Comparison

Squares vs SakataGo

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

Head to head
About

Squares

A strategy game inspired by classics like Othello and Reversi. Players take turns copying or moving squares to capture opponent's pieces, aiming to block all possible moves. Enjoy a variety of boards and play modes.

Highlights
  • 125 unique boards
  • 5 board sizes
  • 1 and 2-player modes
  • Play against device or friend
  • Random board generation
  • Resume previous games
Read full description

*** REVIEWS *** "SQUARES IS AWESOME!" "This gamne is addictive! I pretty much play it all the time!" A simple strategy game like Othello, Reversi & Attaxx. Play against your device or another player. Choose one of your squares and then either copy or move that square into one of the highlighted squares surrounding it. Take over the other player's squares by jumping next to them, and win by making it impossible for the other player to move. Forget about the daily commute - fire up Squares! STILL FREE! Features: - 125 boards - 5 board sizes: 8x10, 8x12, 9x14, 9x16, 10x16 - fits all iPhone displays! - 1 and 2-player modes: play against your device or another player - Random boards - Full boards with no missing places - Skip boards you don't want to play - Bonus squares - Resume a previous game - Compatible with iOS 13+

About

SakataGo

Play the ancient game of Go offline with a powerful AI engine. Analyze your games, get hints, and adjust AI strength from beginner to superhuman levels. Features realistic board designs and SGF file support for easy sharing and storage.

Highlights
  • Offline KataGo AI engine
  • Adjustable AI strength
  • Game analysis and hints
  • Realistic board and stone design
  • SGF file support
  • Multiple board sizes
Features
Read full description

SakataGo – Play Go offline with KataGo Bring one of the world’s strongest Go AI engines, KataGo, directly to your iPhone or iPad — fully offline, no internet or servers required. Play, analyze, and improve your Go game anywhere, against AI opponents ranging from advanced beginner to professional and superhuman levels. Key Highlights: - Fully offline KataGo AI – play anywhere, anytime! - Adjustable AI strength: from 10‑kyu to full KataGo strength - Realistic board and stones: Hyuga Kaya boards with slate and clam shell stones - Game analysis and hints: review moves, estimate territory, and check win rates - SGF support: open, share, and store Go game files easily Please note: The hardware of the iPad 7th generation from 2019/2020 (A10 Fusion chip) is not compatible with the human imitation modes in SakataGo. The app will have a weaker performance on these old devices. Play & Learn SakataGo combines the KataGo engine with powerful analysis tools: - Step through games forward and backward, get AI hints, and see territory and win rate estimates - See color indications for move quality when reviewing games (green, yellow, orange, red, and purple according to point loss) - Store up to twenty positions in a review stack and cycle through them - Continue playing from any review position, keeping the reviewed game stored or in the clipboard - Choose between human imitation levels (10‑kyu to 9‑dan amateur) or full KataGo strength, based on current neural network models (2025/2026) - Switch opponent strength, AI player and think times during a game to test different reactions Main User Settings: - AI Player (white, black, none, or both (self-play)) - Board size (9 x 9, 13 x 13, 19 x 19) - Handicap and Komi adjustments - Choice of Japanese or Chinese rules - AI think time and hint calculation time - Optional on-screen win rate and score display - Select between two KataGo neural net models (small and large) - Switch sound on or off Realistic Design - Enjoy a beautiful, natural board and stone setup, with slight imperfections for a realistic feel. - SakataGo’s easy-to-use interface focuses on essentials so you can focus on playing and improving your game. Game Sharing & SGF Support - Open SGF files from the Files app, from the clipboard or via Share Extension - Share games or positions via clipboard or compatible apps, or save to file - Note: variants in SGF files are not supported; SakataGo’s main focus is offline AI gameplay and review. However, by using SakataGo's review stack and clipboard functionalities, you can easily play out variants and return to former positions. Why "SakataGo"? The app name was chosen both in honor of Eio Sakata (坂田 栄男, 1920-2010) and KataGo (*2019), combining the names of one of the leading professionals of the 20th century with today's leading Go playing AI.

Screenshots

Squares4 screens
SakataGo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Squares at Free against SakataGo's $8.99. Squares also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). SakataGo's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 5 months). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads 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

Squares is free to download; SakataGo costs $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SakataGo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Squares's written reviews are positive against 83% of SakataGo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Squares ships an update every 5 months, SakataGo every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Squares versus SakataGo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSquaresSakataGo
PriceFree — better$8.99
Rating4.6 (5 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.2% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB554 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChris HaynesTorsten Hefer

Customer experience

Squares

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive79.2%
Neutral11.5%
Negative9.4%

SakataGo

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

Squares

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Game crashes when AI has one move left
  • Game freezes during gameplay
  • Crashes on app launch in certain versions
  • One-player mode exits to home screen
  • Incorrect win/loss determination
Show 2 more
  • Infinite stalemate moves possible
  • App doesn't load after installation without restart

Requested features

11 requests
  • Difficulty levels or harder AI
  • Online multiplayer mode
  • Custom level/board creation
  • More board layouts
  • Achievements or tournament mode
Show 6 more
  • Campaign mode
  • Multiple player colors
  • Volume adjustment settings
  • Sequel (Squares 2)
  • Local Wi-Fi multiplayer
  • Animation when copying squares

SakataGo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Squares

No in-app purchases

None

SakataGo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Squares free?
Squares is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SakataGo free?
SakataGo costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Squares or SakataGo?
SakataGo is rated higher. Squares averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while SakataGo averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Squares or SakataGo have ads?
Neither Squares nor SakataGo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Squares or SakataGo?
Squares ships an update every 5 months, and SakataGo every 5 weeks. Most recently, Squares was updated on November 6, 2026 and SakataGo on November 5, 2026.

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