Comparison

Chess Genius 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

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
Currently charting
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

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

Chess Genius4 screens
ChessBase Mobile Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ChessBase Mobile Chess at Free against Chess Genius's $5.99. ChessBase Mobile Chess also leads on update cadence (every 6 months vs every 12 months). Chess Genius's advantage is rating (3.9 vs 2.9) and review sentiment (79% vs 41%). On ratings volume, 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

ChessBase Mobile Chess is free to download; Chess Genius costs $5.99 up front. ChessBase Mobile Chess sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Chess Genius asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Genius holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Chess Genius's written reviews are positive against 41% of ChessBase Mobile Chess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Genius ships an update every 12 months, ChessBase Mobile Chess every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Chess Genius versus ChessBase Mobile Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess GeniusChessBase Mobile Chess
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating3.9 (10 ratings) — better2.9 (18 ratings)
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews — better40.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1018 — better
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank#191 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLang Software LimitedChessBase GmbH

Customer experience

Chess Genius

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

ChessBase Mobile Chess

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

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

ChessBase Mobile Chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess Genius

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ChessBase Mobile Chess

Subscriptions1
  • ChessBase Premium (Monthly)$3.991 Month

Questions

Is Chess Genius free?
Chess Genius costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ChessBase Mobile Chess free?
ChessBase Mobile Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Genius or ChessBase Mobile Chess?
Chess Genius is rated higher. Chess Genius averages 3.9 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while ChessBase Mobile Chess averages 2.9 from 18 ratings.
Do Chess Genius or ChessBase Mobile Chess have ads?
Neither Chess Genius nor ChessBase Mobile Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Genius or ChessBase Mobile Chess?
Chess Genius ships an update every 12 months, and ChessBase Mobile Chess every 6 months. Most recently, Chess Genius was updated on October 16, 2026 and ChessBase Mobile Chess on October 18, 2026.

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