# Champion Chess vs ChessUp

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ChessUp at none against Champion Chess's 1. ChessUp also leads on ads (none vs shown). Champion Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Champion Chess sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. ChessUp asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Champion Chess against 4.8 for ChessUp. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 2.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 47% of Champion Chess's written reviews are positive against 54% of ChessUp's.

Champion Chess ships an update monthly, ChessUp every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Champion Chess | ChessUp |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/champion-chess/id1531734495/reviews) | **[4.8 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessup/id1588782312/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K | **2.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 47.3% of reviews | **54.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 504 MB | 218 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 16 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chess.com, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/329218552) | [Bryght Labs Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1588782314) |

## What reviewers say

### Champion Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/champion-chess/id1531734495)

Compete in virtual chess tournaments, progressing from local to international levels against diverse AI opponents. Prepare with practice games and aim to qualify for the ultimate Championship. Developed by Chess.com enthusiasts.

**Highlights:** Progressive tournament structure, Multiple AI difficulty levels, Over 60 AI personalities, Practice game mode, Qualify for championship

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Pass | $2.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun game to play
- 💡 Sophisticated enough to challenge amateur players
- 🚀 Great graphics and animations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches causing crashes or freezes
- 🤔 Confusing piece identification, especially on crowded boards
- 🤖 AI too strong, making it difficult to win
- ⚠️ Frequent draws declared even when checkmate is possible

**Reported bugs**

- Rooks unable to move
- Incorrect handling of pawn promotion
- Crashes on launch for some users

**Requested features**

- 2D board view option
- Move-by-move game replay
- Ability to save game moves
- Customizable music and sound levels
- Easier way to reset board orientation


### ChessUp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessup/id1588782312)

This app enhances your chess experience with a smart chessboard. It offers game archives, analysis, and live AI assistance. Connect to play remote opponents on various platforms.

**Highlights:** Chess game archives, Game analysis, Live AI assistance, Remote opponent play, BLE connectivity

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app and board
- 👍 Fantastic board to learn and improve game
- 🚀 Awesome chess experience
- 👍 Wonderful app
- 👍 Incredible learning tool

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Lots of bugs and glitches
- 🐛 Crashes and connectivity issues
- 🐛 Misleading marketing and unfinished product
- 🐛 Haptics issues and unresponsive interface
- 🐛 AI difficulty imbalanced

**Reported bugs**

- Moves not registering
- Bluetooth connectivity issues
- Crashes and freezes
- Sync issues between app and board
- Lessons not working properly

**Requested features**

- Add chess openings lessons
- Implement position setup and export/import
- Add post-game review mechanism
- Improve AI difficulty scaling
- Add chess puzzles


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Champion Chess free?

Champion Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ChessUp free?

ChessUp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Champion Chess or ChessUp?

ChessUp is rated higher. Champion Chess averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while ChessUp averages 4.8 from 2.8K ratings.

### Do Champion Chess or ChessUp have ads?

Champion Chess shows ads; ChessUp does not.

### Which is updated more often, Champion Chess or ChessUp?

Champion Chess ships an update monthly, and ChessUp every 2 weeks. Most recently, Champion Chess was updated on November 3, 2026 and ChessUp on November 3, 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.*