Comparison

Osmo Words vs Chess Zoo

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

Head to head
About

Osmo Words

Arrange physical letter tiles to spell words on screen, unlocking prizes and new levels. This game offers adaptive learning to match your spelling difficulty and is playable on iPhone and iPad.

Highlights
  • Spell secret words with physical tiles
  • Adaptive learning for personalized difficulty
  • Unlock prizes and dance moves
  • Progress through multiple fun levels
  • Playable on iPhone and iPad
Read full description

In Osmo Genius Words, arrange physical Osmo Letter Tiles to spell secret words. Each letter you get correct, appears on screen, until eventually the entire word is revealed. Unlock prizes and dance moves as you progress across multiple fun levels! Choose a level of spelling difficulty that’s right for you and then the adaptive learning helps you play at the level that is right for you! Play your favorite Osmo Genius Words on both iPhone and iPad! Use your iPhone with the Osmo Base for iPad and Genius game hardware - each can be found at playosmo.com. * Requires the Osmo Base and Osmo Words Tiles. Each sold separately or as part of Osmo Genius Starter Kit or Osmo Genius Words. * Other Osmo Genius Starter Kit games Masterpiece and Newton are not available on iPhone today, they will be released in the next month or two, so keep your eyes peeled! * Please see our device compatibility list here: https://support.playosmo.com/hc/articles/115010156067 * Compatible iPhones: iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max iPhone 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max iPhone 14, 14 Plus * Not compatible: iPhone 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max iPhone 12 Mini,13 Mini iPhone SE (1-3) iPhone 11 Series and older "This interplay between the physical and digital realms looks and feels like magic." - Forbes "Osmo has been a revolution in our family." - Wired Winner of the toy industry's top awards: **Best Design** - Good Design, 2016 **Best Product Designs** - Fast Company Finalist, 2016 **Innovative Toy of the Year** - TOTY Finalist, 2015 **Best Inventions** - TIME, 2014 About Osmo Osmo is using the screen to create a new healthy, hands-on learning experience that promotes creativity, problem-solving and social interaction. We do this with our reflective artificial intelligent technology.

About

Chess Zoo

This app offers a gentle introduction to chess for children and families, featuring a story-based campaign, adaptive animal opponents, and various puzzles and card games. It's designed for offline play with no ads or strangers, promoting a safe and fun learning environment.

Highlights
  • Story campaign for learning chess
  • Adaptive animal opponents
  • Offline play
  • Daily chess puzzles
  • Card and logic mini-games
  • Pass-and-play multiplayer
Features
Read full description

Chess Zoo is a warm, ad-free chess playground made for kids and the grown-ups who play with them. Learn the game one gentle step at a time, then explore a whole zoo of puzzles, card games, and friendly animal opponents; all completely offline. No ads. No strangers. No subscriptions. One family, one device, hours of play. LEARN CHESS THE KIND WAY • A story campaign that teaches the pieces and tactics across 20 levels • Friendly animal bots that adapt to your skill -> from Poko the panda for first-timers to tougher challengers • Gentle hints, encouraging coaching, and post-game reviews that celebrate good moves instead of scolding mistakes • Pass-and-play so two people can share one device PLAY TOGETHER • Two-player Checkers and Tic-Tac-Toe • Classic card games: Solitaire, Rummy, Go Fish, and Memory • Chess Quest - a bite-sized card-battler adventure DAILY BRAIN SNACKS • A fresh chess puzzle every day, with streaks to keep • Rotating logic puzzles: mini Sudoku, knight paths, and chain reactions • Fun mini-games like Capture the King and the Pawn Race MAKE IT YOURS • Unlock board themes and playful piece sets by earning stars • A trophy room, levels, and achievements to collect • A skill rating that grows as you do BUILT FOR FAMILIES • 100% offline -> play on a plane, in the car, anywhere • No accounts, no ads, no data collection, no chatting with strangers • Animal-bot personalities run entirely on your device • One simple, optional purchase unlocks everything - no subscriptions, ever Whether your child is moving their first pawn or hunting for checkmate, Chess Zoo makes learning feel like play. FREE TO START Play the opening campaign, today's puzzles, pass-and-play, and more for free. Unlock Everything ($4.99, one time) opens the full campaign, every bot, all the card games, Chess Quest, and the complete puzzle archive.

Screenshots

Osmo Words4 screens
Chess Zoo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chess Zoo at 5.0 against Osmo Words's 3.7. Chess Zoo also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). Osmo Words's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (189 vs 1). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Chess Zoo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Osmo Words asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Zoo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Osmo Words has 189 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Osmo Words ships an update every 2 months, Chess Zoo every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Osmo Words versus Chess Zoo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOsmo WordsChess Zoo
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (189 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings189 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size1.3 GB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTangible PlayAurem Digital llc

Customer experience

Osmo Words

All ratings185 ratings
Positive65.9%
Neutral7.6%
Negative26.5%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive39.1%
Neutral8.7%
Negative52.2%

Chess Zoo

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Osmo Words

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Infinite loading
  • Wi-Fi connection errors
  • App not available on certain iPad versions
  • App freezes
  • App crashes during games
Show 5 more
  • Custom word list not working
  • Levels not accurately described
  • Game stuck on loading screen
  • Sudden stop working on iPads
  • Not working with iOS 16.2

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add German language support
  • Improve level descriptions for accuracy
  • Allow spelling of whole words
  • Slow down the game progression
  • Add option to choose iPad model during purchase
Show 1 more
  • Allow use with iPad cases

Chess Zoo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Osmo Words

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Zoo

One-time1
  • Unlock Everything$4.99

Questions

Is Osmo Words free?
Osmo Words is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Zoo free?
Chess Zoo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Osmo Words or Chess Zoo?
Chess Zoo is rated higher. Osmo Words averages 3.7 out of 5 from 189 ratings, while Chess Zoo averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Osmo Words or Chess Zoo have ads?
Neither Osmo Words nor Chess Zoo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Osmo Words or Chess Zoo?
Osmo Words ships an update every 2 months, and Chess Zoo every 3 days. Most recently, Osmo Words was updated on November 3, 2026 and Chess Zoo on October 31, 2026.

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