Comparison

The Chess Clock App vs ChessBase Mobile Chess

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

Head to head
About

The Chess Clock App

This app provides a customizable timer for various board games, including chess and shogi. It supports multiple time control modes like Sudden Death, Fischer, Byoyomi, and Handicap, allowing for individual player settings. Ideal for 2-4 player matches.

Highlights
  • Multiple time control modes
  • Fischer Mode support
  • Byoyomi Mode support
  • Sudden Death Mode support
  • Handicap time control
  • Customizable per-player settings
  • Supports 2-4 player games
Features
Read full description

The Chess Clock is a simple yet powerful game timer app, designed not only for two-player matches like shogi and chess, but also for 3–4 player games and various board game scenarios. Supported time control modes: - Sudden Death A classic format where the game ends when a player's time runs out. Each player’s initial time can be customized individually. - Fischer Mode A format where a fixed amount of time (e.g., +10 seconds) is added after each move. Both initial time and increment time can be set per player. - Byoyomi Mode After a player's main time runs out, each move must be played within a fixed number of seconds (e.g., 30 seconds). The byoyomi time and when it starts can be customized for each match. - Handicap Time Control Customize different time settings for each player to create a balanced or challenging match using any of the above formats. The app is perfect for serious chess and shogi matches, as well as for multiplayer board games with 3–4 players. With flexible per-player settings, it adapts to a wide range of game styles and situations. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

ChessBase Mobile Chess

Access a vast chess game database, save and analyze your own games, and practice openings. This app offers advanced notation and sharing features, with a free tier and optional premium upgrades for more extensive cloud storage and search capabilities.

Highlights
  • Access 13+ million chess games
  • Save and sync personal game databases
  • Analyze games with built-in engine
  • Live opening book statistics
  • Create and practice opening repertoires
  • Advanced game notation and sharing
  • PGN file compatibility
Features
Read full description

ChessBase Mobile is the training, playing, and analysis platform for chess players who track their progress by the numbers. ChessBase Mobile is built by ChessBase, the company behind the standard desktop software used by world champions and club players alike for over 30 years. Solve tactics puzzles rated by difficulty and watch your Elo rise or fall with every attempt. No participation trophies, your rating reflects exactly where you stand. The tactics database draws from positions in real games, not synthetic exercises, so the patterns you train are the patterns you encounter at the board. Puzzle Fight puts you head-to-head against another player in a timed series of 24 tactical positions. Both players solve the same puzzles simultaneously. The one who solves more, faster, wins - and gains Elo. Structured competition, not a casual minigame. Play live games in Blitz and Rapid formats against opponents worldwide. Premove support, clean interface, no clutter. The ChessBase Online Database contains over 14 million games. Search by player, position, or opening. Review grandmaster games, study endgame structures, track opening trends - the same database used by professionals, accessible from your phone. Cloud analysis with several engines, including Fritz and Lc0. Basic cloud analysis with Fritz is free. For deeper analysis, scalable cloud servers are available, from Large to Gargantuan, paid per minute in ducats. Lc0 brings neural network evaluation for positions where classical engines struggle. The engine panel shows evaluation, depth, and principal variation. Build and maintain your opening repertoire in the cloud. 300 opening overviews with repertoire suggestions help you get started with new systems. A live opening book provides up-to-date statistics for every position. Three practice modes let you drill your variations until they stick. Annotate your games with comments, symbols, variations, arrows, and markings. Save games and analyses in cloud databases that synchronise across all your devices. Share positions and games via link, image, GIF, FEN, QR code, or PGN. Upload and download PGN files for full compatibility with desktop software. AI Kibitzer provides live commentary during games and puzzles — with personality. Chess-legend anecdotes, opinions, the occasional bad joke. Like a friend with too much chess trivia sitting next to you. Audio output included. Available in 27 languages. Customisable board colours, piece sets, and notation display. Light and dark mode across all screens, or set to follow your device preference. No ads. No energy systems. No artificial gating. Open the app, train, close the app. Free to use, all functions are available at no cost. ChessBase Premium unlocks expanded cloud storage and unlimited database search results. Free: search the online database (max 50 games displayed), up to 10 cloud databases (10 MB total), cloud clipping for up to 10 games. Premium: unlimited database search, up to 200 cloud databases (500 MB total), cloud clipping for up to 400 games. Privacy policy: https://en.chessbase.com/pages/security Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

The Chess Clock App3 screens
ChessBase Mobile Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Chess Clock App at 4.6 against ChessBase Mobile Chess's 2.9. ChessBase Mobile Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 months vs every 36 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. The Chess Clock App sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and ChessBase Mobile Chess sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Chess Clock App holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 31 and 18 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of The Chess Clock App's written reviews are positive against 41% of ChessBase Mobile Chess's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Chess Clock App ships an update every 36 months, ChessBase Mobile Chess every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
The Chess Clock App versus ChessBase Mobile Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Chess Clock AppChessBase Mobile Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (31 ratings) — better2.9 (18 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews40.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings31 — better18
Update frequencyEvery 36 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVida Apps IncorporatedChessBase GmbH

Customer experience

The Chess Clock App

All ratings31 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral3.2%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

ChessBase Mobile Chess

All ratings18 ratings
Positive44.4%
Neutral5.6%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive40.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative59.4%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

The Chess Clock App

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Plan - 1 Month1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium Plan - 1 Year1 Month trial$29.991 Year
1 purchases

ChessBase Mobile Chess

Subscriptions1
  • ChessBase Premium (Monthly)$3.991 Month

Questions

Is The Chess Clock App free?
The Chess Clock App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChessBase Mobile Chess free?
ChessBase Mobile Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Chess Clock App or ChessBase Mobile Chess?
The Chess Clock App is rated higher. The Chess Clock App averages 4.6 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while ChessBase Mobile Chess averages 2.9 from 18 ratings.
Do The Chess Clock App or ChessBase Mobile Chess have ads?
The Chess Clock App shows ads; ChessBase Mobile Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, The Chess Clock App or ChessBase Mobile Chess?
The Chess Clock App ships an update every 36 months, and ChessBase Mobile Chess every 6 months. Most recently, The Chess Clock App was updated on October 15, 2026 and ChessBase Mobile Chess on October 22, 2026.

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