# Pocket Chess vs Sortcery

The clearest difference is update cadence: Sortcery at fortnightly against Pocket Chess's every 2 months. Pocket Chess's advantage is chart position (#146 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pocket Chess sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Sortcery sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pocket Chess ships an update every 2 months, Sortcery fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pocket Chess | Sortcery |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (15K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-chess/id1580054076/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **15K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 61.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#146** | — |
| Size | 199 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lessmore GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1579865033) | [Kabas Alkhalaileh](https://appshunter.io/developer/6780890755) |

## What reviewers say

### Pocket Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-chess/id1580054076)

**Currently charting:** #146 Top Free · Board (US App Store)

Enhance your chess skills with hundreds of challenging chess problems and puzzles. This app focuses on simplified boards to help you quickly recognize chess patterns and improve your game.

**Highlights:** Hundreds of chess problems, Checkmate in 2 and 4 puzzles, Simplified boards for pattern recognition, Improve chess game, Learn chess patterns faster

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Coin Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Package | $4.99 | one-time |
| Event Offer | $4.99 | one-time |
| Medium Coin Bundle | $5.99 | one-time |
| Large Coin Bundle | $11.99 | one-time |
| Super Coin Bundle | $25.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Improved chess skills
- 👍 Challenging yet fun puzzles
- 🤩 Addictive and engaging
- 🧠 Helps develop tactical thinking
- 📈 Tracks progress and skill level

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🙄 Excessive ads
- 💰 Expensive to remove ads
- 🐛 Some puzzles have issues
- 🤔 Opponent moves don't always make sense

**Reported bugs**

- Progress data loss
- Incorrect checkmate solutions
- Game freezing after certain moves

**Requested features**

- Ability to review past puzzles
- More advanced puzzles and levels
- Option to disable audio/music
- Sync progress across devices


### Sortcery

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sortcery/id6780890753)

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 20 Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Crack Vault (Bronze) | $0.99 | one-time |
| Crack Vault (Silver) | $1.99 | one-time |
| Crack Vault (Gold) | $2.99 | one-time |
| 110 Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| remove ads | $4.99 | one-time |
| Crack Vault (Diamond) | $4.99 | one-time |
| 240 Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| 600 Gems | $19.99 | one-time |
| 8,000 Coins | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pocket Chess free?

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

### Is Sortcery free?

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

### Do Pocket Chess or Sortcery have ads?

Both Pocket Chess and Sortcery show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pocket Chess or Sortcery?

Pocket Chess ships an update every 2 months, and Sortcery fortnightly. Most recently, Pocket Chess was updated on October 24, 2026 and Sortcery on October 7, 2026.

---

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