Comparison

Chess Time Live vs Plan B

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

Head to head
About

Chess Time Live

Engage in live online chess matches against friends, family, or players worldwide. Enjoy various game modes like instant matches, Chess960, and track your progress with detailed rating graphs. Connect with opponents through in-app chat and build a social network of chess enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Live online chess matches
  • Play with friends and family
  • Instant game invites
  • Chess960 variant
  • Rating progress tracking
  • In-app player chat
  • Social buddy list
Read full description

Play online chess with your friends, family, and people all over the world. Live Chess: Instant Bullet, Blitz, and Quick games! - In a rush? No problem! Tap the instant game invite to play chess right away! Real Chess Online: Play free chess with friends and opponents around the world. Play Friends: Add your friends or make new ones through our instant game feature. - Easily invite and play chess with friends, family, and favorite opponents. Chess960: For players that are done with routine, now play Chess960 online with friends. - Chess960 is a variant with randomized pieces on the home rank. Rating Graph: Track your progress and chess rating to see your improvement over time. - Each time and game variant has its own graph and rating. Player Chat: Instantly chat with your opponent in app. - Learn from opponents and make new friends without leaving the app. Social Chess: Create a buddy list and play chess with friends and family. Learn Chess: Become a better chess player from playing and reviewing games daily. - Play unrated games that do not count towards your rating. Login with your Chess Time account to play live chess. ——————————— -- SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE --- PREMIUM Membership Subscription Options: - Yearly Premium Subscription Premium Membership features: * No Ads * Additional Themes — TERMS & DETAILS — Chess Time Premium features are only guaranteed on up-to-date iOS devices. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged the same amount for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a Free Trial, if offered, is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Prices may vary by location. Terms of Use: http://chesstimeapp.com/Terms-and-Conditions.php Privacy Policy: http://chesstimeapp.com/Privacy-Policy.php

About

Plan B

Features
Read full description

Plan B: Second Best is a fast-paced abstract strategy game for two players. Place your pieces, block your opponent — and when things go wrong, invoke Plan B to force a do-over. HOW TO WIN • Get 4 of your pieces in a row around the ring • Or stack 3 of your own pieces on one space HOW TO PLAY Each turn, place a piece from your reserve onto any open space. Once your reserve is empty, move one of your top pieces to an adjacent or opposite space. Simple to learn — hard to master. THE PLAN B RULE After your opponent moves, tap PLAN B to cancel their move and force them to play differently. They can't repeat the same move — and you can't veto their second attempt. One veto. Use it wisely. GAME MODES • Casual — Plan B can cancel any move, even a winning one • No Mercy — Winning moves are final. Plan B cannot stop them VS COMPUTER Four difficulty levels from Easy to Expert. The Expert CPU uses deep search and will fight for every space on the board. FEATURES • Local two-player on one device • Four AI difficulty levels • Two Plan B rule variants • Interactive tutorial for new players • No account or login required • No pay-to-win — just strategy Think you can outsmart your opponent? Download Plan B: Second Best and find out.

Screenshots

Chess Time Live4 screens
Plan B4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Plan B at none against Chess Time Live's 5. Plan B also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads and device support 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. Chess Time Live sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Plan B asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Time Live ships an update weekly, Plan B every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Chess Time Live versus Plan B: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Time LivePlan B
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews55.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.1K — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB31 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperHaptic Apps LLCMaya Johnson

Bugs and requests

Chess Time Live

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Abandoned games not handled properly
  • Rating not updating correctly
  • Freezing/crashing during gameplay
  • Inability to create an account

Requested features

5 requests
  • Notification system for game invites
  • Ability to filter game types and time controls
  • Option to report/block disruptive players
  • Improved account/profile management
  • Paid version with no ads

Plan B

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Chess Time Live

Subscriptions1
  • No Ads Plus - Yearly$14.991 Year
One-time4
  • 10 Coins$1.99
  • 60 Coins$9.99
  • 150 Coins$19.99
Show 1 more
  • 350 Coins$39.99
None

Plan B

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Time Live free?
Chess Time Live is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Plan B free?
Plan B is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Chess Time Live or Plan B have ads?
Both Chess Time Live and Plan B show ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Time Live or Plan B?
Chess Time Live ships an update weekly, and Plan B every 2 days. Most recently, Chess Time Live was updated on November 3, 2026 and Plan B on October 31, 2026.

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