Comparison

Chess Opener Lite vs Cubist

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

Head to head
About

Chess Opener Lite

Master chess openings with an interactive trainer and comprehensive database. Build and memorize your own repertoire, compare variations, and track your progress. Works offline and offers extensive opening exploration.

Highlights
  • Chess opening tree with game statistics
  • Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO)
  • Build and edit opening repertoire
  • Interactive opening trainer
  • Offline functionality
  • PGN export
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

Features: - Chess opening tree with game statistics - The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO) - Compare ECO and opening tree moves side by side in any position - Export chess openings in PGN format - Build your own opening repertoire - Add or edit comments on moves - Automatically classify any sequence of moves using the ECO system - Chess opening explorer highlights moves already in your repertoire - Chess database includes all transpositions - Interactive trainer to memorize your chess openings and variations - Train multiple variations at once against random opponent moves from your repertoire - Set up a starting position for training - Track your training progress - Customize chessboard colors and chess pieces - Supports dark mode - Works completely offline CHESS OPENING EXPLORER Search in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings or browse the chess opening tree. Swipe left or right to switch between the exploration features in any position. BUILD YOUR OPENING REPERTOIRE Add your favorite opening lines to your repertoire using the chess opening explorer. You can always edit the names of your openings and organize them in your repertoire. OPENING TRAINER A simple and efficient method to memorize variations of openings in your repertoire. You can train either white’s moves or black’s moves only or both. Optionally, you can train all variations at once. The trainer chooses the opponent’s moves randomly from your opening repertoire. Chess Opener tracks your progress and shows your stats. Upgrade to Chess Opener PRO to unlock more features: - Unlimited repertoire size - Unlimited depth of openings - 6x larger opening tree with game statistics - Database of top 100+ grandmasters’ repertoires - Powerful chess engine analysis - Import openings in PGN format

About

Cubist

Features
Read full description

Cubist is a beautifully designed cubing app where you learn, time, and compete — built to WCA standards, for the phone. Most cube timers just count. Cubist takes you from your very first solve to a spot on the global leaderboard, in one app you'll enjoy opening. FOUR PUZZLES — ALL FREE 3x3, 2x2, Pyraminx, and Skewb, each with its own scrambles, records, and leaderboards. No puzzle sits behind the paywall, and every one of them has a beginner's path. More official WCA events arrive in free updates, and your records and unlock carry straight over. LEARN TO SOLVE — FREE New to a puzzle? Step-by-step tutorials walk you through your first solve of each one: Layer-by-Layer for the 3x3 and the 2x2, Top-Down for the Pyraminx, Sarah's Beginner for the Skewb. The puzzle renders right in the app, highlights the next move, and shows the exact turns — so you learn by doing, not by pausing a blurry video. Every beginner method is free, forever, on all four puzzles. Faster methods — CFOP, CLL, EG-1, Keyhole, L4E, Sarah's Advanced — are part of Cubist Lifetime. A WCA-GRADE TIMER This is the timer serious cubers expect. Real 15-second inspection with +2 and DNF applied at the official boundaries. Centisecond precision down to 0.01. ao5 and ao12 calculated the WCA way, with best and worst solves trimmed exactly as they should be. Random-state scrambles, generated the way official competitions do and served fresh for every solve. Free accounts get 5 timed solves a day, shared across all four puzzles — enough for a full ao5 every day. Cubist Lifetime times as many solves as you want, every day, on every puzzle. COMPETE — GLOBAL, REGIONAL, FRIENDS — FREE Cubist is a competition platform, not just a stopwatch. Climb per-puzzle leaderboards filtered by the whole world, your country, your continent, or just your friends. Every ranked solve is server-verified, so a place on the board actually means something — no fake times, no padded averages. Add friends by username or invite QR and put your averages head to head. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS — FREE Personal bests for single, ao5, ao12, and mean, plus your full solve history — synced to the cloud for free so they follow you to any device. Cloud sync is never paywalled — it's what puts you on the leaderboard. GO FURTHER WITH CUBIST LIFETIME Ready to break into CFOP and chase sub-X? Unlock Cubist Lifetime with a single one-time purchase — no subscription, no ads, ever. - Trainer: drills your OLL, PLL, and F2L cases with per-algorithm analytics, so practice time goes to the cases that slow you down. - Unlimited solves: time as many solves as you want, every day, on every puzzle. - Algorithms: every OLL, PLL, and F2L case in full, with standard notation and in-app playback you can step through move by move. Also included: advanced analytics (trends, distributions, session compare, AO50), save and resume (pick a solve up later, puzzle and clock restored), and every accent theme and cube skin. Buy once, own it for good — no recurring charges, no hidden costs. FEATURES AT A GLANCE - Four puzzles, all free: 3x3, 2x2, Pyraminx, Skewb - Free beginner tutorials for all four - WCA-grade timer: 15s inspection, +2/DNF, random-state scrambles - 5 free timed solves a day, unlimited with Cubist Lifetime - Personal bests, ao5, ao12, and full solve history - Global, country, continent, and friends leaderboards - Server-verified ranked solves and free cloud sync - Trainer, unlimited solves, and the full OLL/PLL/F2L library (Cubist Lifetime) - Advanced analytics, save and resume, and every theme (Cubist Lifetime) - One-time purchase, no subscription, no ads WHO IT'S FOR Whether you just solved your first puzzle or you're grinding toward CFOP and a new PB, Cubist meets you where you are. Note: Cubist Records are tracked within the app and are separate from official WCA records. - Terms of Service: https://link.eodin.app/legal/cubist/terms - Privacy Policy: https://link.eodin.app/legal/cubist/privacy

Screenshots

Chess Opener Lite4 screens
Cubist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess Opener Lite at none against Cubist's 1. Cubist's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Cubist sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chess Opener Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Opener Lite ships an update every 5 weeks, Cubist weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Chess Opener Lite versus Cubist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Opener LiteCubist
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (17 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings17 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStanislav BasovnikEodin

In-app purchases

None

Chess Opener Lite

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Cubist

One-time1
  • Cubist Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Chess Opener Lite free?
Chess Opener Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cubist free?
Cubist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Chess Opener Lite or Cubist have ads?
Neither Chess Opener Lite nor Cubist shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Opener Lite or Cubist?
Chess Opener Lite ships an update every 5 weeks, and Cubist weekly. Most recently, Chess Opener Lite was updated on October 24, 2026 and Cubist on October 28, 2026.

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