# ChessUp vs zenkari

The clearest difference is review sentiment: zenkari at 100% against ChessUp's 54%. zenkari also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). ChessUp's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (2.7K vs 1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

zenkari holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChessUp has 2.7K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of ChessUp's written reviews are positive against 100% of zenkari's.

ChessUp ships an update every 2 weeks, zenkari every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ChessUp | zenkari |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessup/id1588782312/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zenkari/id6771020293/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.7K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 54.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 218 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Bryght Labs Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1588782314) | [JEREMY S WEBER](https://appshunter.io/developer/1892162547) |

## 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


### zenkari

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zenkari/id6771020293)

A native Akari puzzle game for iPhone and iPad. Place lanterns to light up the board while avoiding conflicts. Offers various puzzle types, daily challenges, and optional Game Center integration.

**Highlights:** Touch-friendly grids with haptics, Multiple Akari variations, Procedurally generated puzzles, Daily challenge with target time, Optional Game Center integration, Accessibility features

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ChessUp free?

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

### Is zenkari free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ChessUp or zenkari?

zenkari is rated higher. ChessUp averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while zenkari averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ChessUp or zenkari have ads?

zenkari shows ads; ChessUp does not.

### Which is updated more often, ChessUp or zenkari?

ChessUp ships an update every 2 weeks, and zenkari every 10 days. Most recently, ChessUp was updated on October 27, 2026 and zenkari on October 11, 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.*