Comparison

Sixty Four Squares vs Starchess

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

Head to head
About

Sixty Four Squares

Organize your chess improvement with a structured approach to planning, training, and tracking. Set personalized study plans, utilize a stopwatch for focused sessions, and monitor progress with detailed dashboards and rating tracking.

Highlights
  • Personalized study plans
  • Timed training sessions
  • Progress tracking dashboard
  • Rating tracking (online, USCF, FIDE)
  • Critical Positions puzzles
  • Customizable training items
Features
Read full description

Training for chess improvement can be overwhelming with the various tools that are currently available. The Sixty Four Squares App will help you reach your chess training goals by organizing all of your training in one place via our three pillars: Plan, Train, and Track. Our app will help keep yourself accountable to your commitments. PLAN Training can only be effective if it is well organized. Choose one of our premade study plans based on your rating or create your own. Each weekly study plan will include what you will work on and for how long. Recognizing that training may vary over time, you can save different plans that you can seamlessly switch between. Be sure to include our “Critical Positions” training features, which are puzzles that are not limited to tactics. TRAIN Your training items will be arranged as a checklist with progress bars. Once you’re ready to train, use our stopwatch feature to sit down and get right to it. Feel free to work on your training in chunks. If you forgot to use the stopwatch feature, you can modify the time logged so that you still get credit for your hard work. Progress bars will help you see how much of your goals you have accomplished. Have extra time to put in some more work? Add unplanned training items to get “extra credit”. TRACK Our dashboard features will show your daily training progress with multiple charts. Track your online, USCF, and FIDE ratings simultaneously. If you use our “Critical Positions” trainers, then your performance across nine key categories will also be tracked. Use our charts to make informed decisions about your training so that you can make adjustments as needed. Our content requires subscription. Download today and get a 14 day free trial. After that, you’ll be able to continue via a monthly or yearly subscription. Our app is 100% ad-free. Privacy Policy: https://www.sixtyfoursquares.com/privacy Terms & Services: https://www.sixtyfoursquares.com/terms

About

Starchess

Experience chess with a unique twist on a three-dimensional board. Pieces gain new movement capabilities, allowing for strategic plays in up, down, and diagonal directions. Enjoy a fresh challenge to your chess skills.

Highlights
  • Three-dimensional chess board
  • Traditional chess rules
  • Expanded piece movement (up, down, diagonal)
  • Unique strategic gameplay
Read full description

Starchess has all of the same rules as traditional chess but now on a three-dimensional board. Pieces can move up, down and diagonally.

Screenshots

Sixty Four Squares4 screens
Starchess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Starchess at 5.0 against Sixty Four Squares's 4.1. Starchess also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 12 months). Sixty Four Squares's advantage is ratings volume (9 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. Sixty Four Squares sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Starchess asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Starchess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sixty Four Squares has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sixty Four Squares ships an update every 12 months, Starchess every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Sixty Four Squares versus Starchess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSixty Four SquaresStarchess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (9 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB60 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperSixty Four Squares, LLCNathan Lane

Customer experience

Sixty Four Squares

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Starchess

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

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Sixty Four Squares

Subscriptions2
  • Serious Improver14 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Committed Chesslete14 Days trial$64.991 Year
None

Starchess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sixty Four Squares free?
Sixty Four Squares is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Starchess free?
Starchess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sixty Four Squares or Starchess?
Starchess is rated higher. Sixty Four Squares averages 4.1 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Starchess averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Sixty Four Squares or Starchess have ads?
Neither Sixty Four Squares nor Starchess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sixty Four Squares or Starchess?
Sixty Four Squares ships an update every 12 months, and Starchess every 4 months. Most recently, Sixty Four Squares was updated on November 3, 2026 and Starchess on November 3, 2026.

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