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

Enjoy a classic chess experience on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. This app offers a clean interface, beautiful graphics, and intuitive gameplay perfect for casual players. Play against a computer opponent, review game history, and track your progress.

Highlights
  • 1- or 2-player games on one device
  • Tap-to-move piece selection
  • Highlights legal moves
  • Full game history and move list
  • Built-in chess clock
  • Get hint feature
  • Undo moves
Features
Read full description

tChess Lite is the popular chess game designed just for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. tChess is like a virtual chess board on your device. It's fun and easy to use--perfect for the casual player! This game features a very clean UI design and beautiful graphics. tChess is a fast and stable program. Pick up a game in your free time... and there's no problem listening to your music while you play. (tChess Lite is a fully-functional version of tChess for casual chess players. If you're an active player and want enthusiast-level features, take a look at tChess Pro, which is over 1000 ELO stronger and has received rave reviews from Grandmaster Susan Polgar, PE's Chess Cast, and iPhone app critics.) tChess Lite Features: - Perfect for 1- or 2-player games (on the same device, no network connection required) - Tap-tap to move pieces - Highlights legal moves - View full game history in the Move List - Go back or forward move by move and replay completed games - Built-in chess clock - "Get hint" feature to improve your game - Easy to undo moves - Saves your game automatically if you exit the program or take a call - Play against any ELO rating from 500 to 1200 - Computer opponent is the most fun and realistic for beginners and casual players - Use the Profile feature to play rated games and track your progress - Over 15,000 openings for fresh, varied games tChess Lite 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. Bubble Explode Pro's advantage is ratings volume (986 vs 77) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On price, rating, review sentiment 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 $0.99 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 — 4.6 for Chess against 4.6 for Bubble Explode Pro. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bubble Explode Pro has 986 ratings behind it against 77, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 85% and 85% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update every 5 months, Bubble Explode Pro every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Chess versus Bubble Explode Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessBubble Explode Pro
Price$0.99$0.99
Rating4.6 (77 ratings)4.6 (986 ratings)
Positive reviews85.4% of reviews85.4% of reviews
Number of ratings77986 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB89 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTom KerriganSpooky House Studios UG (haftungsbeschraenkt)

Customer experience

Chess

All ratings77 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral3.9%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews267 reviews
Positive85.4%
Neutral8.2%
Negative6.4%

Bubble Explode Pro

All ratings986 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral5.0%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews302 reviews
Positive85.4%
Neutral5.3%
Negative9.3%

User reviews

Chess

From 77 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app
  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 💡 Helpful hints and features
  • 🎨 Excellent graphics and visuals
  • 🧠 Challenging AI opponent

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
  • 🔍 Limited difficulty levels
  • 🤖 AI can be predictable at times
  • 💤 Lack of online/multiplayer options

Bubble Explode Pro

From 986 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
  • Inconsistent pawn movement rules
  • Stalemate issues and computer refusing to resign
  • Connectivity problems with Game Center

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to set up custom board positions
  • More difficulty levels and ELO ratings
  • Online/multiplayer functionality
  • Notification options for opponent moves
  • Chess puzzle/training mode

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 $0.99, 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 and Bubble Explode Pro are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 77 and 986 ratings respectively.
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 5 months, and Bubble Explode Pro every 2 months. Most recently, Chess was updated on September 26, 2026 and Bubble Explode Pro on September 26, 2026.

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