Comparison

Chess Challenge Elite vs ChessM8

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

Head to head
About

Chess Challenge Elite

Engage in classic board game strategy against AI or a friend. Offers multiple difficulty levels, game modes, and customization options for pieces and boards. Track your progress with statistics and hints.

Highlights
  • 12 AI play levels
  • Casual and Pro modes
  • 2 player hot-seat
  • Chess stats and hints
  • Customizable boards and pieces
  • Sound effects
Features
Read full description

Chess is a board game for two players. It is played on a square board, made of 64 smaller squares, with eight squares on each side. Each player starts with sixteen pieces: eight pawns, two knights, two bishops, two rooks, one queen and one king. The goal of the game is for each player to try and checkmate the king of the opponent. Checkmate is a threat ('check') to the opposing king which no move can stop. It ends the game. During the game the two opponents take turns to move one of their pieces to a different square of the board. One player ('White') has pieces of a light color; the other player ('Black') has pieces of a dark color. There are rules about how pieces move, and about taking the opponent's pieces off the board. The player with white pieces always makes the first move. Because of this, White has a small advantage, and wins more often than Black in tournament games. Chess is popular and is often played in competitions called chess tournaments. It is enjoyed in many countries. -- 12 play levels (Novice->Expert) This uses intelligent weakening for lower levels. Good for beginners. -- Casual and Pro modes. Learn on Casual and progress to Pro. -- 2 player hot-seat. Play against your friends! -- Chess Stats, Timers and Hints -- 5 Chess Boards and 6 Chess Piece Sets - sound effects - small size

About

ChessM8

Engage in correspondence chess with players globally. Plan your moves, communicate with opponents, and invite others to spectate your matches. Receive post-game analysis from a computer engine.

Highlights
  • Correspondence chess play
  • Global player matchmaking
  • Move planning tools
  • In-game chat functionality
  • Spectator mode for games
  • Post-game computer analysis
Features
Read full description

This app allows players around the world to play correspondence chess. It allows players to plan moves, chat with each other, invite others to watch games. It also provides a computer analysis after games are completed.

Screenshots

Chess Challenge Elite4 screens
ChessM84 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ChessM8 at 5.0 against Chess Challenge Elite's 4.2. ChessM8 also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 98 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ChessM8 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 15 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Chess Challenge Elite's written reviews are positive against 100% of ChessM8's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Challenge Elite ships an update every 98 months, ChessM8 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and August 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Chess Challenge Elite versus ChessM8: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Challenge EliteChessM8
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (17 ratings)5.0 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings17 — better15
Update frequencyEvery 98 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLinda MottleyCorneliu Lupu

Customer experience

Chess Challenge Elite

All ratings17 ratings
Positive76.5%
Neutral11.8%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral10.5%
Negative10.5%

ChessM8

All ratings15 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Chess Challenge Elite

No in-app purchases

None

ChessM8

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Challenge Elite free?
Chess Challenge Elite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ChessM8 free?
ChessM8 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess Challenge Elite or ChessM8?
ChessM8 is rated higher. Chess Challenge Elite averages 4.2 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while ChessM8 averages 5.0 from 15 ratings.
Do Chess Challenge Elite or ChessM8 have ads?
Chess Challenge Elite shows ads; ChessM8 does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess Challenge Elite or ChessM8?
Chess Challenge Elite ships an update every 98 months, and ChessM8 every 2 weeks. Most recently, Chess Challenge Elite was updated on September 19, 2026 and ChessM8 on August 18, 2026.

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