# Chess vs Pulsar Chess Engine

The clearest difference is price: Pulsar Chess Engine at $1.99 against Chess's $7.99. Pulsar Chess Engine also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months) and device support (4 vs 2). Chess's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (89% vs 70%). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Chess costs $7.99 and Pulsar Chess Engine $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess has 250 ratings behind it against 12, 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 70% of Pulsar Chess Engine's.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess | Pulsar Chess Engine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $7.99 | **$1.99** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (250 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-tchess-pro/id295445501/reviews)** | [4.3 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulsar-chess-engine/id839640447/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **250** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | **88.7% of reviews** | 70.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 7 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tom Kerrigan](https://appshunter.io/developer/295445504) | [Michael Adams](https://appshunter.io/developer/743520896) |

## 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


### Pulsar Chess Engine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulsar-chess-engine/id839640447)

Play chess and six popular variants with adjustable AI difficulty levels. Review logged games, access master game collections, and utilize Crafty engine analysis for standard chess and Chess960. Offers accessibility features for blind users.

**Highlights:** Plays 7 chess variants, Adjustable AI difficulty levels, Game logging and review, Master game collections, Crafty engine analysis, VoiceOver accessibility

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess free?

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

### Is Pulsar Chess Engine free?

Pulsar Chess Engine costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chess or Pulsar Chess Engine?

Chess is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 250 ratings, while Pulsar Chess Engine averages 4.3 from 12 ratings.

### Do Chess or Pulsar Chess Engine have ads?

Neither Chess nor Pulsar Chess Engine shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess or Pulsar Chess Engine?

Chess ships an update every 4 months, and Pulsar Chess Engine every 2 months. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 31, 2026 and Pulsar Chess Engine 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.*