Comparison

Chess Royale vs DGT Chess

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

Head to head
About

Chess Royale

Engage in the classic game of chess with millions worldwide. This app offers AI challenges, multiplayer matches, and extensive training tools including puzzles and post-game analysis to improve your strategic skills.

Highlights
  • Play against AI
  • Multiplayer matches
  • Chess puzzles
  • Post-game analysis
  • Beginner and advanced training
  • Multiple game modes
Features
Read full description

► THE ONLY CHESS APP YOU NEED Whether you’re a complete beginner or a highly experienced player, Chess Royale has everything you could need to enjoy one of the world’s greatest board games on your mobile device. Play with the AI, with friends, or with millions of strangers all over the world, then train your chess skills with tutorials, puzzles, and post-game analysis. One of the greatest things about chess is that there’s always something new to learn, and this beautifully designed app will allow you to keep on discovering the magic of chess and enhancing your love of the game day after day. ► WHY CHESS? ◾ With a history that stretches back over millennia, chess is both a vital cultural artefact and a beloved pastime that brings together millions of players all over the world. ◾ Renowned as a fierce test of the intellect, chess provides incredible training for your brain. Regularly playing chess and solving puzzles can train your strategic skills, develop logical and lateral thinking, help with learning and understanding psychology, improve your analysis and enhance your memory. ◾ It’s fun! Chess may be intimidating for beginners, but the more you learn and the better you understand the game, the more entertaining and rewarding it becomes. There’s some reason why it has remained among the most popular board games in the world for centuries, after all. ► WHY CHESS ROYALE? ◾ It pays to be popular: With over 50 000 000 players across all popular platforms, Chess Royale ensures there’s always a real opponent of similar skill online and ready to play in a variety of multiplayer formats. ◾ Endless variations: Not only can you challenge real players of different skill levels, you can also play in eight different modes. Play blitzes with varying time limitations, use the notifications system to play with friends when they’re online, test yourself in private against the game’s AI, and enter and arrange tournaments of various formats for more multiplayer fun. ◾ More than just a game: Chess Royale boasts more than 5000 chess puzzles to help you train specific aspects of your game. The app also features analysis tools that you can use post-match to help with your learning and development. And there is a trainer for beginners and more advanced players to get a better grasp of this intensely rich and complex game. Despite the wonders of modern technology, you’ll be hard pressed to find a mobile game that’s as challenging, enjoyable, and intellectually satisfying as chess. Whether you’re looking for just a new game to play online or a trainer to help you take the very first steps in exploring the magic of chess, Chess Royale offers something extra. Download the app now to discover the ultimate mobile chess environment. ►Vip Subscription: - You can subscribe to Vip membership to play without any ads, unlock all purchasable deck packs and play infinite puzzles every day. Also you can use infinite hints while solving chess puzzles - You are able to choose from three subscription options: a weekly subscription (free for the first 3 days) for $4.99 USD, a monthly subscription for $14.99 USD, an annual subscription for $79.99 USD - Subscription payments will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of your purchase and upon commencement of each renewal term. Subscription with a free trial period will automatically renew to a paid subscription. You can cancel your subscription or free trial in the iTunes settings at least 24-hours before the end of the free trial period. The cancellation will take effect the day after the last day of the current subscription period and you will be downgraded to the free service. - Please note that any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a premium subscription during the free trial period. - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase Privacy Policy: https://say.games/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://say.games/terms-of-use

About

DGT Chess

Connect your physical chess board to an online platform to play against real opponents worldwide. Enjoy a focused game experience with moves displayed on your board via LED rings. Save and share your games.

Highlights
  • Connect physical board to Lichess
  • Play against 100,000+ real opponents
  • Moves displayed via LED rings on board
  • Play against Lichess AI
  • Save and share games
  • Offline 2-player mode
Read full description

DGT Chess app connects your DGT Pegasus online Chess board to the global chess community Lichess, where you can find 100.000+ real opponents. After connecting with an opponent, you can put your phone away and concentrate fully on the board. You will see your opponent’s moves via pulsing LED rings on the board. Features • Play online against a random opponent • Play online against a friend • Play against the Lichess AI • Choose between rated or unrated games • Play over the board or on touchscreen • Play an offline and traditional 2-player game • PGN creator; save, share your favorite games DGT Pegasus The first dedicated board to play online connects also to the following chess apps • White pawn • Chessconnect ABOUT DGT DGT brings the best and most innovative chess products to players around the world. We are dedicated to creating unmatched chess experiences at tournaments, chess clubs and at home. DGT designs, develops, manufactures and distributes a wide range of chess-related products worldwide, such as digital chess clocks and game timers, as well as electronic chess boards, chess computers and chess accessories.

Screenshots

Chess Royale4 screens
DGT Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chess Royale at 4.5 against DGT Chess's 3.7. Chess Royale also leads on review sentiment (60% vs 22%) and ratings volume (20K vs 6). DGT Chess's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence 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 Royale sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. DGT Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Royale holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Royale has 20K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Chess Royale's written reviews are positive against 22% of DGT Chess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Royale ships an update every 5 weeks, DGT Chess monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and June 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Chess Royale versus DGT Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess RoyaleDGT Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (20K ratings) — better3.7 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews59.7% of reviews — better22.2% of reviews
Number of ratings20K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size473 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSayGames LTDDigital Game Technology B.V.

Customer experience

Chess Royale

All ratings19,911 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral5.4%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews781 reviews
Positive59.7%
Neutral11.3%
Negative29.1%

DGT Chess

All ratings6 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral13.9%
Negative63.9%

Bugs and requests

Chess Royale

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect puzzle solutions being marked as wrong
  • Game losses due to connection issues or app freezes
  • Inconsistent trophy/ranking system
  • Inability to report cheating or suspicious behavior

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to play longer timed games
  • Option to disable ads for a one-time fee
  • More advanced chess analysis and training features
  • Improved matchmaking to pair players of similar skill levels

DGT Chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Chess Royale

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Vip3 Days trial2 variants$7.997 Days
  • Monthly Vip$19.991 Month
  • Annual Vip$39.991 Year
One-time7
  • Tiny Coins Pack$0.99
  • Tiny Gems Pack$1.99
  • Gold Reserve 2$2.99
Show 4 more
  • Coins Pack Offer$3.99
  • Disable Ads Forever$4.99
  • Medium Gems Pack$6.99
  • Large Gems Pack$19.99
None

DGT Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Royale free?
Chess Royale is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DGT Chess free?
DGT Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess Royale or DGT Chess?
Chess Royale is rated higher. Chess Royale averages 4.5 out of 5 from 20K ratings, while DGT Chess averages 3.7 from 6 ratings.
Do Chess Royale or DGT Chess have ads?
Chess Royale shows ads; DGT Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess Royale or DGT Chess?
Chess Royale ships an update every 5 weeks, and DGT Chess monthly. Most recently, Chess Royale was updated on September 24, 2026 and DGT Chess on June 8, 2026.

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