Comparison

Chess Timer vs Colonist.io

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

Head to head
About

Chess Timer

A straightforward dual timer designed for over-the-board chess and other two-player competitive games. It allows for customizable time increments, delays, and overtime limits, functioning as a simple chess clock or for games like Scrabble and Go.

Highlights
  • Dual timer for two-player games
  • Fischer, Bronstein, and simple delay increments
  • Overtime limits with penalties
  • Supports games like Scrabble and Go
  • Intuitive tap-to-switch interface
Features
Read full description

Chess Timer is a simple dual timer for over-the-board chess and other two player games. Place you phone flat on the table beside the chess board. Only one clock runs at a time. Tapping the clock face stops one clock and starts the other players clock. Can be used with other competitive two-player board game such as Scrabble, shogi or go. Pro Features: Extra time can be added every turn in one of three ways: Fischer, Bronstein, or a simple delay. Fischer: Time is added to the clock at the end of each turn. Bronstein: Time is added to the clock at the end of each turn, but never more than the turn time. E.g. if the increment is 10 seconds, but the player only takes only 6 seconds on their turn, then 6 seconds is added to the clock. Simple delay: A simple delay before the clock starts each turn. Overtime: An overtime limit can be allowed for each player and penalty points are given for the amount of overtime used. This can be used, for example, as a Scrabble clock.

About

Colonist.io

Engage in a competitive multiplayer strategy game where you build settlements and expand your territory. Master simple rules with deep gameplay through strategy, planning, and negotiation. Compete against friends, bots, or climb leaderboards in ranked modes.

Highlights
  • Build settlements
  • Expand territory
  • Multiplayer competition
  • Strategy and negotiation
  • Ranked leaderboards
  • Custom maps and expansions
  • Player customization
Read full description

Colonist is an exciting multiplayer game. You take on the role of a Colonist by building settlements and expanding your territory while competing with opponents trying to do the same. Colonist combines extremely simple rules with tremendously deep gameplay. Use strategy, planning, and cunning negotiation to win. You can train against bots, play with friends online, and even compete in our ranked modes for a spot on the leaderboards! We also offer a variety of fun custom maps to play on in addition to traditional expansions which add elements like ships and barbarians to the game. You can even play with more than 4 friends with our 5-6 and 7-8 player expansions. In the store, you will find a wide array of custom colors and avatars that allow you to personalize your profile and show off. Pick a unique color and avatar combination to instill fear in your opponents!

Screenshots

Chess Timer3 screens
Colonist.io4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Colonist.io at none against Chess Timer's 1. Colonist.io also leads on ratings volume (4K vs 55) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months). Chess Timer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (43% vs 23%). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Chess Timer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Colonist.io asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Colonist.io holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Colonist.io has 4K ratings behind it against 55, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 43% of Chess Timer's written reviews are positive against 23% of Colonist.io's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Timer ships an update every 11 months, Colonist.io every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Chess Timer versus Colonist.io: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess TimerColonist.io
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (55 ratings)4.5 (4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews — better23.1% of reviews
Number of ratings554K — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
Best chart rank—#154 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB33 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDAVID CROOKS SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIMITEDColonist

Customer experience

Chess Timer

All ratings55 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral7.3%
Negative10.9%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral42.9%
Negative14.3%

Colonist.io

All ratings3,961 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral1.3%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews694 reviews
Positive23.1%
Neutral11.4%
Negative65.6%

Bugs and requests

Chess Timer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Colonist.io

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Dice rolls are predictable and favor certain players
  • Frequent crashes and disconnects during games
  • Compatibility issues with older devices
  • UI elements not scaling properly on smaller screens
  • Inability to rejoin games after disconnects

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improve dice algorithm to be more random
  • Add offline/single-player mode
  • Improve UI and user experience
  • Provide more customization options
  • Improve stability and reduce crashes

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Timer

One-time1
  • Chess Timer Pro$2.99
None

Colonist.io

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Timer free?
Chess Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Colonist.io free?
Colonist.io is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess Timer or Colonist.io?
Colonist.io is rated higher. Chess Timer averages 4.3 out of 5 from 55 ratings, while Colonist.io averages 4.5 from 4K ratings.
Do Chess Timer or Colonist.io have ads?
Colonist.io shows ads; Chess Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess Timer or Colonist.io?
Chess Timer ships an update every 11 months, and Colonist.io every 2 months. Most recently, Chess Timer was updated on September 11, 2026 and Colonist.io on September 26, 2026.

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