Comparison

Chess Genius vs Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf

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

Head to head
About

Chess Genius

This award-winning chess program offers superb playing strength with hundreds of levels for all skill sets. It features a clear interface, displays game analysis, and allows for saving, loading, and sharing games. Enjoy features like hints, legal move displays, and unlimited take-backs.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of playing levels
  • Displays thinking and analysis
  • Save/load games in PGN format
  • Hint and Tutor features
  • Unlimited take back
  • 2 player and self-play modes
Features
Read full description

ChessGenius, award winning chess program. Superb playing strength. The author's chess programs have won ten World Championships. Packed with features for beginners and experts: * Simple, elegant user interface * Powerful, compact and fast * Hundreds of playing levels including easy, blitz and tournament levels. Network connection not required * Displays thinking. Who is winning, by how much and the moves that ChessGenius is planning. Also Chess clocks, Captured pieces and Opening name. e.g. B12 Caro-Kann * Save/load games in PGN format. Send games by email. Set-up position * Easy import / export of PGN database files with iTunes file sharing * Hint, Show legal moves and Tutor. ChessGenius can warn if a blunder/weak move is played and give the option of take back * Unlimited take back and step forward * Play against ChessGenius. Also 2 player, self play and analysis mode * Optional display of captured pieces and count of positions searched * Game is restored after exit and restart * All functions work in Portrait and Landscape

About

Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf

This app provides personalized chess coaching with an AI companion who explains moves, identifies mistakes, and offers interactive lessons. It caters to beginners and intermediate players with a comprehensive curriculum and adaptive difficulty.

Highlights
  • Personalized AI coaching
  • Audible explanations of moves
  • Over 50 interactive lessons
  • Mistake correction and analysis
  • Adaptive difficulty levels
  • Multiple coach personalities
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Looking to learn how to play chess? Meet Dr. Wolf, the ideal chess coach and companion. Dr. Wolf explains everything to you step-by-step, points out strategic ideas, and alerts you to your mistakes. Whether you are a chess beginner eager to learn the basics or an intermediate player looking to refine your strategy, Dr. Wolf tailors the learning experience to your individual needs, offering over 50 comprehensive chess lessons and interactive guidance at every step. **Why Choose Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf?** - **Personalized Coaching:** Experience the unique teaching method of Dr. Wolf, who not only instructs but also plays alongside you, providing insights into every move. He will introduce topics to you as you play chess, ensuring you grasp the “why” behind each move. - **Audible Coaching**: Dr. Wolf speaks out-loud. Actual audio! Experience the unique advantage of having Dr. Wolf speak to you while you look at the board, offering clear, spoken explanations for every move. - **A Comprehensive Chess Curriculum:** Engage with an extensive suite of over 50 interactive chess lessons. Starting from foundational concepts, you'll progress through to advanced strategies and tactics, all structured to enhance your understanding and performance in chess. - **Mistake Correction and Practice:** Learn from your mistakes in a constructive environment. Dr. Wolf remembers all your moves and goes over them again with you so you don’t make the same mistakes again. - **Diverse Coaching Personalities:** Choose from four distinct coach profiles, each with a unique voice, teaching style and personality. You’ll be sure to find the right chess coach for you. - **Gradual Learning of Chess Vocabulary:** Expand your vocabulary and understanding of key terms and concepts at a comfortable pace. - **Adaptive Difficulty Level:** Choose from a variety of skill levels, ensuring you're always challenged but never overwhelmed. - **Multilingual Support**: Available in English, Spanish, French, and German. **Learn the game and how to win.** "Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf" blends comprehensive lessons, personalized feedback, and interactive learning, offering a standout experience for those new to chess or aiming to enhance their skills. Whether your goal is to understand chess better, win more games, or simply enjoy this timeless strategy game more deeply, Dr. Wolf is here to guide you every step of the way. --------------------------------------------- Dr. Wolf will coach you for free for 3 games of chess so that you can appreciate his style of in-game teaching. Then, to continue learning, you can subscribe to Coaching. With Coaching, Dr. Wolf teaches while you play chess, pointing out good moves and bad — both yours and his — and the reasoning behind them. At times, he'll gently suggest you reconsider a move, or ask a question at a critical moment. Plus, you get unlimited hints, unlimited undos, and unlimited access to our Lesson Library, with over thirty lessons in Dr. Wolf's unique style. Whether or not you choose to subscribe, Dr. Wolf will always play with you. He loves chess too much to turn down a good game. ** TERMS & DETAILS ** Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged the same amount for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a Free Trial, if offered, is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Prices may vary by location. Terms of Use: https://www.learnchesswithdrwolf.com/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://www.learnchesswithdrwolf.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Chess Genius4 screens
Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf at Free against Chess Genius's $5.99. Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.9) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 12 months). Chess Genius's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 13.0). On 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

Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf is free to download; Chess Genius costs $5.99 up front. Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Chess Genius asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf has 27K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Chess Genius's written reviews are positive against 82% of Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Genius ships an update every 12 months, Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Chess Genius versus Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess GeniusLearn Chess with Dr. Wolf
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating3.9 (10 ratings)4.8 (27K ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews81.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1027K — better
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#89 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB101 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLang Software LimitedChess.com

Customer experience

Chess Genius

All ratings10 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews152 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral11.2%
Negative9.9%

Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf

All ratings26,951 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.4%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews645 reviews
Positive81.9%
Neutral7.0%
Negative11.2%

User reviews

Chess Genius

From 10 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💪 Strong chess engine
  • 🧠 Good for learning and practice
  • ✨ Classic and well-established program
  • 👍 Simple and effective interface
  • 🚀 Fast performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 📉 Outdated graphics
  • 🐌 Slow updates
  • ⚠️ Incompatible with newer iOS versions
  • ❓ Confusing interface/menus

Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf

From 27K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Well-thought-out app
  • 🚀 Great teaching tool
  • 🤖 Friendly and encouraging AI coach
  • 💡 Unique interface and gameplay
  • 🎓 Helpful lessons and training

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Incorrect move suggestions
  • 🤔 Lack of explanations for best moves
  • 💰 Subscription-based model
  • 🤖 AI can play suboptimally at times
  • 🔍 Limited visibility of captured pieces

Bugs and requests

Chess Genius

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • App crashes frequently, especially when ending games
  • Cannot access settings
  • App crashes when starting new game or changing settings
  • Not working with iOS 17
  • Not working with iOS 14.3
Show 12 more
  • Not working with iOS 6
  • Menu buttons not working
  • No menus appear after a game
  • Opening names are incorrect
  • Graphical issues (low-res, contrast issues)
  • Pieces are cut off in landscape mode
  • App feels buggy when moving pieces
  • No ELO selection
  • No strong selection
  • Design for iPad is terrible
  • Next best move feature sometimes unavailable
  • Rule flaw: King can castle after being in check

Requested features

24 requests
  • Update for iOS compatibility
  • Refresh and update the app
  • Take advantage of iOS file app features
  • Specify opening repertoire training
  • Don't let playing style be trainer/hint man
Show 19 more
  • Improve graphics and piece sets
  • Add ELO rating selection
  • Add more opening book content
  • Implement gesture controls (swipe for undo/redo)
  • Add audible check/checkmate sounds
  • Add opponent faces to computer levels
  • Support for PGN download via email/internet
  • Improve landscape mode functionality
  • Add more analysis functions
  • Add board coordinates display
  • Add rating estimator
  • Add more time control options
  • Option to disable auto screen off
  • Option to show captured pieces
  • Option to auto-flip board in two-player mode
  • Mac version of desktop program
  • Dark mode option
  • More board colors and piece sets
  • Online play functionality

Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Freezing or crashing when switching between apps
  • Subscription status not syncing across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • More detailed explanations for suggested moves
  • Additional difficulty levels between beginner and expert
  • Ability to practice specific openings
  • Option to review full game history
  • Accessibility features for visually impaired users

In-app purchases

None

Chess Genius

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf

Subscriptions7
  • Dr. Wolf Coaching - Monthly14 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Dr. Wolf Coaching - Monthly7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Dr. Wolf Coaching - Individual7 Days trial$5.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Dr. Wolf Coaching - Yearly14 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Dr. Wolf Coaching - Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Dr. Wolf Coaching - Individual14 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Dr. Wolf Coaching - Family14 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • 30 Days of Coaching$4.99

Questions

Is Chess Genius free?
Chess Genius costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf free?
Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Genius or Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf?
Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf is rated higher. Chess Genius averages 3.9 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf averages 4.8 from 27K ratings.
Do Chess Genius or Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf have ads?
Neither Chess Genius nor Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Genius or Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf?
Chess Genius ships an update every 12 months, and Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf fortnightly. Most recently, Chess Genius was updated on October 24, 2026 and Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf on October 25, 2026.

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