Comparison

Glow Chess vs Chess Widget

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

Head to head
About

Glow Chess

Engage in the classic strategy game with adjustable difficulty levels and helpful features. Practice tactics and strategy to become a Chess Master. Offers puzzles and a two-player mode for interactive play.

Highlights
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • Chess Puzzles
  • Game Assistant
  • Undo move
  • Hints
  • 2 player mode
Features
Read full description

Hi Players, As you know, Chess is one of the oldest strategy games in the world. Chess is an excellent board logic game that develops such skills as tactics, strategy and visual memory. I'm trying to create an application that allows a player of any level to enjoy the game. Play Chess, unlock levels and be Chess Master! Chess pieces: - The pawn moves to one field forward or two fields at the first move of this figure; beats diagonally to one field forward. - The king moves to one field in the vertical, horizontal or diagonal. - The queen moves to any distance vertically, horizontally or diagonally. - The rook moves to any distance vertically or horizontally. - The knight moves to the field two fields along the vertical and one horizontally or one field vertically and two horizontally. - The bishop moves to any distance diagonally. Important Chess situations: - Check - the situation in chess when a king is under immediate attack by opponent's pieces - Checkmate - the situation in chess when the player whose turn it is to move is in check and has no legal move to escape check. - Stalemate - the situation in chess when the player whose turn it is to move has no legal move and is not in check. (draw) The goal of the game is to checkmate the other king. Two special moves in Chess: - Castling is a double move, performed by the king and the rook that never moved. - En passant is a move in which a pawn can take an opponent's pawn if it jumps over a field under the pawn's blow. Features: - 5 levels of difficulty - Chess Puzzles - Game Assistant (Helper) - Ability to undo a move - Hints of moves - 2 player mode - Realistic graphics - Sound effects - Small size If you want to play good Chess, you can help me make the app better. Please write your feedback and suggestions here; I will read them and improve the quality of the application! Thank you.

About

Chess Widget

This app brings chess puzzles and games directly to your Home Screen. Solve daily puzzles, play against AI, analyze historical games, or even play multiplayer with friends nearby, all without an internet connection.

Highlights
  • Home screen chess puzzles
  • Play against AI
  • Analyze historical games
  • Board editor mode
  • Offline multiplayer
  • Daily new puzzles
Features
Read full description

Chess is always close by when you feel like playing, learning something new, or taking a break with a good puzzle. Add Chess Widget to the Home Screen of your iPhone or iPad. Solve puzzles, learn openings, play with friends, and review your games — all at your own pace. MAKE A LITTLE TIME FOR CHESS More than 11,000 puzzles help you practice calculation and spot beautiful combinations. Start with a position in the widget, then open the app to find the solution. Need a hand? Take a hint, then try the puzzle again on your own. UNDERSTAND THE OPENINGS YOU PLAY The Learning section offers 15 opening courses, from the Italian Game and Ruy Lopez to the Sicilian Defense and King's Gambit. Read the explanations, try moves on the board, and discover the ideas behind them. Step-by-step practice, move reviews, and key-position challenges help the lessons stick. Your progress is saved, so you can pick up where you left off whenever you like. PLAY YOUR WAY • Against the computer — choose your side and difficulty, try out ideas, and use hints while you practice. • Online through Lichess — find opponents, play rated or casual games, and choose your time control. • With friends — send challenges, share invitation links, and arrange a rematch. • Side by side — connect two devices and enjoy local multiplayer without an internet connection. Online mode also includes chat, your Lichess profile, ratings, and recent games. LEARN FROM YOUR OWN GAMES Coach mode helps you understand where a game turned and what you could have done better. Open a completed Lichess game, see how your moves were assessed, and find inaccuracies, mistakes, and missed opportunities. Return to a key moment and try to find the best move yourself. Take a hint if you need one, explore a continuation, or keep playing from that position. Evaluation and time-spent charts help you see the whole game. DISCOVER THE MASTERS' GAMES Explore more than 100,000 games by outstanding chess players, from historic classics to games by today's grandmasters. Choose a favorite player, find games by year and opening, and go through them move by move or turn on automatic playback. CREATE YOUR OWN POSITIONS Use the board editor to explore an idea or a position from a book. Arrange the pieces, import and copy positions in FEN format, then play from the position against the computer. MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME Choose a board color theme and turn sounds on or off. Switch to Zen Mode for a quiet game with fewer distractions. Keep a puzzle or a position from your selected mode close at hand in the widget. A puzzle over coffee, a new opening in the evening, or a game with a friend — find your own reason to come back to chess. Questions or feedback? Write to me at oleg.v.soloviev@gmail.com Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Glow Chess4 screens
Chess Widget4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chess Widget at none against Glow Chess's shown. Chess Widget also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months). Glow Chess's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Glow Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess Widget sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Glow Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 14 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Glow Chess ships an update every 6 months, Chess Widget every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Glow Chess versus Chess Widget: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGlow ChessChess Widget
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (39 ratings) — better4.5 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews—66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings39 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhuong TaOleg Soloviev

Customer experience

Glow Chess

All ratings24 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%

Chess Widget

All ratings14 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Glow Chess

One-time1
  • No Ads$3.99
4 purchases

Chess Widget

One-time4
  • 1 coffee$4.99
  • 2 coffees$9.99
  • 5 coffees$24.99
Show 1 more
  • 10 coffees$49.99

Questions

Is Glow Chess free?
Glow Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Widget free?
Chess Widget is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Glow Chess or Chess Widget?
Glow Chess is rated higher. Glow Chess averages 4.8 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Chess Widget averages 4.5 from 14 ratings.
Do Glow Chess or Chess Widget have ads?
Glow Chess shows ads; Chess Widget does not.
Which is updated more often, Glow Chess or Chess Widget?
Glow Chess ships an update every 6 months, and Chess Widget every 2 weeks. Most recently, Glow Chess was updated on November 3, 2026 and Chess Widget on November 3, 2026.

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