Chess Opener PRO vs ChessFlow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chess Opener PRO
Master chess openings with a comprehensive trainer and explorer. Analyze grandmaster repertoires, build your own opening lines, and memorize variations with interactive training. Works offline with no ads.
- Chess opening tree with statistics
- Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO)
- Grandmaster repertoire database
- Stockfish engine analysis
- Interactive opening trainer
- Build and manage opening repertoire
- PGN import/export
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Features: - Chess opening tree with game statistics - The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO) - Database of top 100+ grandmasters’ repertoires - Stockfish chess engine analysis - Compare ECO, opening tree and engine moves side by side in any position - Import and 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 - No ads - Works completely offline CHESS OPENING EXPLORER Search in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, browse the chess opening tree, explore the opening repertoires of famous chess grandmasters, or ask the chess engine to find the best moves. 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 or import your openings in PGN format from other chess programs. 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.
ChessFlow
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ChessFlow is the training app built for tournament players - openings, middlegames and endgames - and the only one that lets you drill them on a real electronic chessboard. Train your lines on screen, or connect your Chessnut board over Bluetooth and practice with real pieces in hand, guided by the board's LEDs. Then let spaced repetition bring each line back right before you'd forget it, so your prep actually sticks. TRAIN ON A REAL ELECTRONIC BOARD Connect your Chessnut (Go, Air, Air+, Pro) and train with the pieces in your hands. The LEDs guide you - steady light for your opponent's move, a blink for a hint, a fast blink when the app plays the move for you. Make a mistake? Retry, ask for a hint, or let the app show you. REMEMBER YOUR OPENINGS WITH SPACED REPETITION ChessFlow uses an SM-2 algorithm adapted for chess openings: every line returns right before you're likely to forget it. Only a perfect run speeds up the schedule; anything shaky comes back tomorrow. No line ever disappears for months. DRILL YOUR WEAK SPOTS ChessFlow tracks the positions where you go wrong most often and serves them back as targeted puzzles. Turn on Drill random positions for an endless stream of positions from the lines you've trained in the open repertoire - a fast way to keep it sharp. PRACTICE ANYWHERE ON THE VIRTUAL BOARD No hardware needed. Train on screen with tap-to-move and premove, just like chess.com and lichess. Your iPad becomes a training station; your iPhone keeps your repertoire in your pocket. PLAY IT OUT AGAINST STOCKFISH Stop anywhere in a line and play the position out against Stockfish, at a strength you choose. Explore variations in free analysis and export them. YOUR REPERTOIRE, FROM ANY SOURCE Import from PGN files, paste FEN positions, or link an iCloud folder from another chess app - ChessFlow reads your files and never changes them. Attach a course PDF or your notes to any repertoire; PDFs even reopen at the page you left, on every device. BUILT TO KEEP YOUR DATA SAFE Everything syncs across your iPhone and iPad via iCloud - lines, progress and colors. Training progress is merged across devices, never overwritten. Automatic daily backups, plus manual export and import. EXPORT & SHARE Copy or share your lines as PGN for lichess and chess.com. Export your games versus the computer as PGN or a tournament-style PDF scoresheet. Free to try, with a 14-day full-access trial. Subscriptions unlock unlimited training on the virtual board, or everything including the physical board. Requires iOS 17 or later. iPhone and iPad, one app. Questions or feedback? developer@chesstools.it Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.chesstools.it/chessflow/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ChessFlow at Free against Chess Opener PRO's $8.99. ChessFlow also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 weeks). Chess Opener PRO's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On 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
ChessFlow is free to download; Chess Opener PRO costs $8.99 up front. ChessFlow sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Chess Opener PRO asks for nothing beyond the download.
Chess Opener PRO ships an update every 5 weeks, ChessFlow every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess Opener PRO | ChessFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $8.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (80 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 80 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 146 MB | 86 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Stanislav Basovnik | Giorgio Donnoli |
Bugs and requests
Chess Opener PRO
Reported bugs
6 issues- Invalid PGN import
- Crashes quite often
- Repeats same variation
- Cannot review lines while training
- App not functioning with iOS 16.7.4
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- PGN import is tedious and doesn't support variants
Requested features
12 requests- Include position setting
- Start study from a later position
- Multiple folders for simultaneous practice
- Option to switch between figure visibility modes (normal, queen pieces, none)
- Blindfold practice option
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- Show +1 for capturing a pawn
- iCloud sync across devices
- Organize repertoires (move, sort, add folders)
- Predefine variants not to reappear during training
- User guide or help information
- Support for split screen
- Fix compatibility with iOS 16.7.4
ChessFlow
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chess Opener PRO
No in-app purchases
ChessFlow
- ChessFlow Virtual$4.991 Month
- ChessFlow Premium$8.991 Month
- ChessFlow Virtual$29.991 Year
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- ChessFlow Premium$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Chess Opener PRO free?
Is ChessFlow free?
Do Chess Opener PRO or ChessFlow have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chess Opener PRO or ChessFlow?
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