Comparison

Cube CFOP vs Chessbook

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

Head to head
About

Cube CFOP

Master the 3x3 cube with this comprehensive guide to the Fridrich method. Learn F2L, OLL, and PLL algorithms, save your favorites, and practice with daily flashcards. Designed for speedcubers by speedcubers.

Highlights
  • F2L (First 2 Layers) guide
  • 1-Look & 2-Look OLL
  • PLL (Permutation of Last Layer) algorithms
  • Notations reference
  • Favorites list with flashcards
Features
Read full description

Learn CFOP, the most popular speedcubing method, one case at a time. Every F2L, OLL and PLL algorithm, with flashcards, quizzes and a timed drill to make them stick. EVERY CASE OF CFOP • 41 F2L, 57 OLL and 21 PLL cases, plus 2-Look OLL and 2-Look PLL to get you started. • Alternative algorithms for many cases: pick the one that suits your hands, or write your own. The editor checks that it solves the case. • Watch any algorithm on a 3D cube, and tap a move to play up to it. • See any F2L, OLL or PLL case from each of its four angles, and write the algorithm for that angle, or create it from your Front one. • Setup moves for each case, and room for your own alias and note. • Search by name, alias, group or note. LEARN WITH FLASHCARDS • Add the cases you are working on to Learning. • Spaced repetition brings each card back when it is due. Grade it Again, Hard, Good or Easy. • Practice your hard, new or random cards whenever you like. • Report: a heat map of your study days, your streak, and what is due in the next 7 days. PRACTICE UNTIL IT IS AUTOMATIC • OLL and PLL Recognition Quizzes: name the case from its pattern, against the clock. • 2-Sided PLL Quiz: name the PLL case from the top and the two sides you see, as on the cube in your hands. • Random AUF and Random Front Color: meet each case with its top layer turned, and in every color. • F2L Corner Quiz: name the sticker a corner hides. • Execution Drill: time a case and beat your best. GUIDES • The CFOP method step by step: Overview, Cross, F2L, OLL and PLL. The Cross guide starts from the daisy, for a first cross. • Example Solve: watch one whole solve on the 3D cube, with every step and case named. • Notation, with every move shown on a cube. • Finger Patterns: the triggers and grips behind fast turning. MADE FOR THE WAY YOU CUBE • Your color scheme and the way you hold the cube. • Light, Dark or System appearance. • English, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese or German, switched right in the app. • iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo, with two-column layouts on wide screens and hardware keyboard shortcuts. One purchase. No ads, no subscription, no account and no usage analytics.

About

Chessbook

Build a personalized chess opening repertoire with spaced repetition training. Identify weaknesses, learn optimal moves based on master game data, and avoid obscure lines. Review your online games for mistakes and master middlegame plans.

Highlights
  • Custom opening repertoire creation
  • Spaced repetition training
  • Automatic gap identification
  • Avoid obscure moves
  • Handle transpositions
  • Review online game mistakes
  • Learn middlegame plans
Read full description

Chessbook is the fastest way to build a bulletproof opening repertoire. Key features: • Create a custom repertoire • Train with spaced repetition • Find gaps automatically • Avoid obscure moves • Handle transpositions • Find mistakes in your online games • Fast & modern interface “A fun and simple way to build an opening repertoire based on probabilities of most likely lines. You will actually learn the moves that will happen on the board!” —Grandmaster Eugene Perelshteyn FIND THE GAPS IN YOUR REPERTOIRE BEFORE YOUR OPPONENTS DO Chessbook calculates your coverage per opening so you always know what to work on. PICK THE BEST MOVES TO MAXIMIZE YOUR WIN-RATE Weigh up your options by looking at stats from master games, engine evaluation and results at your level. ONLY SPEND TIME ON THE MOVES YOU'LL ACTUALLY SEE Most books and courses are written by masters for masters. Chessbook lets you avoid obscure grandmaster lines and focus your effort on the moves that are common at your level. TARGETED PRACTICE MEANS YOU'LL NEVER FORGET A MOVE Chessbook uses spaced repetition, a scientifically proven technique to memorize openings quickly and thoroughly. COLLECT ALL YOUR OPENINGS IN ONE PLACE Nobody gets their whole repertoire from a single course or book. Chessbook lets you combine openings from multiple sources to create a custom repertoire just for you. REVIEW YOUR ONLINE GAMES FOR OPENING MISTAKES Get instant feedback on how well you're sticking to your repertoire. Chessbook supports both Lichess and Chess.com LEARN MIDDLEGAME PLANS FOR ANY OPENING See how top players handle the positions that result from the openings you play. CHESSBOOK PRO Chessbook Pro gives you the ability to add unlimited moves to your repertoire! Free users can add 400 moves. Terms of Use: https://chessbook.com/terms-and-conditions.html Privacy Policy: https://chessbook.com/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

Cube CFOP4 screens
Chessbook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chessbook at Free against Cube CFOP's $2.99. Chessbook also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (2.2K vs 166). Cube CFOP's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On rating, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Chessbook is free to download; Cube CFOP costs $2.99 up front. Chessbook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Cube CFOP asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Cube CFOP against 4.9 for Chessbook. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chessbook has 2.2K ratings behind it against 166, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Cube CFOP's written reviews are positive against 83% of Chessbook's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cube CFOP ships an update every 3 months, Chessbook every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Cube CFOP versus Chessbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCube CFOPChessbook
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (166 ratings)4.9 (2.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.3% of reviews — better82.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1662.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB121 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperTuan TruongChessbook

Customer experience

Cube CFOP

All ratings166 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive89.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.1%

Chessbook

All ratings2,158 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews190 reviews
Positive82.6%
Neutral5.8%
Negative11.6%

User reviews

Cube CFOP

From 166 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for learning CFOP
  • 👍 Useful for practicing algos
  • 👍 Good for beginners
  • 👍 Helps with speed cubing
  • 👍 Easy to understand

Room to improve

  • 👎 Not for absolute beginners
  • 👎 F2L explanation lacking
  • 👎 Animation not offline
  • 👎 Flashcards limited to favorites

Chessbook

From 2.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helpful for learning openings
  • 👍 Easy to use and learn
  • 🔒 Integrates with chess platforms
  • 💡 Personalized repertoire building
  • 🚀 Efficient spaced repetition

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App freezes or crashes
  • 🔒 Limited free moves
  • 💡 Inconsistent engine analysis
  • 🔋 App causes phone to overheat

Bugs and requests

Cube CFOP

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Animation doesn't work offline

Requested features

13 requests
  • Add 2 Look PLL option
  • Sync between devices (iPhone/iPad)
  • Setup generator for OLL, PLL
  • 3D resolution animation
  • How to read algorithms explanation
Show 8 more
  • More advanced flashcard customization
  • Option to disallow rotation moves
  • Similar app for Roux method
  • Include cross method explanation
  • Add function to shuffle cube after solving
  • Remove ads (paid version)
  • Allow rotation of cube picture for different algs
  • Reshuffle favorites and alg lists

Chessbook

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App not working on iPad
  • Login issues on iPhone
  • Inability to delete move sequences

Requested features

4 requests
  • Pause after completing move sequences
  • Clearer instructions for beginners
  • Customizable notification settings
  • Option to input and practice specific positions

In-app purchases

None

Cube CFOP

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Chessbook

Subscriptions2
  • Chessbook Pro - Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Chessbook Pro - Annual$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Cube CFOP free?
Cube CFOP costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chessbook free?
Chessbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cube CFOP or Chessbook?
Chessbook is rated higher. Cube CFOP averages 4.8 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while Chessbook averages 4.9 from 2.2K ratings.
Do Cube CFOP or Chessbook have ads?
Neither Cube CFOP nor Chessbook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cube CFOP or Chessbook?
Cube CFOP ships an update every 3 months, and Chessbook every 3 days. Most recently, Cube CFOP was updated on October 29, 2026 and Chessbook on October 30, 2026.

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