and smooth gameplay. Enjoy one of the world’s most popular board games on your device anytime. Play solo against AI to practice and improve your strategy, or enjoy multiplayer matches with family and friends. Whether you are a beginner learning the basics or an experienced player looking for a relaxing chess app, Chess REAL offers a simple and enjoyable way to play. With clean visuals and easy controls, Chess REAL is designed for players who want a straightforward and polished chess experience. Play quick matches, sharpen your thinking, and enjoy classic chess wherever you are. Features - Beautiful graphics - Classic chess gameplay - Single player mode with AI - Multiplayer with family and friends - Simple and easy-to-use controls - Great for both beginners and experienced players Recommended for players who - Love chess and classic board games - Want to play chess against AI - Are looking for a local multiplayer chess game - Want to practice chess anytime - Enjoy strategy and thinking games

About

Active Chess

Experience a unique chess variant with randomized starting positions and modified rules for dynamic gameplay. Develop your strategic thinking and planning skills in this engaging board game.

Highlights
  • Randomized starting positions
  • Modified chess rules
  • Strategic gameplay
  • Cognitive skill development
  • Choice of board sizes
  • Play against a chess bot
Features
Read full description

Playing chess regularly develops human cognitive abilities, such as: logical thinking, attentiveness, memory, ability to analyse and plan. However, in classical chess there is one drawback that does not contribute to the interest in the game on the part of millions of potential players. For thousands of years of the existence of chess, all combinations, the so-called openings, that can appear on the chessboard at the beginning of the game, have been developed and well studied. A professional player who knows several of these openings will certainly gain an advantage over an ordinary player, even if his cognitive abilities are obviously lower. Active Chess got its name because it excludes the use of different preliminary preparations in different game situations, especially at the beginning of the game. In active chess, there is no well-known traditional arrangement of pieces, and this precludes the use of a library of openings. From the first moves of the game, an active game begins, the result of which depends on the player's cognitive abilities, his ability to think and a bit of luck. The luck factor is associated with the formation of the starting position randomly for each player. But in order not to depend on capricious luck, the player can independently form his position on the board. At the same time he does not know what position his opponent will have. This gives a special sharpness of the game. In Active Chess, almost all the rules of classical chess are followed with a few exceptions: • Rule for castling of kings is absent since a player, when creating an initial position, can place his king in that part of the board and among other pieces, where he will be in the greatest safety. • Chess pieces can be placed on the first three ranks of each side in the order that suits the player. • A special mark is applied to the image of the pawns of the first move, which disappears after the first move. • Bishops can be of the same color field or different color fields at the choice of the player. Active Chess has to a choice of two options for boards 8x8 and 8x10. In the current version of the application, only a game with a chess bot is available. The application has ads are shown after the end of the game. The winner does not see ads! You can remove all Ads and limit of preset positions by subscription. Enjoy Game! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: http://books.virenter.com/policy.php

Screenshots

Chess REAL1 screens
Active Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess REAL at none against Active Chess's 3. Active Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Active Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Chess REAL asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Chess REAL against 5.0 for Active Chess. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess REAL ships an update every 59 months, Active Chess every 39 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Chess REAL versus Active Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess REALActive Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews31.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 59 monthsEvery 39 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJason LiAlexey Polunin

Customer experience

Chess REAL

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive31.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative60.4%

Active Chess

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Chess REAL

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Active Chess

Subscriptions3
  • Unlimited Positions 1 Week$0.997 Days
  • Unlimited Positions 1 Month$1.991 Month
  • Unlimited Positions 3 Month$4.993 Months

Questions

Is Chess REAL free?
Chess REAL is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Active Chess free?
Active Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess REAL or Active Chess?
Chess REAL and Active Chess are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Chess REAL or Active Chess have ads?
Chess REAL shows ads; Active Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess REAL or Active Chess?
Chess REAL ships an update every 59 months, and Active Chess every 39 months. Most recently, Chess REAL was updated on November 2, 2026 and Active Chess on November 8, 2026.

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