# ChessUp vs Chess Move

The clearest difference is rating: ChessUp at 4.8 against Chess Move's 4.3. ChessUp also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 17) and review sentiment (55% vs 28%). Chess Move's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chess Move sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. ChessUp asks for nothing beyond the download.

ChessUp holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.6K and 1.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of ChessUp's written reviews are positive against 28% of Chess Move's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ChessUp | Chess Move |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessup/id1588782312/reviews)** | [4.3 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-move-stockfish-engine/id1661430804/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.6K** | 1.1K |
| Positive reviews | **54.5% of reviews** | 27.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 218 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bryght Labs Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1588782314) | [Setse LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1291639719) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Chess Move

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-move-stockfish-engine/id1661430804)

This app helps chess players find the best moves using a powerful cloud-based engine. It allows users to set up board positions manually or via camera scan, and customize analysis depth and engine settings for in-depth game review.

**Highlights:** Best move calculation, Cloud-based Stockfish engine, Board setup via drag-and-drop, Camera position scanning, Customizable engine presets, Multiple analysis lines

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

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ChessMovePro - Premium | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| ChessMovePro - Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| ChessMovePro - Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| ChessMovePro - Premium | $7.99 | per month |
| ChessMovePro (Weekly) | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| ChessMovePro - Hidden Discount | $9.99 | per year |
| ChessMovePro (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| ChessMovePro - Premium | $14.99 | per year |
| ChessMovePro - Premium | $14.99 | per year |
| ChessMovePro - Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| ChessMovePro - Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| ChessMovePro (Quarterly) | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| ChessMovePro | $29.99 | per year |
| ChessMovePro (Yearly) | $29.99 | per year |
| ChessMovePro (Yearly) | $39.99 | per year |
| ChessMovePro (Yearly) | $49.99 | per year |
| ChessMovePro | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Great app
- 🚀 Works well
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🧠 Helpful for improving chess skills
- 🏆 Allows beating difficult opponents

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔒 Locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Inconsistent performance after updates
- 🤯 Confusing or misleading about free trial

**Reported bugs**

- Pieces not detected correctly
- Moves suggested in wrong direction
- App crashes on launch or during use

**Requested features**

- Add ability to save board positions
- Improve piece detection and move suggestions
- Provide more free analysis options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ChessUp free?

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

### Is Chess Move free?

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

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

ChessUp is rated higher. ChessUp averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while Chess Move averages 4.3 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do ChessUp or Chess Move have ads?

Neither ChessUp nor Chess Move shows ads.

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

ChessUp ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chess Move every 3 weeks. Most recently, ChessUp was updated on September 26, 2026 and Chess Move on September 25, 2026.

---

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