# SmartGo One vs Piccolo

The clearest difference is update cadence: Piccolo at every 4 days against SmartGo One's every 2 weeks. SmartGo One's advantage is ratings volume (1.9K vs 603). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SmartGo One sells 46 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Piccolo sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for SmartGo One against 4.7 for Piccolo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.9K and 603 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 77% and 77% positive.

SmartGo One ships an update every 2 weeks, Piccolo every 4 days. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmartGo One | Piccolo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-one/id1465746992/reviews)** | [4.7 (603 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piccolo-othello/id1561230039/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.9K** | 603 |
| Positive reviews | 76.5% of reviews | **76.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 140 MB | 61 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Smart Go, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/290948289) | [Symbolic Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/613116232) |

## What reviewers say

### SmartGo One

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-one/id1465746992)

Learn, play, and improve at the ancient game of Go. This app offers adjustable board sizes, a strong AI opponent, and tools to study professional games and solve Go problems. It's designed for players of all skill levels, from beginners to masters.

**Highlights:** Adjustable board sizes (9x9 to 19x19), Strong KataGo game engine, Study professional game records, Solve Go problems and tutorials, Pattern matching for move suggestions, Territory estimator, Game recording and annotation

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (46)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SmartGo One Pro – Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Pro Games and Features | $29.99 | per year |
| Just Enough Japanese 1 | Free | one-time |
| Key Concepts in Life and Death | $2.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Master Collection | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Add-on 2: Medium | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Add-on 1: Easy | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Add-on 3: Hard | $3.99 | one-time |
| Counting Liberties | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Monkey Jump | $4.99 | one-time |
| Double Digit Kyu Games | $5.99 | one-time |
| Go: A Complete Introduction | $5.99 | one-time |
| How Not to Play Go | $5.99 | one-time |
| Encyclopedia of Go Principles | $5.99 | one-time |
| Want to Play Go? Level 1 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Black to Play 30-25 Kyu | $5.99 | one-time |
| The Workshop Lectures 1 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Rethinking Opening Strategy | $6.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 1 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 2 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 3 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Correct Joseki | $7.99 | one-time |
| “The Theory of Go” | $7.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 4 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Buddhist Philosophy Game of Go | $8.99 | one-time |
| Graded Go Problems 1 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Graded Go Problems 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Want to Play Go? Level 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Basic Techniques of Go | $9.99 | one-time |
| Graded Go Problems 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Get Strong at Life and Death | $9.99 | one-time |
| Mastering Mini Go by Mark Tomlinson | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fuseki Revolution | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fundamental Principles of Go | $11.99 | one-time |
| The Basics of Life and Death | $11.99 | one-time |
| Joseki Revolution | $11.99 | one-time |
| Life and Death | $11.99 | one-time |
| A Survey of the Basic Tesujis | $11.99 | one-time |
| Tesuji | $11.99 | one-time |
| AlphaGo to Zero, vol. 4 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Trouble Master, volume 2 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Trouble Master, volume 1 | $14.99 | one-time |
| AlphaGo to Zero, Vol. 2 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Invincible | $24.99 | one-time |
| Essential Go Proverbs | $24.99 | one-time |
| Pro – Lifetime Unlock | $99.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Awesome app
- 👍 Great for playing and learning Go
- 📚 Excellent integration with Go books
- 🔍 Powerful analysis and review features
- 💻 Seamless experience across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Unintuitive user interface for beginners
- 💰 Paywall for full 19x19 board and some features
- 🤖 AI too strong for novice players

**Reported bugs**

- Illegal move detection issues on certain board positions
- Problems with missing variations or incorrect answers
- Inconsistent behavior when passing moves

**Requested features**

- Add read-only mode
- Improve move suggestion explanations
- Introduce difficulty settings for AI
- Integrate online play functionality
- Provide more randomness in AI moves


### Piccolo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piccolo-othello/id1561230039)

Experience the classic strategy board game with a powerful AI and a polished interface. Customize your game with beautiful themes, play online with friends or strangers, and enjoy a seamless experience across devices. Includes fun iMessage stickers.

**Highlights:** Strong, customizable AI engine, Polished native user interface, Variety of beautiful themes, Local and online multiplayer, Automatic game saves and move undo, iMessage stickers

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Theme Pack: Around the World | $2.99 | one-time |
| Theme Pack: Great Painters | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Beautiful and simple UI
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive
- 🔒 No ads or in-app purchases
- 👍 Challenging AI opponents

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Difficulty balancing issues (too easy or too hard)
- 🤔 Lack of online multiplayer
- 🤔 No option to undo moves
- 🤔 Unclear win/loss indication at the end of games

**Reported bugs**

- AI getting extra moves in certain situations
- Settings button not functioning properly
- Game freezing or crashing on some devices
- Inconsistent piece size on different screen sizes

**Requested features**

- Add online multiplayer mode
- Implement an undo move feature
- Add a tutorial or tips section for new players
- Introduce a 'watch AI vs AI' mode
- Allow customization of game board and piece themes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmartGo One free?

SmartGo One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Piccolo free?

Piccolo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SmartGo One or Piccolo?

SmartGo One is rated higher. SmartGo One averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Piccolo averages 4.7 from 603 ratings.

### Do SmartGo One or Piccolo have ads?

Neither SmartGo One nor Piccolo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmartGo One or Piccolo?

SmartGo One ships an update every 2 weeks, and Piccolo every 4 days. Most recently, SmartGo One was updated on September 25, 2026 and Piccolo on September 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*