# Chess vs HIARCS Chess for iPad

The clearest difference is price: Chess at $7.99 against HIARCS Chess for iPad's $9.99. HIARCS Chess for iPad's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Chess costs $7.99 and HIARCS Chess for iPad $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 4.7 for HIARCS Chess for iPad. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 250 and 195 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 86% of HIARCS Chess for iPad's.

Chess ships an update every 4 months, HIARCS Chess for iPad every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess | HIARCS Chess for iPad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$7.99** | $9.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (250 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-tchess-pro/id295445501/reviews) | **[4.7 (195 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiarcs-chess-for-ipad/id462201312/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **250** | 195 |
| Positive reviews | **88.7% of reviews** | 85.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 7 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPad |
| 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 for iPad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiarcs-chess-for-ipad/id462201312)

This app offers a powerful chess engine for playing and analyzing games. It caters to all skill levels, from beginners to Grandmasters, with adjustable opponent strengths and coaching features to help you improve your game. Explore classic matches and learn from a vast opening theory database.

**Highlights:** Extremely strong chess engine, Suitable for all player levels, Advanced coaching features, Multiple playing modes, Adjustable Elo strengths, PGN database transfer, Large tournament book

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful chess engine
- 👍 Adjustable playing strength
- 👍 Realistic human-like play
- 👍 Excellent coaching and analysis features
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Small and hard-to-read text
- 🔍 Cluttered and outdated UI design
- 💰 Expensive compared to other chess apps

**Reported bugs**

- Compatibility issues with iOS 8 and newer
- Graphical issues with move quality display
- Inability to resign or stop the game clock

**Requested features**

- Add ability to view and navigate variations
- Improve visibility and placement of game clocks
- Implement FEN clipboard/email import function
- Add back/forward buttons to navigate games
- Increase font size and readability of text


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess free?

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

### Is HIARCS Chess for iPad free?

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

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

HIARCS Chess for iPad is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 250 ratings, while HIARCS Chess for iPad averages 4.7 from 195 ratings.

### Do Chess or HIARCS Chess for iPad have ads?

Neither Chess nor HIARCS Chess for iPad shows ads.

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

Chess ships an update every 4 months, and HIARCS Chess for iPad every 5 months. Most recently, Chess was updated on November 6, 2026 and HIARCS Chess for iPad on November 1, 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.*