# Chess vs Chess ⁺

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Chess ⁺ at 2.9K against Chess's 27. Chess's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 85%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess ⁺ sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess against 4.7 for Chess ⁺. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ⁺ has 2.9K ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 85% of Chess ⁺'s.

Chess ships an update every 6 weeks, Chess ⁺ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess | Chess ⁺ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-capturing-pieces-1/id1181402167/reviews) | [4.7 (2.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess/id1217007613/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 27 | **2.9K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 85.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 42 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Chess King](https://appshunter.io/developer/1096660597) | [Entertainment 4Media AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1438411916) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-capturing-pieces-1/id1181402167)

Enhance your chess skills with over 1400 tactical exercises designed for beginners. This app offers interactive lessons, hints, and explanations to help you learn new combinations and improve your game.

**Highlights:** Over 1400 tactical exercises, Interactive lessons with hints, Difficulty levels, Refutation of mistakes, Play positions against computer, Offline play, Rating monitoring

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full course | $3.99 | one-time |


### Chess ⁺

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess/id1217007613)

Enhance your chess abilities with this comprehensive training application. It offers a vast array of puzzles, tactical exercises, and learning modes for players of all levels. Track your progress with live statistics and enjoy a visually engaging experience.

**Highlights:** 2D & 3D chess pieces, Hundreds of levels, Thousands of exercises, Tactics training, Opening and endgame practice, Checkmate puzzles, Learning mode with hints

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 Gem Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| 50 Gem Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| 100 Gem Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| 250 Gem Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| 500 Gem Pack | $36.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Gem Pack | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great gameplay
- 👍 Visually appealing
- 💡 Helpful for learning chess
- 🎓 Effective teaching of tactics and strategies

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 💰 Limited free content, requires in-app purchases
- ⏱️ AI can take too long to make moves

**Reported bugs**

- AI freezing and not making moves
- Game progress and achievements being reset
- Connectivity issues with login and cloud sync

**Requested features**

- Ability to analyze and save past games
- Option to play against other users online
- More advanced training modes and challenges


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess free?

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

### Is Chess ⁺ free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Chess or Chess ⁺?

Chess and Chess ⁺ are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 27 and 2.9K ratings respectively.

### Do Chess or Chess ⁺ have ads?

Neither Chess nor Chess ⁺ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess or Chess ⁺?

Chess ships an update every 6 weeks, and Chess ⁺ every 2 months. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 12, 2026 and Chess ⁺ on October 16, 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.*