Comparison

MChess vs Heretic Chess

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

Head to head
About

MChess

Features
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MChess is a chess application designed for players who appreciate familiar rules alongside fresh tactical options. Begin with standard play, then explore the expanded mode: assemble a custom army within a fixed point budget and use hybrid pieces such as the Maharajah, Archbishop, and Chancellor. The app checks custom setups before each match, ensuring unusual positions follow clear legal constraints. Play with a friend online, wherever you both are: one player creates a private room and shares a short room code, the other joins with it. Each player builds their army in private and locks it in — the armies are revealed together and the match starts automatically. You can also play two players on one device, practice against the built-in engine, or use local network play when you are in the same room on separate devices. LAN hidden setup works the same way: each player prepares privately before both armies are revealed.

About

Heretic Chess

Experience chess with a twist where you customize your army by earning coins to buy modifier cards. These cards grant your pieces unique movement abilities, allowing you to create powerful fairy chess pieces and challenge the AI with an ever-evolving army. Play, earn, upgrade, and retry to build your ultimate force.

Highlights
  • Build custom armies with modifier cards
  • Grant pieces new movement abilities
  • Create fairy chess pieces like Chancellor and Archbishop
  • Earn coins through gameplay, win or lose
  • Stack upgrades for powerful piece combinations
  • No ads, wait timers, or energy systems
Features
Read full description

Chess, but you build your own army. Start with normal pieces. Lose. Earn coins. Buy modifier cards that give your pieces new movement abilities - a Rook that leaps like a Knight becomes a Chancellor. A Bishop that slides like a Rook becomes a Queen. Stack enough upgrades and your pieces become monsters the AI never saw coming. PLAY → EARN → UPGRADE → RETRY Every game earns currency, win or lose. Losing is part of the plan. Spend coins on modifier cards between games, equip them on up to 5 pieces, and go again with a stronger army. The loop is addictive. The power fantasy is real. 10 MODIFIER CARDS • +Knight - give any piece the Knight's L-shaped leap • +Bishop - add diagonal sliding to a Rook or Knight • +Rook - add straight-line power to a Bishop or Knight • +Camel - the Knight's weird cousin: a (3,1) leap • +Knight & Bishop - create an Archbishop • +Knight & Rook - create a Chancellor • +Rook & Bishop - create a Queen from scratch • And more. Stack them. Break things. FAIRY CHESS PIECES Chancellor. Archbishop. Amazon. Centaur. Names you've seen on Wikipedia at 2am. Now they're in your army, doing absurd things on an 8×8 board. Every upgrade is a real fairy chess piece with movement rules that have existed for centuries, we just put them in your hands. NO ADS. NO WAIT TIMERS. NO ENERGY SYSTEM. Play as much as you want. Progress is real. Every coin you earn stays. Every card you buy is permanent on your save slot. Built with a custom fairy chess engine. Runs entirely on-device. No internet required.

Screenshots

MChess4 screens
Heretic Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

MChess and Heretic Chess are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. MChess sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Heretic Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MChess ships an update every 2 weeks, Heretic Chess weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
MChess versus Heretic Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMChessHeretic Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander VelikotskyFatma Esra Ugurca

In-app purchases

3 purchases

MChess

One-time3
  • Coffee$0.99
  • Big Coffee$2.99
  • Supporter$9.99
1 purchases

Heretic Chess

One-time1
  • Supporter Pack$4.99

Questions

Is MChess free?
MChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Heretic Chess free?
Heretic Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MChess or Heretic Chess have ads?
Neither MChess nor Heretic Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MChess or Heretic Chess?
MChess ships an update every 2 weeks, and Heretic Chess weekly. Most recently, MChess was updated on November 11, 2026 and Heretic Chess on November 5, 2026.

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