Magic_8 vs Notation Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Magic_8
Get answers to your questions from the future. Simply ask, then shake your device or tap your watch for a response. Features a minimalist design with interactive widgets and Siri support.
- Ask questions and receive answers
- Shake to get a prediction
- Apple Watch app and widgets
- Interactive Home Screen widget
- Siri and Shortcuts support
- Minimalist black design
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Ask your question and let Magic 8 answer from the future. Shake your iPhone, tap on Apple Watch, or use the widget whenever you want a quick answer. Features: - Minimal black design - Interactive Home Screen widget - Apple Watch app and watch-face widgets - Siri and Shortcuts support - No ads and no tracking
Notation Chess
Practice chess visualization and play games using only standard notation, directly from your Apple Watch. This app offers adjustable difficulty and engine settings, with the ability to review moves and peek at the board when needed.
- Play chess on Apple Watch
- Practice with standard chess notation
- Adjustable difficulty and engine settings
- Review move history
- Peek at the board feature
- Undo moves
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Play notation-first chess on the go, directly from your Apple Watch. Notation Chess is designed for players who want to practice visualization and play without relying on a full board view. Choose your color and difficulty, select moves using standard chess notation, and review your move history as the game progresses. The app is powered by the lightweight Chal chess engine, with adjustable search depth and move variety settings. When you need a quick visual reference, use Peek at Board to check the current position. You can also undo moves and start a new game at any time. Features - Play chess on the go from Apple Watch - Practice using standard chess notation - Powered by the Chal chess engine - Choose your color and difficulty level - Review the complete move history - Peek at the board when needed - Undo moves - Adjust engine search depth and move variety
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Notation Chess at 5.0 against Magic_8's 4.3. Notation Chess also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). Magic_8's advantage is ratings volume (6 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Notation Chess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magic_8 has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
| Parameter | Magic_8 | Notation Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Agile Monkeys SL | Zheng Liang |
Customer experience
Magic_8
Notation Chess
In-app purchases
Magic_8
No in-app purchases
Notation Chess
No in-app purchases
