Chessify vs ChessUp
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chessify
This app offers advanced chess analysis tools, including a real-time chessboard scanner, powerful cloud-based engines, and a unique video finder. Analyze games, puzzles, and learn chess theory with comprehensive features for players of all levels.
- Real chessboard scanner
- Superfast cloud chess engine analysis
- Video finder for chess positions
- Offline play against Stockfish
- Opening Explorer with Lichess database
- Import/export FEN/PGN
- Online real-time Blitz
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Chessify is an all-in-one chess platform built for players who want to improve with professional-level chess tools. Analyze with powerful cloud engines running on servers up to 1024 threads and 1 Billion NPS speed, explore databases of 12 million+ professional games, scan real chessboards and books, prepare openings, and review games from anywhere. Features that once required heavy desktop software are now available in a single mobile app designed for players of all levels. Whether you’re solving puzzles, training openings, or analyzing tournament games, Chessify combines advanced chess tools into one fast and easy-to-use experience. Features: - Powerful Cloud Engine Analysis Analyze with Stockfish 18, Lc0, Berserk, Caissa, Crystal, Patricia, Viridithas, AsmFish, ShashChess, Koivisto, RubiChess, and Sugar AI chess engines on cloud servers with up to 1024 threads, reaching up to 1BN/s speed. - Mega Database Search through 10 million+ professional FIDE-rated games with move statistics, player ratings, and opening trends. - Correspondence Chess Database Study the 2 Million+ official ICCF database games played with deep engine-assisted preparation. - Scan 2D & 3D Chessboards Scan real boards and diagrams from books or screens with high accuracy and instantly analyze the position with Stockfish 18. - Chess PDF Scanner Import chess PDF books and scan positions directly from pages for quick analysis and study. - Play Against Stockfish Challenge one of the world’s strongest chess engines with adjustable strength settings. Play from initial or any given position. - PGN & Move Notation Create analysis files with multiple variations and comments or import your existing files and review them with your phone at any time. - Save Games & Analysis Store your games, analysis, and studies locally or in the cloud and access them anytime. - Import, Export, and Share PGN/FEN Easily import your games or export positions and analysis to share with chess friends or students. Whether you’re a beginner, club player, coach, or grandmaster, Chessify provides powerful analysis and training tools for every stage of your chess journey. Privacy Policy: https://chessify.me/privacy-policy Terms of Use / End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
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 in-app purchases: ChessUp at none against Chessify's 15. ChessUp also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 397). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Chessify sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. ChessUp asks for nothing beyond the download.
ChessUp holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChessUp has 2.6K ratings behind it against 397, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Chessify's written reviews are positive against 55% of ChessUp's.
Chessify ships an update monthly, ChessUp every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chessify | ChessUp |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (397 ratings) | 4.8 (2.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 46.2% of reviews | 54.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 397 | 2.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 139 MB | 218 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chessify Inc. | Bryght Labs Inc. |
Customer experience
Chessify
ChessUp
User reviews
Chessify
From 397 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📸 Accurate chess board scanning from photos
- 🚀 Fast and efficient position analysis
- ☁️ Cloud-based powerful chess engine (Stockfish)
- 💾 Easy PGN export and saving functionality
- 📚 Perfect for studying chess books
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 📸 Inconsistent scanning accuracy
- ❌ App doesn't work on iOS 18 and older versions
- 💰 Expensive paywall with limited free features
- 🔥 Device overheating issues reported
ChessUp
From 2.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great app and board
- 👍 Fantastic board to learn and improve game
- 🚀 Awesome chess experience
- 👍 Wonderful app
- 👍 Incredible learning tool
Room to improve
- 🐛 Lots of bugs and glitches
- 🐛 Crashes and connectivity issues
- 🐛 Misleading marketing and unfinished product
- 🐛 Haptics issues and unresponsive interface
- 🐛 AI difficulty imbalanced
Bugs and requests
Chessify
Reported bugs
12 issues- Black screen in camera view during scanning
- Scanning omits first or last rank of board
- App crashes when loading images
- Buttons not clickable on certain iOS versions
- Position not recognized from screenshots
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- App closes immediately after opening
- Board rotation lock resets to landscape
- Analysis not visible unless switching apps
- Scanning fails 3 out of 5 times
- Subscription billing issues (wrong tier shown)
- App doesn't load past starting screen
- Photo library order reversed for board photos
Requested features
12 requests- Add move comments and annotations capability
- Board flip option during gameplay
- Auto-save functionality to prevent position loss
- Ability to edit and extend saved games
- Tactics puzzle mode with move verification
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- Automatic analysis on position scan
- Lc0 engine option
- iPad version support
- Lichess app integration
- Move sound toggle persistence
- Better indication of which side has advantage
- Depth control for analysis (stop at specific depth)
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
Chessify
- Bronze 1 Month$0.991 Month
- Silver 1 month$2.491 Month
- Gold 1 Month$7.991 Month
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- Bronze 12 months$7.991 Year
- Amateur$12.991 Month
- Silver 12 months$14.991 Year
- Gold 12 months$49.991 Year
- Master$59.991 Month
- Amateur Yearly$129.991 Year
- Master$559.991 Year
- SuperFast analysis - 1000 sec.$0.99
- SuperFast analysis - 10000sec.$3.99
- SuperFast analysis - 30000sec.$5.99
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- SuperFast analysis - 100000sec$13.99
- SuperFast analysis - unlimited$34.99
ChessUp
No in-app purchases









