Comparison

Chess King vs Chess Notation Dojo

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

Head to head
About

Chess King

Master the game of chess with this comprehensive learning app. It offers interactive lessons, puzzles, and analysis for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. Improve your tactics and strategy with a personal chess trainer, available online and offline.

Highlights
  • 100+ learning courses
  • Interactive theoretical lessons
  • High-quality, double-checked puzzles
  • Personal chess trainer
  • Computer analysis
  • Offline support
  • Chess tasks for kids
Features
Read full description

Don't just play chess. Train like a master. Chess King teaches the game the way strong players are actually built — with a rigorous, structured curriculum, not a random feed of puzzles. 147 complete courses take you from your first move to advanced play, step by step. WHY CHESS KING IS DIFFERENT Most chess apps let you play. Chess King trains you. Every course is a real lesson built on classical training methods refined over 30 years — the same approach behind CT-ART, the tactics trainer used by serious players worldwide. You don't just solve a position and move on. Chess King gives you hints when you are stuck, explains the idea behind the right move, and shows you the striking refutation of the mistakes you might make. That is how understanding is built — not memorized. WHAT YOU GET - 147 structured courses covering tactics, strategy, openings, the middlegame, and endgames, organized by level from beginner to master. - Chess King University: 7 guided learning paths and 44 courses that give you a clear, ordered route to real improvement — no guessing what to study next. - Interactive theory: read the lesson, then play the moves on the board yourself. Learning by doing, not just reading. - Thousands of carefully selected exercises with graphic hints and full explanations. - Play against the computer to put what you have trained into practice. - A progress report for every lesson, so you always see how far you have come. TRAIN ON EVERY DEVICE Your subscription, purchases, progress, and rating sync automatically across web, iPhone, iPad, and Android. Train on your phone on the commute, continue on the web at home — your progress follows you. TRY IT FREE Preview courses before you commit. When you are ready, choose a monthly or yearly plan, or buy individual courses to keep forever. Chess King — train like a master. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Chess Notation Dojo

This game helps you master algebraic chess notation through interactive puzzles. Input the correct notation for each move to improve your blindfold chess skills. It's a fun way to train your familiarity with chess moves.

Highlights
  • Algebraic notation practice
  • Interactive chess puzzles
  • Blindfold chess training
  • Move input exercises
  • Familiarity with chess notation
Features
Read full description

If you want to learn how to play chess blindfolded, like me, then the first step is to become comfortable with algebraic notation. I made this game to help train familiarity with the notation, by solving puzzles that force you to input the correct notation on every move. Have fun!

Screenshots

Chess King4 screens
Chess Notation Dojo3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chess King at 4.8 against Chess Notation Dojo's 4.3. Chess King also leads on ratings volume (2.5K vs 4) and review sentiment (78% vs 67%). Chess Notation Dojo's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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. Chess King sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Chess Notation Dojo asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess King holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess King has 2.5K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Chess King's written reviews are positive against 67% of Chess Notation Dojo's.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Chess King versus Chess Notation Dojo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess KingChess Notation Dojo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.5K ratings) — better4.3 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews78.4% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2.5K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChess KingJonathan Zheng

Customer experience

Chess King

All ratings2,501 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews324 reviews
Positive78.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative16.4%

Chess Notation Dojo

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

Chess King

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes on M1 Macs
  • Doesnot work with iOS 13 dark mode
  • Doesnot show board and pieces in exercises
  • Cannot restore purchases
  • Doesnot sync progress across devices

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve user interface and design
  • Add more opening courses
  • Provide better explanations for moves
  • Allow resetting progress
Show 2 more
  • Improve syncing across devices
  • Add online chess mode

Chess Notation Dojo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Chess King

Subscriptions6
  • CT-ART: The Best Tactics7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Chess King University7 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Chess King Courses3 Days trial$11.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Chess King Maximum Pack1 Month trial$17.991 Month
  • Chess King Courses3 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Chess King Maximum Pack1 Year trial$119.991 Year
One-time4
  • Chess: From Beginner to Club$12.99
  • Chess Tactics for Beginners$12.99
  • Chess Opening Blunders$12.99
Show 1 more
  • CT-ART 4.0 (Chess Tactics)$17.99
None

Chess Notation Dojo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess King free?
Chess King is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Notation Dojo free?
Chess Notation Dojo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess King or Chess Notation Dojo?
Chess King is rated higher. Chess King averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while Chess Notation Dojo averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.
Do Chess King or Chess Notation Dojo have ads?
Chess King shows ads; Chess Notation Dojo does not.

Other comparisons