# Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner vs Forge

The clearest difference is update cadence: Forge at fortnightly against Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner's every 4 months. Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Forge sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner ships an update every 4 months, Forge fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner | Forge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessvisionai-chess-scanner/id1574933453/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 24 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pawel Kacprzak](https://appshunter.io/developer/1574933455) | [David Sigl](https://appshunter.io/developer/6803445239) |

## What reviewers say

### Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessvisionai-chess-scanner/id1574933453)

Instantly analyze chess positions from images or videos. Scan diagrams from books or live streams and get engine analysis. Save positions, find related videos, and explore games.

**Highlights:** Scan chess positions from images and video, Analyze positions with a chess engine, Save scanned positions to a library, Find and play related chess videos, Explore games matching scanned positions, Share scanned diagrams

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chessvision.ai Membership | $5.99 | per month |
| Chessvision.ai Membership | $45.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Instant scanning and analysis
- 👍 Easy to use and efficient
- 🔍 Accurate chess position recognition
- 💡 Helpful for chess training and puzzle solving
- 🤖 Powerful chess engine integration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent scanning accuracy
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Limited free usage
- 🔍 Lack of subvariation support
- 🤖 Insufficient move explanation

**Reported bugs**

- Crashing issues
- Inverted board orientation
- Disappearing saved positions
- Compatibility problems on M1 Macs

**Requested features**

- Ability to save and manage scanned positions
- Integration with other chess platforms
- Offline analysis capabilities
- Support for handwritten chess notation
- Customizable analysis settings


### Forge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forge-self-mastery/id6803445237)

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Forge Membership Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Forge Membership Annual | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner free?

Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Forge free?

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

### Do Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner or Forge have ads?

Neither Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner nor Forge shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner or Forge?

Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner ships an update every 4 months, and Forge fortnightly. Most recently, Chessvision.ai Chess Scanner was updated on October 16, 2026 and Forge 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.*