Comparison

Master Chess vs Grandmaster Chess Clock

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

Head to head
About

Master Chess

Engage in the timeless strategy of chess against AI opponents or players worldwide. Master tactical moves to capture the opponent's king and achieve checkmate. This classic board game offers intuitive drag-and-drop controls for seamless gameplay.

Highlights
  • Play against computer AI
  • Compete with real players globally
  • Classic chess gameplay
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop controls
  • Capture the opponent's king
  • Achieve checkmate
Features
Read full description

Use the most effective strategies to defeat the computer or real players from all over the world in this classic game for all time. The goal of the game is to capture your opponent's king. This is done by moving the pieces on the board. Who will be the first to say "Checkmate". To make a move, click on the shape and drag it to the desired position. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Grandmaster Chess Clock

This app provides precise timing for chess games, supporting various time controls and offering detailed game history tracking. It allows users to record, share, and analyze their games, making it ideal for tournament players and enthusiasts looking to improve their time management.

Highlights
  • Versatile time controls (Rapid, Blitz, Bullet)
  • Customizable time settings with increment/delay
  • Automatic game recording and detailed statistics
  • Share and export game records and history
  • Tournament-ready precision timing
  • Elegant dark theme and intuitive interface
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

Grandmaster Chess Clock is the chess clock that remembers your games. It is a precise, tournament-grade chess timer for over-the-board play — and the only clock that automatically keeps a record of every game you play on it, shows you where your time went, and replays the moves for you. Play with any time control, record your moves while the clock runs, and leave every board game with a saved score sheet, head-to-head statistics, and an automatic verdict on how you spent your clock. A CLOCK YOU CAN TRUST • Fischer increment, Bronstein, and US delay timing, implemented faithfully • Blitz, bullet, rapid, and classical presets, plus fully custom time controls • Base time to the exact minute and second, per player — time odds included • The screen never sleeps while the clock is running • Portrait table mode and landscape side-by-side layout, readable from both seats • Crisp tap sounds, haptic feedback, and low-time alerts with a color-blind-friendly mode • Pause, resume, and adjust either clock mid-game TEN HANDCRAFTED CLOCK FACES Make the clock yours: Digital, Pixel (8-bit voxel world), Ember (dark-fantasy fire), Terminal (phosphor CRT), Neon (synthwave dusk), Royal (gold on lacquer), Cosmos (deep-space starfield), Zen (ink and ivory), Retro LCD, and Flip (split-flap board). Every face is a complete theme — its own background, matching chess-board colors, and a signature animation that answers each press of the clock. RECORD MOVES WHILE YOU PLAY Open the built-in chess board and enter moves as the game happens: a legal move presses the clock automatically, so notation and timekeeping become one action. The board stays fixed, each player sees their own pieces upright from their side of the table, and every move is validated against the rules of chess. A CLOCK THAT REMEMBERS Every finished game is saved automatically to your game diary — players, result, time control, and the full per-move clock timeline. Open any game for per-player statistics: moves played, average move time, longest think, time used, and time remaining. If you recorded the moves, watch the whole game replay itself with one tap. YOUR TIME, COACHED — CLOCK PRO Your clock knows exactly how you spend your time — something no online chess site can see for your real board games. Clock Pro turns that data into coaching: • An automatic time verdict after every game: did you flag, scramble, or manage your clock cleanly? • Time Coach: your time-trouble patterns across weeks and months • Head-to-head records against every opponent, and your score in every opening • An activity calendar of your playing life and personal time budgets • All nine premium clock faces, custom clock colors, voice announcements, and no ads SHARE AND EXPORT • Share any game as a report that replays in any browser — board, clocks, move times • Open a game directly in Lichess for free engine analysis • Clock Pro: export your archive as a shareable insights report • Back up and restore your entire archive as a portable file PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No sign-up. Everything works offline and stays on your device. Your games are yours. COMMON QUESTIONS Is it free? Yes — the full clock, move recording, the game diary, and game-report sharing are free. Clock Pro (subscription or a one-time lifetime unlock) adds the time-coaching suite, premium faces, and removes ads. Does it work offline? Completely. Airplane mode, a basement club, a park bench — no connection needed. Who is it for? Club and tournament players who want a serious chess clock, improvers who want to learn from every game, coaches tracking a student's real time usage, parents timing scholastic chess, and friends playing blitz at a café. What is a game report? One file that opens in any browser and replays your game — board, clocks, and each move's thinking time. Send it to anyone; nothing to install. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Master Chess4 screens
Grandmaster Chess Clock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Grandmaster Chess Clock at 100% against Master Chess's 27%. Grandmaster Chess Clock also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.1) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 months). Master Chess's advantage is ratings volume (17 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, 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. Master Chess sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month and Grandmaster Chess Clock sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Grandmaster Chess Clock holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Master Chess has 17 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of Master Chess's written reviews are positive against 100% of Grandmaster Chess Clock's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Master Chess ships an update every 3 months, Grandmaster Chess Clock every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and July 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Master Chess versus Grandmaster Chess Clock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaster ChessGrandmaster Chess Clock
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (17 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings17 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCode This Lab srlAras Atakligan

Customer experience

Master Chess

All ratings17 ratings
Positive47.1%
Neutral5.9%
Negative47.1%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive27.3%
Neutral9.1%
Negative63.6%

Grandmaster Chess Clock

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Master Chess

Subscriptions1
  • Chess Subscription$0.991 Month
3 purchases

Grandmaster Chess Clock

Subscriptions2
  • Clock Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Clock Pro Annual$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Clock Pro Lifetime$44.99

Questions

Is Master Chess free?
Master Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Grandmaster Chess Clock free?
Grandmaster Chess Clock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Master Chess or Grandmaster Chess Clock?
Grandmaster Chess Clock is rated higher. Master Chess averages 3.1 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Grandmaster Chess Clock averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Master Chess or Grandmaster Chess Clock have ads?
Both Master Chess and Grandmaster Chess Clock show ads.
Which is updated more often, Master Chess or Grandmaster Chess Clock?
Master Chess ships an update every 3 months, and Grandmaster Chess Clock every 2 days. Most recently, Master Chess was updated on September 24, 2026 and Grandmaster Chess Clock on July 21, 2026.

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