4x4 Chess vs ChessUp
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
4x4 Chess
Experience a fast-paced, simplified version of chess on a 4x4 board. Games conclude in about a minute, making it perfect for quick play sessions. This accessible variant is designed for both beginners and experienced players seeking a new challenge.
- 4x4 chessboard
- Random piece arrangement
- Quick 1-minute games
- Beginner-friendly gameplay
- Accessible chess variant
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You play chess by using pieces which are arranged randomly on a chessboard of 4x4 squares. Since one game ends in about 1 minute, you can easily play in your free time. Even the beginner can enjoy playing because this chess is easier than normal chess.
ChessUp
This app enhances your chess experience with a smart chessboard. It offers game archives, analysis, and live AI assistance. Connect to play remote opponents on various platforms.
- Chess game archives
- Game analysis
- Live AI assistance
- Remote opponent play
- BLE connectivity
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ChessUp is a companion app for the ChessUp smart chessboard. The app provides chess game archives and analysis. The app can link with the chessboard over BLE to provide live Ai assistance. The app can also provide an internet connection for the board in order to play remote chess opponents on various chess platforms.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: 4x4 Chess at 100% against ChessUp's 54%. 4x4 Chess also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16). ChessUp's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 7 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
4x4 Chess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChessUp has 2.7K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of 4x4 Chess's written reviews are positive against 54% of ChessUp's.
4x4 Chess ships an update every 7 months, ChessUp every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 4x4 Chess | ChessUp |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.8 (2.7K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 54.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 2.7K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 218 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daisuke Shinzato | Bryght Labs Inc. |
Customer experience
4x4 Chess
ChessUp
Bugs and requests
4x4 Chess
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
ChessUp
Reported bugs
6 issues- Moves not registering
- Bluetooth connectivity issues
- Crashes and freezes
- Sync issues between app and board
- Lessons not working properly
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- Chess.com integration problems
Requested features
5 requests- Add chess openings lessons
- Implement position setup and export/import
- Add post-game review mechanism
- Improve AI difficulty scaling
- Add chess puzzles
In-app purchases
4x4 Chess
No in-app purchases
ChessUp
No in-app purchases
