# CrazyStone DeepLearning vs SmartGo

The clearest difference is ads: SmartGo at none against CrazyStone DeepLearning's shown. SmartGo also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months). CrazyStone DeepLearning's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CrazyStone DeepLearning sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month and SmartGo sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

SmartGo holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1K and 2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of CrazyStone DeepLearning's written reviews are positive against 77% of SmartGo's.

CrazyStone DeepLearning ships an update every 2 months, SmartGo every 8 days. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | CrazyStone DeepLearning | SmartGo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crazystone-deeplearning/id1252539379/reviews) | **[4.8 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-go-board-game/id1465746992/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1K | **2K** |
| Positive reviews | 71.2% of reviews | **77.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 165 MB | 158 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [UNBALANCE Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/358617691) | [Smart Go, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/290948289) |

## What reviewers say

### CrazyStone DeepLearning

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crazystone-deeplearning/id1252539379)

Play the game of Go against a powerful AI or other players worldwide. Test your skills with certification exams and track your progress in rating mode. Offers various board sizes and difficulty levels for all players.

**Highlights:** Online Go games against global players, IAGA Rating Certification Tests, 17 levels of play from 15k to 2d, Export/import SGF game files, Rating Mode with game history, Human vs Computer and Human vs Human modes

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CrazyStone DL Subscription | $2.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for learning Go
- 🎮 Enjoyable gameplay
- 💪 Strong AI opponent
- 🎨 Good visual design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🙄 Excessive ads
- ⏱️ Extremely long ads
- 🤖 AI difficulty too high for beginners
- 🔒 Inability to close ads

**Reported bugs**

- Issues with input method and stone placement
- Sound not working
- Saved game state causing issues with ads

**Requested features**

- More advanced levels
- Ability to replay and explore game variations
- Option to slow down AI response
- Landscape mode support
- Analysis mode for premium users


### SmartGo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-go-board-game/id1465746992)

Learn, play, and study the ancient game of Go with this comprehensive app. It offers adjustable board sizes, a powerful AI engine, interactive books, and a vast database of professional games to help you improve your skills.

**Highlights:** Multiple board sizes (9x9 to 19x19), Powerful KataGo AI engine, Interactive Go books, 138,000+ professional game records, Go problems and tutorials, Pattern matching for game analysis, Record, annotate, and edit games

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SmartGo One Pro – Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Pro Games and Features | $29.99 | per year |
| Go Problems Master Collection | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Add-on 2: Medium | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Add-on 1: Easy | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go: A Complete Introduction | $5.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 1 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Graded Go Problems 1 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Tesuji | $11.99 | one-time |
| Pro – Lifetime Unlock | $99.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Awesome app
- 👍 Great for playing and learning Go
- 📚 Excellent integration with Go books
- 🔍 Powerful analysis and review features
- 💻 Seamless experience across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Unintuitive user interface for beginners
- 💰 Paywall for full 19x19 board and some features
- 🤖 AI too strong for novice players

**Reported bugs**

- Illegal move detection issues on certain board positions
- Problems with missing variations or incorrect answers
- Inconsistent behavior when passing moves

**Requested features**

- Add read-only mode
- Improve move suggestion explanations
- Introduce difficulty settings for AI
- Integrate online play functionality
- Provide more randomness in AI moves


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CrazyStone DeepLearning free?

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

### Is SmartGo free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CrazyStone DeepLearning or SmartGo?

SmartGo is rated higher. CrazyStone DeepLearning averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while SmartGo averages 4.8 from 2K ratings.

### Do CrazyStone DeepLearning or SmartGo have ads?

CrazyStone DeepLearning shows ads; SmartGo does not.

### Which is updated more often, CrazyStone DeepLearning or SmartGo?

CrazyStone DeepLearning ships an update every 2 months, and SmartGo every 8 days. Most recently, CrazyStone DeepLearning was updated on November 13, 2026 and SmartGo on November 13, 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.*