Comparison

13 Balls vs Almost Chess

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

Head to head
About

13 Balls

A skill-based ball-dropping game where players clear pegs by strategically launching balls. Progress through levels, master ricochets, and compete with friends via Game Center. Special "Douballs" offer an advantage on challenging stages.

Highlights
  • Peg elimination gameplay
  • Strategic ball dropping
  • Level progression
  • Game Center integration
  • Special "Douballs"
  • Shareable "You Win" screen
Features
Read full description

Ready? Aim, Drop! 13 Balls is a ball-dropping, peg-elimination game that involves mostly skill, a bit of luck, and fair amount of patience. The goal on each level is to clear all the pegs by dropping balls on them. Each peg has to be hit a certain number of times indicated by it's color and the amount of dots it has. As you progress through the levels, you may feel that you have an improved self-worth and a strong desire to gloat to your friends about how much of a ricochet master you are. You're encouraged to utilize the share feature on the "You Win" screen to do just that. 13 Balls integrates Apple's Game Center keeping track of how many levels you've beat, so you can see how you're doing against your friends, and the world. How to Play: When you tap on the screen, the ball is ejected from the dropper as it moves back and forth above the multi-colored pegs. Each time you hit the peg, one dot is removed and the color changes. Once you get all the way down to the last dot, the peg shatters when you hit it! Clear a whole screen of the pegs, and you beat the level. If you use all your balls, and you have not cleared all the pegs, your turn is over. You have the option to purchase 3 more balls to "Keep Going" via in-app purchase. Collect "Douballs" as you play. Douballs are special balls that bounce out twice as many dots when they hit a peg. You can save up your Douballs and use them on a challenging level. 13 Balls: • Is fun for kids, teens, adults & senior citizens • Improves hand-eye coordination (according to the internet) • Easy to play, difficult to master! When you beat level 50, be sure to post it to Facebook and Twitter with #13balls so that we know you're ready for more levels! Good luck.

About

Almost Chess

Experience chess with a twist! This game features randomized starting positions, challenging AI opponents, and unique game modes like daily and weekly challenges. Customize your board and track your progress with detailed statistics.

Highlights
  • Randomized starting board positions
  • AI opponents based on rating
  • Daily and weekly challenges
  • Gauntlet mode with escalating difficulty
  • Customizable board themes
  • Statistics and achievements tracking
  • Multiple language options
Features
Read full description

A familiar game. An unfamiliar board. Almost Chess is a chess variant with randomized starting positions, so you can focus on the position in front of you instead of memorized openings. PLAY YOUR NEXT MOVE Face AI opponents selected for your in-game rating. Tap a piece to see its legal moves, find tactical opportunities and work toward checkmate. Your rating tracks progress inside Almost Chess; it is not an official chess rating. A NEW CHALLENGE TO RETURN TO Try the daily challenge with three attempts per day. Weekly challenges rotate board restrictions for a different way to play. In the Gauntlet, each win brings a stronger opponent; a loss ends your run. Gauntlet games do not allow undo. MAKE THE BOARD YOURS Explore random boards with no queens, mirrored positions, pawns or extra chaos. Choose from 12 board themes and track your statistics and achievements. LANGUAGE OPTIONS Play in English, Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese. Follow your device language or choose a language in Settings. ADS AND OPTIONAL PURCHASE Full-screen ads may appear between completed games. Eligible single-player games start with one free undo; you can choose to watch a rewarded ad for one more undo when an ad is available. The optional one-time Remove Ads purchase removes ads and gives unlimited undos in eligible single-player games. It does not add undo to the Gauntlet.

Screenshots

13 Balls3 screens
Almost Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: 13 Balls at 100% against Almost Chess's 33%. Almost Chess's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 44 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

Almost Chess is free to download; 13 Balls costs $1.99 up front. 13 Balls sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Almost Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

13 Balls ships an update every 44 months, Almost Chess fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
13 Balls versus Almost Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter13 BallsAlmost Chess
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 44 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBimza LLChourafter

Customer experience

13 Balls

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Almost Chess

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

13 Balls

One-time1
  • 3 More Balls$0.99
1 purchases

Almost Chess

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99

Questions

Is 13 Balls free?
13 Balls costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Almost Chess free?
Almost Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do 13 Balls or Almost Chess have ads?
Neither 13 Balls nor Almost Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 13 Balls or Almost Chess?
13 Balls ships an update every 44 months, and Almost Chess fortnightly. Most recently, 13 Balls was updated on November 8, 2026 and Almost Chess on October 30, 2026.

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