Comparison

SmartGo One vs TacticForge

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

Head to head
About

SmartGo One

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
Read full description

SmartGo One is the only Go app you’ll need, whether you’re just getting started or already a seasoned player. Learn, play, study, and improve with SmartGo One. Experience the ancient game of Go on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac in a whole new way. Also known as igo (囲碁), wéiqí (围棋), or baduk (바둑), Go begins with an empty board that gradually fills as players surround territory and capture stones. Start with a 9x9 board and move up to 13x13 and 19x19 as your skills grow. SmartGo One adapts to your strength, automatically adjusting handicaps so games remain competitive and enjoyable. And when you’re ready for a serious challenge, the powerful KataGo-based engine delivers strong, rewarding play. But SmartGo One is far more than a way to play Go. Read interactive Go books while replaying the moves they describe to deepen your understanding. Explore a collection of more than 138,000 professional game records spanning both modern and historical masters. Improve your reading and decision-making skills with a growing library of Go problems and tutorials. Want to know how a master would handle a position on your board? SmartGo’s pattern matching technology compares your game with historical pro games and shows how strong players approached similar situations. No matter your level, SmartGo One helps you continue improving. Features include: • 9x9, 11x11, 13x13, and 19x19 board sizes • Powerful KataGo-based engine • Fast and responsive gameplay • Manual or automatic handicap adjustment • Record, annotate, and edit your games • Territory estimator • Hints and move analysis • Undo and replay controls • Tutorial with over 100 problems • Extensive user manual We value your privacy and only collect the minimum information necessary to make our apps work well for you. Learn more at https://smartgo.com/privacy.html. This app is licensed under Apple’s standard Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

TacticForge

Features
Read full description

TacticForge turns the mistakes in your chess games into targeted tactics training. Stop grinding random puzzles that don’t match how you play. Connect Lichess or Chess.com, pull positions from your own games, and train the patterns you actually miss — then lock them in with spaced review. TRAIN THE WAY YOU LEARN • Puzzle Rush — race the clock and solve as many as you can in 3 minutes • Daily Challenge — a fresh set every day to keep your streak alive • Practice — unlimited rated puzzles at your level • My Puzzles — tactics mined from your real blunders and misses • Review — spaced repetition so hard positions stick • Weaknesses — drill motifs and themes where you struggle most PLAY & IMPROVE • Play vs Computer — on-device Stockfish with adjustable strength • Eval bar, takebacks, hints, and opening names while you play • Private analysis that stays on your device TRACK YOUR PROGRESS • Tactical rating and XP • Streaks and activity • Rating history charts on your profile FREE TO START Download free and train right away. Analysis for personal puzzles uses a daily quota on the free plan (2 games/day). Upgrade to Premium Monthly ($4.99/month, auto-renewable) in the app for 10 analyses per day. Sign in with Apple, Google, or email — one account works on iOS and web. Privacy Policy: https://tacticforge.fun/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://tacticforge.fun/terms Support: https://tacticforge.fun

Screenshots

SmartGo One4 screens
TacticForge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SmartGo One at every 2 weeks against TacticForge's every 2 months. SmartGo One also leads on device support (3 vs 1). TacticForge's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. SmartGo One sells 47 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and TacticForge sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SmartGo One ships an update every 2 weeks, TacticForge every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SmartGo One versus TacticForge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartGo OneTacticForge
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings2K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size154 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmart Go, Inc.Code Maker Inc.

Bugs and requests

SmartGo One

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

TacticForge

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

47 purchases

SmartGo One

Subscriptions2
  • SmartGo One Pro – Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Games and Features14 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time45
  • Just Enough Japanese 1Free
  • Key Concepts in Life and Death$2.99
  • Go Problems Master Collection$3.99
Show 42 more
  • Go Problems Add-on 2: Medium$3.99
  • Go Problems Add-on 1: Easy$3.99
  • Go Problems Add-on 3: Hard$3.99
  • Counting Liberties$4.99
  • The Monkey Jump$4.99
  • Double Digit Kyu Games$5.99
  • Go: A Complete Introduction$5.99
  • How Not to Play Go$5.99
  • Encyclopedia of Go Principles$5.99
  • Want to Play Go? Level 1$5.99
  • Black to Play 30-25 Kyu$5.99
  • The Workshop Lectures 1$5.99
  • Rethinking Opening Strategy$6.99
  • Learn to Play Go 1$7.99
  • Learn to Play Go 2$7.99
  • Learn to Play Go 3$7.99
  • Correct Joseki$7.99
  • “The Theory of Go”$7.99
  • Learn to Play Go 4$7.99
  • Buddhist Philosophy Game of Go$8.99
  • Graded Go Problems 1$9.99
  • Graded Go Problems 2$9.99
  • Want to Play Go? Level 2$9.99
  • Basic Techniques of Go$9.99
  • Graded Go Problems 3$9.99
  • Get Strong at Life and Death$9.99
  • Mastering Mini Go by Mark Tomlinson$11.99
  • Fuseki Revolution$11.99
  • Fundamental Principles of Go$11.99
  • The Basics of Life and Death$11.99
  • Joseki Revolution$11.99
  • Life and Death$11.99
  • A Survey of the Basic Tesujis$11.99
  • Tesuji$11.99
  • Tesuji for Beginners$14.99
  • AlphaGo to Zero, vol. 4$14.99
  • Trouble Master, volume 2$14.99
  • Trouble Master, volume 1$14.99
  • AlphaGo to Zero, Vol. 2$14.99
  • Invincible$24.99
  • Essential Go Proverbs$24.99
  • Pro – Lifetime Unlock$99.00
1 purchases

TacticForge

Subscriptions1
  • TacticForge Premium Subscription$5.001 Month

Questions

Is SmartGo One free?
SmartGo One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TacticForge free?
TacticForge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SmartGo One or TacticForge have ads?
Neither SmartGo One nor TacticForge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SmartGo One or TacticForge?
SmartGo One ships an update every 2 weeks, and TacticForge every 2 months. Most recently, SmartGo One was updated on October 12, 2026 and TacticForge on October 7, 2026.

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