Comparison

Chess vs Bubble Explode Pro

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

Head to head
About

Chess

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
Currently charting
Read full description

tChess Pro is the high-quality, critically acclaimed chess game with the richest features for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It's perfect for every player: Beginners: Not everybody is a chess master! Most chess games are too strong or just make random mistakes at easier levels. tChess Pro has unique algorithms to simulate human opponents. Experts: tChess Pro has a top-tier chess engine. (Over 380 ELO points stronger than Caissa Chess.) Enthusiasts: tChess Pro's Analysis Mode is like having a chess master in your pocket. You can get the engine's "expert opinion" about any game or position in real-time: which side is winning, and the best sequence of moves. Just like a professional desktop chess package. More key features: - Perfect for 1- or 2-player games - Strong computer opponent - Play against any ELO rating from 500 to 2500 - Integrated "Learn Chess" e-book app (Apple Staff Favorite!) - Opening Library feature lets you explore chess opening theory as you play - PGN Database feature lets you download and view PGN files - Support for 3-stage time controls with Fischer increments - Position Editor to enter positions from books, newspapers, etc. - Save and load games; export them in standard PGN format - Use the Profile feature to play rated games against the computer and track your progress tChess Pro is developed by Tom Kerrigan, author of the TSCP and Stobor chess engines.

About

Bubble Explode Pro

Engage in a dynamic bubble-popping adventure with exciting animations and bonuses. Explore multiple game modes, track global scores, and enjoy customizable skins and animation speeds.

Highlights
  • Chain reaction bubble explosions
  • Multiple game modes
  • Global online scoreboards
  • Bonuses for exploding shapes
  • Undo moves
  • Customizable skins
  • Adjustable animation speed
Features
Read full description

You can try Bubble Explode for FREE: Search for "bubble explode" in the App Store Search! Bubble Explode has been Top 1 free app in UK, Netherlands, Russia and has been in Top 5 free apps for over a week in USA, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and many other countries! Take your Bubble Exploding / Popping / Breaking experience to the next level with nice animations, bonuses, global online scoreboards, original game modes and much more! Features: - Chain reaction bubble Explosions - Slick animations - 9 game modes: Classic, Chill Out and Bubble Invasion, Shooter and much more ... - Bonuses for exploding bubble groups of nice shapes: squares, lines, corners, etc… - Global online scoreboards - Accelerometer based bubbles lighting - Undo up to 10 moves back - Colored and Black & White skins included - NEW: 5 animation speed settings : Slow Motion, Normal, Fast, Turbo, and Animations Off - Saves game on exit or a phone call

Screenshots

Chess4 screens
Bubble Explode Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess at none against Bubble Explode Pro's 5. Chess also leads on chart position (#112 vs unranked). Bubble Explode Pro's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $7.99) and ratings volume (987 vs 250). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Chess costs $7.99 and Bubble Explode Pro $0.99 up front. Bubble Explode Pro sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess against 4.6 for Bubble Explode Pro. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 250 and 987 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 85% of Bubble Explode Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update every 4 months, Bubble Explode Pro every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Chess versus Bubble Explode Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessBubble Explode Pro
Price$7.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.7 (250 ratings) — better4.6 (987 ratings)
Positive reviews88.7% of reviews — better85.5% of reviews
Number of ratings250987 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#112 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB89 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTom KerriganSpooky House Studios UG (haftungsbeschraenkt)

Customer experience

Chess

All ratings251 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral3.6%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews415 reviews
Positive88.7%
Neutral6.3%
Negative5.1%

Bubble Explode Pro

All ratings986 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral5.0%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews303 reviews
Positive85.5%
Neutral5.3%
Negative9.2%

User reviews

Chess

From 250 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bubble Explode Pro

From 987 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Relaxing and entertaining
  • 🎮 Variety of fun games
  • 🧠 Keeps the mind active
  • ⏱️ Great time-killer
  • 🎨 Appealing visuals

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔇 Sound issues (unable to turn off)
  • 🔄 Repetitive gameplay
  • 🤯 Highly addictive

Bugs and requests

Chess

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Provide a way to organize and navigate through game databases

Bubble Explode Pro

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Scoreboard issues and inaccurate scores
  • Crashes when using certain game features
  • Inability to turn off sound effects
  • Glitches with game progression and saved data

Requested features

5 requests
  • More challenging gameplay modes
  • Improved leaderboard functionality
  • Ability to reset progress
  • Additional customization options
  • Compatibility updates for newer devices

In-app purchases

None

Chess

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Bubble Explode Pro

One-time5
  • 1000 Pearls$1.99
  • 5000 Pearls$4.99
  • 25 000 Pearls$9.99
Show 2 more
  • 1 Million Pearls$34.99
  • 150 000 Pearls$39.99

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bubble Explode Pro free?
Bubble Explode Pro costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess or Bubble Explode Pro?
Chess is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 250 ratings, while Bubble Explode Pro averages 4.6 from 987 ratings.
Do Chess or Bubble Explode Pro have ads?
Neither Chess nor Bubble Explode Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess or Bubble Explode Pro?
Chess ships an update every 4 months, and Bubble Explode Pro every 2 months. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 31, 2026 and Bubble Explode Pro on November 1, 2026.

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