# SmartGo One vs Pente for iMessage

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pente for iMessage at none against SmartGo One's 47. Pente for iMessage also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 77%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). SmartGo One's advantage is ratings volume (2K vs 5) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SmartGo One sells 47 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Pente for iMessage asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pente for iMessage holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartGo One has 2K ratings behind it against 5, 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 Pente for iMessage's.

SmartGo One ships an update every 2 weeks, Pente for iMessage every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmartGo One | Pente for iMessage |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-one/id1465746992/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pente-for-imessage/id6748970073/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 76.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 154 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.5** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Smart Go, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/290948289) | [Cole Bart Madden](https://appshunter.io/developer/1828319427) |

## 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 (47)**

| 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 |
| Tesuji for Beginners | $14.99 | 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


### Pente for iMessage

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pente-for-imessage/id6748970073)

Engage in a classic strategy board game directly within your messaging app. Challenge friends and family by placing stones to form five in a row or capture opponent pieces. Enjoy simple rules with deep strategic possibilities, all without leaving your conversations.

**Highlights:** Play directly in iMessage, Classic Pente gameplay, Five-in-a-row objective, Stone capture mechanics, Automatic move validation, Game state saved in history

**Features:** iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmartGo One free?

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

### Is Pente for iMessage free?

Pente for iMessage is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SmartGo One or Pente for iMessage?

Pente for iMessage is rated higher. SmartGo One averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while Pente for iMessage averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do SmartGo One or Pente for iMessage have ads?

Neither SmartGo One nor Pente for iMessage shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmartGo One or Pente for iMessage?

SmartGo One ships an update every 2 weeks, and Pente for iMessage every 2 months. Most recently, SmartGo One was updated on October 16, 2026 and Pente for iMessage on October 2, 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.*