Comparison

Glow Chess vs Chess Notation Trainer

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 Notation Trainer

Master chess squares and notation with this training app. Improve your ability to identify coordinates, translate moves, and visualize the board, even without one. Ideal for serious players looking to enhance calculation speed and chess understanding.

Highlights
  • Identify squares by coordinate
  • Translate move sequences to notation
  • Determine square color instantly
  • Stay oriented on the board
  • Follow chess tutorials without a board
  • Speed up calculation
  • Practice blind chess
Features
Read full description

Serious about chess? But struggling to identify the squares, remembering sequences and follow chess notations? Well, you just landed on the perfect app! This training app is designed to dramatically uplift your mastery over chess squares. There are 5 training sessions. A small dose of regular practice will make you: 1. Spot a square as soon as you hear or see its coordinate 2. Translate a sequence of moves into their notation at ease 3. Immediately identify the color of a square 4. Stay oriented regardless of you facing white or black 5. Follow along with chess tutorials, books or any discussion without a board 6. Massively speedup your thought process on any calculation 7. Finally, start playing blind chess! Don't be surprised if you see a sudden surge of rating simply increasing your strength on square reading. The free version is already good enough to cause a major spike in your chess career. However, a one time purchase will unlock the full version which includes: - Extended time controls - Untimed practice mode - Milestones and achievements - Board assistance during training - And a complete visualization of your records There will be no ads, neither in the full version nor in the free one. Just a beautiful and satisfyingly addictive way to your square mastery. Caution: If you are rated below 1500, this app is probably not gonna be as useful for you, and tactics training is something you should prioritize.

Screenshots

Glow Chess4 screens
Chess Notation Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chess Notation Trainer at none against Glow Chess's shown. Chess Notation Trainer also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 months). Glow Chess's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). 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 Notation Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 18 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Glow Chess ships an update every 6 months, Chess Notation Trainer every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Glow Chess versus Chess Notation Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGlow ChessChess Notation Trainer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (39 ratings) — better4.4 (18 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings39 — better18
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhuong TaNishat Majid

Customer experience

Glow Chess

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

Chess Notation Trainer

All ratings18 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Glow Chess

One-time1
  • No Ads$3.99
1 purchases

Chess Notation Trainer

One-time1
  • Full Version$4.99

Questions

Is Glow Chess free?
Glow Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Notation Trainer free?
Chess Notation Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Glow Chess or Chess Notation Trainer?
Glow Chess is rated higher. Glow Chess averages 4.8 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Chess Notation Trainer averages 4.4 from 18 ratings.
Do Glow Chess or Chess Notation Trainer have ads?
Glow Chess shows ads; Chess Notation Trainer does not.
Which is updated more often, Glow Chess or Chess Notation Trainer?
Glow Chess ships an update every 6 months, and Chess Notation Trainer every 2 days. Most recently, Glow Chess was updated on September 29, 2026 and Chess Notation Trainer on September 23, 2026.

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