# Chess vs Chess Royale

The clearest difference is price: Chess Royale at Free against Chess's $7.99. Chess Royale also leads on ratings volume (20K vs 251) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). Chess's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and ads (none vs shown). On device support there is nothing between them.

Chess Royale is free to download; Chess costs $7.99 up front. Chess Royale sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Royale has 20K ratings behind it against 251, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 60% of Chess Royale's.

Chess ships an update every 4 months, Chess Royale every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess | Chess Royale |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $7.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (251 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-tchess-pro/id295445501/reviews)** | [4.5 (20K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-royale/id1434658250/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 251 | **20K** |
| Positive reviews | **88.6% of reviews** | 59.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 7 MB | 473 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tom Kerrigan](https://appshunter.io/developer/295445504) | [SayGames LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1551847165) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-tchess-pro/id295445501)

This app offers a high-quality chess experience for players of all levels, from beginners to professionals. It features a strong engine, analysis tools, and learning resources to improve your game.

**Highlights:** Simulated human opponents for beginners, Top-tier chess engine for experts, Real-time game analysis, 1 or 2-player game support, Opening Library and PGN Database, Position Editor, Rated games and progress tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Enjoyable and challenging
- 🚀 Plays solid openings and variations
- 👍 Thoroughly enjoyable for novice players
- 👍 Great for beginners and seasoned players
- 👍 Rated games help track progress

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes after updates
- 🐛 Inaccurate rating system
- 🐛 Bright screen background can be tiring
- 🐛 Clunky online game menu

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when creating annotations
- Zoomed-in screen issue when returning to the app
- Difficulty settings not accurately reflecting the AI's strength

**Requested features**

- Add chess puzzles
- Provide more board and piece style options
- Implement a resign feature and draw offer
- Add a move evaluation bar
- Improve the online multiplayer experience


### Chess Royale

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-royale/id1434658250)

Engage in the classic game of chess with millions worldwide. This app offers AI challenges, multiplayer matches, and extensive training tools including puzzles and post-game analysis to improve your strategic skills.

**Highlights:** Play against AI, Multiplayer matches, Chess puzzles, Post-game analysis, Beginner and advanced training, Multiple game modes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Vip | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Vip | $19.99 | per month |
| Annual Vip | $39.99 | per year |
| Tiny Coins Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tiny Gems Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gold Reserve 2 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Coins Pack Offer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Disable Ads Forever | $4.99 | one-time |
| Medium Gems Pack | $6.99 | one-time |
| Large Gems Pack | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Enjoyable gameplay
- 🚀 Seamless matchmaking
- 💡 Helpful chess lessons and puzzles
- 🤩 Great for learning and improving chess skills

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤬 Excessive and disruptive advertisements
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🕰️ Long wait times between games due to ads
- 🤖 Suspicion of playing against bots instead of real players

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect puzzle solutions being marked as wrong
- Game losses due to connection issues or app freezes
- Inconsistent trophy/ranking system
- Inability to report cheating or suspicious behavior

**Requested features**

- Ability to play longer timed games
- Option to disable ads for a one-time fee
- More advanced chess analysis and training features
- Improved matchmaking to pair players of similar skill levels


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess free?

Chess costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Chess Royale free?

Chess Royale is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Chess or Chess Royale?

Chess is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 251 ratings, while Chess Royale averages 4.5 from 20K ratings.

### Do Chess or Chess Royale have ads?

Chess Royale shows ads; Chess does not.

### Which is updated more often, Chess or Chess Royale?

Chess ships an update every 4 months, and Chess Royale every 5 weeks. Most recently, Chess was updated on September 24, 2026 and Chess Royale on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*