# Deep Green vs Chess

The clearest difference is price: Deep Green at Free against Chess's $3.99. Deep Green also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Chess's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.9) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Deep Green is free to download; Chess costs $3.99 up front. Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Deep Green asks for nothing beyond the download.

Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 75 and 116 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Deep Green's written reviews are positive against 92% of Chess's.

Deep Green ships an update every 4 months, Chess fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Deep Green | Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | [3.9 (75 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deep-green/id299471086/reviews) | **[4.7 (116 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 75 | **116** |
| Positive reviews | 66.0% of reviews | **92.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 24 MB | 237 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Cocoa Stuff](https://appshunter.io/developer/299471089) | [Giordano Vicoli](https://appshunter.io/developer/460922805) |

## What reviewers say

### Deep Green

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deep-green/id299471086)

This app provides a classical chess experience with a clean, native interface and customizable piece designs. It supports open game formats, offers a unique chess engine with adjustable strength, and features a private, ad-free environment.

**Highlights:** Clean, native user interface, Customizable chess piece designs, Open game format (PGN/FEN), Adjustable strength chess engine, Private and ad-free experience, System-level integration

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Elegant and polished design
- 🤖 Strong chess engine
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics and animations
- 🕹️ Smooth gameplay and controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- ⚠️ Lack of features (e.g. game saving, online play)
- 🔍 Difficulty settings too challenging for some users
- 🔕 Missing audio/sound effects
- 📏 Board/pieces not optimized for larger screens

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when promoting pawns
- Board orientation issues when rotating device
- Unresponsive UI elements
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Game saving and loading functionality
- Online/multiplayer mode
- Customizable board/piece themes
- Difficulty settings for beginners
- Indicators for check, checkmate, and draw


### Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545)

Manage and study chess databases and games in PGN format with advanced analysis tools. Supports game creation, modification, and import from various sources. Includes engine analysis, opening book management, and puzzle training.

**Highlights:** PGN database and game management, Create, modify, and import games, Advanced engine analysis with Stockfish, Opening book and ChessBase support, Chess 960 (Fischer Random) support, Diagram recognition for PGN conversion, Puzzle training and online play

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $8.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Powerful chess database features
- 👍 Comprehensive analysis tools
- 👍 Excellent PGN management
- 👍 Great value for price
- 👍 Frequent updates and improvements

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Steep learning curve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Unintuitive interface
- 🐛 Some users find it confusing
- 🐛 Missing dark mode

**Reported bugs**

- Problem saving updated game data
- Engine stopped working after 30 seconds
- App crashes when adding annotations without hitting 'edit mode' first
- Crash opening .pgn in landscape mode
- Crashes when selecting a cell with 0 games associated

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode
- Add board flip button
- Improve interface for screen reader users
- Add private game feature with code
- Add computer whole game analysis with annotations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Deep Green free?

Deep Green is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Chess free?

Chess costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Deep Green or Chess?

Chess is rated higher. Deep Green averages 3.9 out of 5 from 75 ratings, while Chess averages 4.7 from 116 ratings.

### Do Deep Green or Chess have ads?

Neither Deep Green nor Chess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Deep Green or Chess?

Deep Green ships an update every 4 months, and Chess fortnightly. Most recently, Deep Green was updated on September 21, 2026 and Chess on September 22, 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.*