# Chessable vs Cryptic Coach

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.

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.

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.

Chessable ships an update every 3 weeks, Cryptic Coach weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chessable | Cryptic Coach |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessable-study-chess-smarter/id1523279049/reviews)** | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptic-coach/id6756299022/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.9K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 55 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chess.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/329218552) | [TEGS LABS LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1859935083) |

## What reviewers say

### Chessable

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessable-study-chess-smarter/id1523279049)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chessable Monthly Membership | $11.99 | per month |
| Chessable Annual Membership | $74.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent learning tool
- 📚 Comprehensive chess courses
- 🧠 Effective spaced repetition
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🎥 Helpful video instruction

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Limited search and navigation
- 📵 Lack of offline access
- 🔒 Issues with paid subscription
- 🖥️ Inferior to web version

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Cryptic Coach

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptic-coach/id6756299022)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Membership | $8.99 | per month |
| Yearly Membership | $69.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked 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 17, 2026 and Cryptic Coach on October 9, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*