# SmartGo One vs Hex Chess

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hex Chess at none against SmartGo One's 46. Hex Chess also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 77%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). SmartGo One's advantage is ratings volume (1.9K vs 9). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SmartGo One sells 46 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Hex Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hex Chess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartGo One has 1.9K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of SmartGo One's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hex Chess's.

SmartGo One ships an update every 2 weeks, Hex Chess every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and July 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmartGo One | Hex Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-one/id1465746992/reviews) | **[5.0 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hex-chess/id6743667749/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.9K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 76.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 140 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Smart Go, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/290948289) | [Sawyer Christensen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1803902058) |

## 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


### Hex Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hex-chess/id6743667749)

Experience a fresh take on chess with a hexagonal board and familiar pieces. Challenge yourself against AI or friends online. This game introduces new strategies and movement patterns for a modern chess experience.

**Highlights:** Hexagonal board gameplay, Familiar chess pieces, New strategies and movement, CPU practice mode, Online multiplayer against friends

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmartGo One free?

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

### Is Hex Chess free?

Hex Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SmartGo One or Hex Chess?

Hex Chess is rated higher. SmartGo One averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Hex Chess averages 5.0 from 9 ratings.

### Do SmartGo One or Hex Chess have ads?

Neither SmartGo One nor Hex Chess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmartGo One or Hex Chess?

SmartGo One ships an update every 2 weeks, and Hex Chess every 3 weeks. Most recently, SmartGo One was updated on September 25, 2026 and Hex Chess on July 20, 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.*