Comparison

Chess Prep Pro Openings vs Chessmate

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

Head to head
About

Chess Prep Pro Openings

Master chess openings by building custom repertoires and training your memory. Analyze opponent moves, discover blind spots, and utilize an advanced engine for in-depth preparation. Expand your knowledge with downloadable repertoires and import/export PGNs.

Highlights
  • Custom chess opening repertoires
  • Repertoire training and memory sharpening
  • Blind spot finder against player games
  • Chess openings player database
  • Advanced StockFish engine analysis
  • Downloadable and importable repertoires
Features
Read full description

Master chess openings: Build chess opening repertoires & memorise your openings.Chess Prep Pro is the ultimate chess openings app, designed to perfect your openings and elevate your game through custom chess opening repertoire creation and training. How does it work? Chess Prep Pro allows you to create your own custom chess openings repertoires, and prepare for any opponent move. A chess opening repertoire is an opening plan that contains player responses for opponent moves in the opening phase of the game. With a chess opening repertoire, you will not be left scrambling to find the best move during a real game, as you will already remember the best move from studying and practicing your repertoire. Discover Chess Prep Pro's Features: - Custom Chess Opening Repertoires: Build unlimited custom repertoires for any chess opening. Add as many moves and variations as you need to be prepared for every game. - Repertoire Training: Sharpen your memory with chess opening repertoire training. The app challenges your memory with random positions from your opening repertoire, tracking your progress and helping you master every move. - Blind Spot Finder: Stay ahead of your opponents with our blind spot finder feature that analyses your chess openings repertoire against billions of player games, identifying the most likely opponent moves that you did not prepare for. - Chess openings player database: You can use a player openings database that contains billions of moves to find out the most likely opponent move to prepare for. - Advanced Engine: Utilize the latest StockFish engine for in-depth analysis and uncover the best responses to any situation on the board. - Downloadable opening repertoires: Expand your opening knowledge with an ever-growing library of specially created and sourced opening repertoires, curated for your success. - Import / Export: Easily import and export PGNs to and from the app. You can even import liches studies. Master your chess openings now !

About

Chessmate

Analyze chess positions with multiple top-tier engines, including Stockfish. Customize engine settings, compare results, and explore any chess position with full FEN support. Ideal for serious players looking to sharpen their tactics and prepare for tournaments.

Highlights
  • Next Best Move Analyser
  • Multi-Engine Support (Stockfish)
  • Local & Remote Engines
  • Custom Engine Profiles
  • Time Travel Through Moves
  • Full FEN Support
  • Deep Engine Customisation
Features
Read full description

Chessmate is the ultimate companion for serious chess players and enthusiasts who want to go beyond the board. Analyse positions with unmatched precision, compare results from multiple top-tier chess engines (including Stockfish 16.1, 17 and 17.1), and dive deep into engine configuration - all in one sleek, powerful app. Whether you're prepping for a tournament or just want to sharpen your tactics, Chessmate lets you load, tweak, compare, and explore any chess position like never before. Local or remote engines, flexible setups, full FEN support - your next best move is always within reach. Key Features: > Next Best Move Analyser Instantly evaluate and visualise the optimal next move from any position using powerful chess engines. > Multi-Engine Support Run multiple engines side-by-side, including Stockfish 16.1, 17, and experimental builds — with more on the way! > Local & Remote Engines Use engines installed on your device or connect to remote ones for advanced cloud-based analysis. > Custom Engine Profiles Per Board Save multiple boards, each with their own engine configurations for tailored analysis. > Time Travel Through Moves Navigate backward and forward through board changes to revisit and reanalyse past positions. > Full FEN Support Easily load or export boards using the FEN format for seamless sharing and documentation. > Deep Engine Customisation Fine-tune engine options and search depth to match your strategy or test different scenarios.

Screenshots

Chess Prep Pro Openings4 screens
Chessmate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chessmate at none against Chess Prep Pro Openings's 3. Chessmate also leads on ads (none vs shown). Chess Prep Pro Openings's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (22 vs 3). On price, rating, 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. Chess Prep Pro Openings sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Chessmate asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Prep Pro Openings holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Prep Pro Openings has 22 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Chess Prep Pro Openings's written reviews are positive against 67% of Chessmate's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Prep Pro Openings ships an update fortnightly, Chessmate every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Chess Prep Pro Openings versus Chessmate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Prep Pro OpeningsChessmate
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (22 ratings) — better4.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings22 — better3
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size214 MB0 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTomasz BogunEdward Mann

Customer experience

Chess Prep Pro Openings

All ratings22 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral4.5%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral4.2%
Negative20.8%

Chessmate

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Chess Prep Pro Openings

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly premium subscription$3.991 Month
  • Yearly premium$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$59.99
None

Chessmate

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Prep Pro Openings free?
Chess Prep Pro Openings is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chessmate free?
Chessmate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess Prep Pro Openings or Chessmate?
Chess Prep Pro Openings is rated higher. Chess Prep Pro Openings averages 4.5 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while Chessmate averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Chess Prep Pro Openings or Chessmate have ads?
Chess Prep Pro Openings shows ads; Chessmate does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess Prep Pro Openings or Chessmate?
Chess Prep Pro Openings ships an update fortnightly, and Chessmate every 5 weeks. Most recently, Chess Prep Pro Openings was updated on November 7, 2026 and Chessmate on November 4, 2026.

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