# Chess vs HIARCS Chess

Chess and HIARCS Chess both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 89% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 76% of HIARCS Chess's. Chess also leads on price ($7.99 vs $9.99). HIARCS Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Chess costs $7.99 and HIARCS Chess $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess against 4.8 for HIARCS Chess. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 250 and 204 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 76% of HIARCS Chess's.

Chess ships an update every 4 months, HIARCS Chess every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess | HIARCS Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$7.99** | $9.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (250 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-tchess-pro/id295445501/reviews) | **[4.8 (204 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiarcs-chess/id327708154/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **250** | 204 |
| Positive reviews | **88.7% of reviews** | 75.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tom Kerrigan](https://appshunter.io/developer/295445504) | [Applied Computer Concepts Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/327708157) |

## 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


### HIARCS Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiarcs-chess/id327708154)

This app offers a powerful chess engine for playing, analyzing, and learning chess. It provides adjustable difficulty levels and coaching features to help players of all abilities improve their game. Analyze professional games and track your progress with an Elo rating.

**Highlights:** World Championship winning chess engine, Adjustable playing strengths and styles, Advanced coaching features, Elo rating tracking, PGN database support, Large tournament book, Multiple playing modes

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Strong chess engine
- 👍 Human-like play
- 🧠 Excellent coaching/analysis features
- 🔧 Customizable difficulty levels
- 💾 Saves and loads games well

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Lacks advanced features (PGN import/export, database navigation)
- 🖼️ Outdated or subpar UI/UX
- 💤 Slow move animations
- 🤖 Engine strength may be overstated

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on certain iOS versions
- Discount codes not working
- Issues with hotspot mode

**Requested features**

- PGN import/export functionality
- Advanced database navigation (next/previous game)
- Endgame tablebase support
- Improved UI/UX for modern devices
- More customization options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess free?

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

### Is HIARCS Chess free?

HIARCS Chess costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

HIARCS Chess is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 250 ratings, while HIARCS Chess averages 4.8 from 204 ratings.

### Do Chess or HIARCS Chess have ads?

Neither Chess nor HIARCS Chess shows ads.

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

Chess ships an update every 4 months, and HIARCS Chess every 3 months. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 24, 2026 and HIARCS Chess on October 24, 2026.

---

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