Comparison

ChessManual vs ChessFlare

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

Head to head
About

ChessManual

Master the game of chess with interactive lessons, puzzles, and classic game analysis. Suitable for all skill levels, from beginners to advanced players, it offers a comprehensive and engaging learning experience.

Highlights
  • Interactive chess puzzles
  • Games by world champions
  • Classic and modern chess strategies
  • Learn and play quests
  • Kid-friendly lessons
  • Comprehensive step-by-step lessons
  • Checkmate challenges
Features
Read full description

Learn chess in short, focused steps—and turn every idea into a move on the board. ChessManual is an interactive chess book for beginners, kids, parents, and club players who want a clear path from the rules to confident play. Instead of memorizing disconnected positions, you learn an idea, check your understanding, and practice it in a matching puzzle. BUILD A SOLID FOUNDATION • Start with the board, piece movement, special rules, and basic checkmates. • Continue through tactics, positional ideas, strategy, openings, and endgames. • Answer quick questions inside lessons to make sure each idea sticks. • Return to reference articles whenever you want to review a concept. PRACTICE ON AN INTERACTIVE BOARD • Solve chess positions grouped by theme and difficulty. • See the goal and the side to move before every puzzle. • Ask for a hint when you need a nudge. • Work through checkmate challenges and practical tactical patterns. • Replay annotated games and learn from the plans of world champions. MAKE DAILY PROGRESS VISIBLE • Track completed lessons and puzzles. • Build a daily learning streak and unlock achievements. • Review your recent practice activity. • See accuracy and hint-use trends from your own moves. KNOW WHAT TO PRACTICE NEXT ChessManual turns your practice history into useful direction. Detailed Insights can highlight weak themes, compare performance by topic and difficulty, and recommend matching puzzles—so your next session starts with a clear goal. CHESSMANUAL PRO Upgrade when you are ready for: • Unlimited hints • Detailed progress and weak-topic insights • Personalized puzzle recommendations • Streak recovery without watching an ad • An ad-free learning experience The app is free to download and includes an optional ChessManual Pro subscription. Prices, billing periods, and any introductory offer are shown in the app before purchase and may vary by storefront. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled in your App Store account settings. Learn more and get support: https://slazarenko.com/apps/chess-learn-and-play/ Advertising information: https://slazarenko.com/app-ads.txt Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://slazarenko.com/privacy/

About

ChessFlare

Master chess openings, endgames, and strategy with structured courses and personalized learning. Organize your repertoire, memorize lines with spaced repetition, and analyze your games to improve step-by-step. Syncs across devices for seamless study and practice.

Highlights
  • Structured chess courses
  • Opening repertoire creation
  • Spaced repetition memorization
  • Game analysis and review
  • Detailed progress statistics
  • Interactive move tree exploration
  • Cross-device synchronization
Features
Read full description

Learn chess in depth with complete COURSES on openings, endgames, strategy, and the key concepts of the game. Improve step by step with structured content tailored to your level, helping you better understand and apply the right ideas in your games. CREATE AND ORGANIZE YOUR REPERTOIRE Easily build and manage your opening and study database: import and edit PGN files, organize your lines into clear variations and chapters, and add annotations and comments. Everything is gathered in one powerful and intuitive space. MEMORIZE FASTER WITH SPACED REPETITION Turn your lines into lasting reflexes with a smart spaced repetition system based on SM2. Reviews are automatically scheduled at the right time and adapt to your performance, helping you learn efficiently without overload and retain key openings over time. ANALYZE YOUR GAMES AND FIX YOUR MISTAKES Turn every game into an opportunity to improve by syncing your games from Chess.com and Lichess. Identify key moments, spot important mistakes, and focus on what truly helps you progress. GAME REVIEW After each game, get a clear and useful summary: key moments, decisive mistakes, and practical suggestions for improvement. Quickly understand what made the difference and adjust your play. DETAILED STATISTICS Track your progress with precise data: success rate by opening, types and frequency of mistakes, and performance trends over time. Clearly identify your strengths and areas for improvement. TRAIN ON YOUR WEAKNESSES Stop wasting time on generic exercises. Work directly on your weak points with targeted sessions and a personalized approach tailored to your level. EXPLORE YOUR LINES WITH AN INTERACTIVE TREE Visualize and understand all your lines with a clear interface featuring an interactive move tree, built-in Stockfish analysis, and easy exploration of key positions. Make better decisions by truly understanding your openings. SYNC ACROSS ALL YOUR DEVICES Work anytime, anywhere, on desktop or mobile. Your data is synchronized in real time in the cloud, allowing you to switch seamlessly between study and training. Your progress is always up to date and accessible. PLAY MODE Practice directly on the board with a dedicated Play mode designed to help you apply what you learn in real game situations. Train against positions, test your understanding, and turn theory into practical chess skills. A COMPLETE WORKFLOW TO IMPROVE Unlike traditional tools, ChessFlare brings everything together in one system: repertoire creation, learning, review, analysis, and progress tracking. Improve faster with a clear and efficient workflow. WHO IS CHESSFLARE FOR? ChessFlare is designed for beginners and advanced players, competitive players who want to structure their preparation, coaches and students, as well as anyone passionate about openings and game analysis. Terms of Use : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ChessManual4 screens
ChessFlare4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ChessManual at 5.0 against ChessFlare's 4.3. ChessManual also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 79%) and monetization model (ad-supported vs freemium). ChessFlare's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. ChessManual sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and ChessFlare sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $8.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ChessManual holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of ChessManual's written reviews are positive against 79% of ChessFlare's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChessManual ships an update every 2 months, ChessFlare fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ChessManual versus ChessFlare: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessManualChessFlare
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better78.6% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size116 MB133 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSergei LazarenkoAnakyos

Customer experience

ChessManual

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ChessFlare

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative7.1%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ChessManual

Subscriptions2
  • ChessManual Pro Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • ChessManual Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
13 purchases

ChessFlare

Subscriptions8
  • Pro Monthly$8.491 Month
  • ChessFlare Pro Yearly$12.991 Year
  • ChessFlare Pro Yearly$22.991 Year
Show 5 more
  • ChessFlare Creator Referral -50%1 Month trial$24.991 Year
  • ChessFlare Pro Yearly$33.991 Year
  • ChessFlare Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$69.001 Year
  • ChessFlare Pro Family$109.001 Year
One-time5
  • 100 couronnes$0.99
  • 500 couronnes$3.99
  • 1 200 couronnes$6.99
Show 2 more
  • 2 500 couronnes$12.99
  • Pro Lifetime$144.99

Questions

Is ChessManual free?
ChessManual is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChessFlare free?
ChessFlare is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ChessManual or ChessFlare?
ChessManual is rated higher. ChessManual averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while ChessFlare averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do ChessManual or ChessFlare have ads?
ChessManual shows ads; ChessFlare does not.
Which is updated more often, ChessManual or ChessFlare?
ChessManual ships an update every 2 months, and ChessFlare fortnightly. Most recently, ChessManual was updated on October 30, 2026 and ChessFlare on October 31, 2026.

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