Comparison

Chessable vs Cryptic Coach

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

Head to head
About

Chessable

Master chess openings, tactics, and endgames with a science-backed system. Learn from top players and retain moves through spaced repetition. Track your progress and join a community of players improving their game.

Highlights
  • Spaced repetition system
  • 1,000+ chess courses
  • Learn from top players
  • MoveTrainer® for practice
  • Offline mode (PRO)
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

Master Chess Like a Grandmaster Chessable is the science-backed way to learn chess openings, tactics, and endgames—and actually remember them. Used by beginners and Grandmasters alike, our spaced repetition system ensures you’ll never forget a move again. What Makes Chessable Unique? • 1,000+ Courses – Learn from Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, Judit Polgar and other top players, who help you understand each move—not just memorize them. • Spaced Repetition – Train smarter with MoveTrainer®. • Offline Mode – Download courses and study anytime, anywhere (PRO feature). • From First Moves to Mastery – Learn opening repertoires, crush endgames, and dominate tactics. Why Chessable Works… • Backed by Science: Our method is based on cognitive research for long-term mastery. • Trusted by 2 million+ Players: Join a community of chess improvers leveling up their game. • Progress You Can Feel: Track your improvement with stats and streaks. Don’t Just Take Our Word For It… • • • • • "Want to work on an opening repertoire? Check. Want to improve your endgame? Check. Want to dominate in the middle game? Check." - HeyBinet! • • • • • "The MoveTrainer is the real benefit. This allows you to practice the moves and see the variations set up and play out in real time." - Mazurekphoto If you like Chessable, try Chessable PRO for 7 days free! Upgrade for: • Access to 300+ short courses • Unlimited Variation Preview - get a sample of any paid course you want! • Full offline training - No Wifi? No problem. Monthly and yearly subscriptions are available in the app. Terms of Use: https://www.chessable.com/terms/ Terms of use for auto-renewable subscriptions: Your subscription will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Current subscription may not be canceled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes account settings after purchase. Privacy policy: https://www.chessable.com/privacy/ Find us on… Team: http://www.chessable.com/about Twitter: http://twitter.com/chessable Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chessable YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/chessable

About

Cryptic Coach

Master cryptic crosswords with structured lessons and practice puzzles. Solve daily clues with video explanations and access a vault of past puzzles. Submit your own clues to join the community.

Highlights
  • Structured lessons
  • Curated practice puzzles
  • Daily clue with video explanation
  • Vault of past daily clues
  • Submit your own clues
  • Community solving
Features
Read full description

Cryptic Coach helps you master cryptic crosswords. Learn techniques through structured lessons, practice with curated puzzles, and solve a daily clue with video explanations. Access the vault of previous daily cryptic clues and submit your own clues for potential inclusion. Everything you need to improve your cryptic solving skills. We're just getting started, so expect regular updates and new features as we grow. Come join the community and let's solve together! Terms and conditions at: https://www.crypticcoach.com/terms

Screenshots

Chessable4 screens
Cryptic Coach4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cryptic Coach at 100% against Chessable's 50%. Cryptic Coach also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Chessable's advantage is ratings volume (5.9K vs 2) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Chessable sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month and Cryptic Coach sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chessable holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chessable has 5.9K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Chessable's written reviews are positive against 100% of Cryptic Coach's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chessable ships an update every 3 weeks, Cryptic Coach weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Chessable versus Cryptic Coach: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessableCryptic Coach
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5.9K ratings) — better4.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.9K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChess.comTEGS LABS LTD

Customer experience

Chessable

All ratings5,892 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews336 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral10.4%
Negative39.6%

Cryptic Coach

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Chessable

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inconsistent login and account issues
  • Unreliable offline functionality
  • Glitches with move tracking and progress
  • Video playback problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Analysis board and opening explorer
  • Ability to customize font size
  • Landscape mode support
  • Improved video playback controls
  • Syncing progress across devices

Cryptic Coach

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Chessable

Subscriptions2
  • Chessable Monthly Membership$11.991 Month
  • Chessable Annual Membership$74.991 Year
2 purchases

Cryptic Coach

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Membership$8.991 Month
  • Yearly Membership3 Days trial$69.991 Year

Questions

Is Chessable free?
Chessable is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cryptic Coach free?
Cryptic Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chessable or Cryptic Coach?
Chessable is rated higher. Chessable averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.9K ratings, while Cryptic Coach averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Chessable or Cryptic Coach have ads?
Neither Chessable nor Cryptic Coach shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chessable or Cryptic Coach?
Chessable ships an update every 3 weeks, and Cryptic Coach weekly. Most recently, Chessable was updated on October 3, 2026 and Cryptic Coach on September 22, 2026.

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