Comparison

Chess vs Safari Chess

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
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

Safari Chess

Engage in a strategic board game with animal-themed pieces. Challenge friends online or test your skills against AI opponents of varying difficulty. Enjoy smooth graphics, engaging animations, and a polished gameplay experience suitable for all ages.

Highlights
  • Single player AI challenges
  • Online multiplayer with friends
  • Local 2-player mode
  • Customizable emotes
  • Collectible achievements
  • Cross-platform online play
  • Game log and replay
Features
Read full description

* 5 Stars Recommended by Tencent Games Play 'Safari Chess' which is also commonly known as Dou Shou Qi, Jungle Chess, or Animals Chess with anyone from all around the world. Play the multiplayer mode online with friends or try the single player mode to challenge and ultimately defeat the Dragon Master. Smooth and appealing graphics, animation suitable for all age groups. With great sound finish to the game, it is definitely a highly polished game and worth checking out. Features: • Single player with multiple difficulty AI levels suitable from beginners to advanced players. • Play live, compete online with friends or anyone from around the world. • Support 2 players to play against each other on the same device. • Custom emotes to express yourself to your friends or opponents alike. • Unique Safari Chess's achievements crests to be collected. • Cross-platform online multiplayer. • Online multiplayer game log and replay.

Screenshots

Chess4 screens
Safari Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Safari Chess at Free against Chess's $7.99. Safari Chess also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support 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

Safari Chess is free to download; Chess costs $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 250 and 88 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 77% of Safari Chess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update every 4 months, Safari Chess monthly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Chess versus Safari Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessSafari Chess
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (250 ratings) — better4.4 (88 ratings)
Positive reviews88.7% of reviews — better76.6% of reviews
Number of ratings250 — better88
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTom KerriganWindigig

Customer experience

Chess

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

Safari Chess

All ratings88 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral3.4%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive76.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative19.1%

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

Safari Chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess

No in-app purchases

None

Safari Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Safari Chess free?
Safari Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess or Safari Chess?
Chess is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 250 ratings, while Safari Chess averages 4.4 from 88 ratings.
Do Chess or Safari Chess have ads?
Safari Chess shows ads; Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess or Safari Chess?
Chess ships an update every 4 months, and Safari Chess monthly. Most recently, Chess was updated on November 6, 2026 and Safari Chess on November 6, 2026.

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