Comparison

ChessManual vs TakeWord

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

TakeWord

Read full description

TakeWord turns the world around you into a personal vocabulary trainer. Don't know the word for something in the language you're learning? Point your camera at it — TakeWord recognizes the object and creates a ready-to-study word card. Every card comes with: - The word in your target language and its translation - A natural example sentence - A memory hook (mnemonic) to make it stick The words you capture are saved to your own collection, sorted by topic or date, so your vocabulary grows from the things you actually see. When you're ready to review, TakeWord quizzes you with smart exercises — recall the word, fill in the blank — to move new words into long-term memory. WHY TAKEWORD - Learn from real life, not random word lists - A new word in seconds, straight from a photo - Clean, distraction-free cards and reviews - Many language pairs — pick what you're learning HOW IT WORKS 1. Snap a photo of any object 2. Get a word card with translation, example and mnemonic 3. Save it to your collection and review it with quizzes FREE & PREMIUM Start free with a set number of scans and reviews each day. Premium removes the limits — unlimited scans, unlimited reviews, and the full set of smart tests. Premium is an auto-renewable subscription; cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://app.catch-words.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://app.catch-words.com/privacy Questions or feedback? Write to us at nodes.kazakhstan@gmail.com

Screenshots

ChessManual4 screens
TakeWord4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: TakeWord at none against ChessManual's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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 TakeWord sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChessManual ships an update every 2 months, TakeWord every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
ChessManual versus TakeWord: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessManualTakeWord
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size116 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSergei LazarenkoAlmaz Bukayev

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ChessManual

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

TakeWord

Subscriptions2
  • Premium — monthly$6.991 Month
  • Premium — yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is ChessManual free?
ChessManual is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TakeWord free?
TakeWord is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ChessManual or TakeWord have ads?
ChessManual shows ads; TakeWord does not.
Which is updated more often, ChessManual or TakeWord?
ChessManual ships an update every 2 months, and TakeWord every 4 weeks. Most recently, ChessManual was updated on November 3, 2026 and TakeWord on November 10, 2026.

Other comparisons