Comparison

Chess vs Chessable

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Chess

Discover the world of chess with this interactive e-book. Learn the rules, terminology, and essential strategies through engaging content and practice moves with interactive diagrams. Improve your game, whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your skills.

Highlights
  • Interactive e-book format
  • Teaches rules and terminology
  • Covers essential strategies
  • Interactive diagram feature
  • Practice legal moves
Features
Read full description

Over 600 million people worldwide know how to play chess. Now you can learn how to play too, with Learn Chess! Learn Chess is a short, fun, interactive e-book that teaches you the rules, terminology, essential strategies, and more. Even if you already know the rules, it can help you improve your game. Features: - 118 pages of content - 91 chess diagrams - Interactive diagram feature lets you try out legal moves Learn Chess is made by the developer of tChess Lite and Pro, the popular and critically acclaimed iPhone chess games.

About

Chessable

Master chess openings, tactics, and endgames with a science-backed system. Learn from top players and retain moves through spaced repetition. Track your progress and join a community of players improving their game.

Highlights
  • Spaced repetition system
  • 1,000+ chess courses
  • Learn from top players
  • MoveTrainer® for practice
  • Offline mode (PRO)
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

Master Chess Like a Grandmaster Chessable is the science-backed way to learn chess openings, tactics, and endgames—and actually remember them. Used by beginners and Grandmasters alike, our spaced repetition system ensures you’ll never forget a move again. What Makes Chessable Unique? • 1,000+ Courses – Learn from Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, Judit Polgar and other top players, who help you understand each move—not just memorize them. • Spaced Repetition – Train smarter with MoveTrainer®. • Offline Mode – Download courses and study anytime, anywhere (PRO feature). • From First Moves to Mastery – Learn opening repertoires, crush endgames, and dominate tactics. Why Chessable Works… • Backed by Science: Our method is based on cognitive research for long-term mastery. • Trusted by 2 million+ Players: Join a community of chess improvers leveling up their game. • Progress You Can Feel: Track your improvement with stats and streaks. Don’t Just Take Our Word For It… • • • • • "Want to work on an opening repertoire? Check. Want to improve your endgame? Check. Want to dominate in the middle game? Check." - HeyBinet! • • • • • "The MoveTrainer is the real benefit. This allows you to practice the moves and see the variations set up and play out in real time." - Mazurekphoto If you like Chessable, try Chessable PRO for 7 days free! Upgrade for: • Access to 300+ short courses • Unlimited Variation Preview - get a sample of any paid course you want! • Full offline training - No Wifi? No problem. Monthly and yearly subscriptions are available in the app. Terms of Use: https://www.chessable.com/terms/ Terms of use for auto-renewable subscriptions: Your subscription will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Current subscription may not be canceled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes account settings after purchase. Privacy policy: https://www.chessable.com/privacy/ Find us on… Team: http://www.chessable.com/about Twitter: http://twitter.com/chessable Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chessable YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/chessable

Screenshots

Chess4 screens
Chessable4 screens

Verdict

The call

Chess and Chessable both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 92% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 50% of Chessable's. Chess also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Chessable's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (5.9K vs 200). On price, rating, ads 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

Both are free to download. Chessable sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess against 4.8 for Chessable. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chessable has 5.9K ratings behind it against 200, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 50% of Chessable's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update every 9 months, Chessable every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Chess versus Chessable: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessChessable
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (200 ratings)4.8 (5.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.4% of reviews — better49.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2005.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTom KerriganChess.com, LLC

Customer experience

Chess

All ratings200 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral0.5%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews539 reviews
Positive92.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative2.4%

Chessable

All ratings5,892 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews334 reviews
Positive49.7%
Neutral10.5%
Negative39.8%

Bugs and requests

Chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Chessable

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inconsistent login and account issues
  • Unreliable offline functionality
  • Glitches with move tracking and progress
  • Video playback problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Analysis board and opening explorer
  • Ability to customize font size
  • Landscape mode support
  • Improved video playback controls
  • Syncing progress across devices

In-app purchases

None

Chess

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Chessable

Subscriptions2
  • Chessable Monthly Membership$11.991 Month
  • Chessable Annual Membership$74.991 Year

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chessable free?
Chessable is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess or Chessable?
Chessable is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 200 ratings, while Chessable averages 4.8 from 5.9K ratings.
Do Chess or Chessable have ads?
Neither Chess nor Chessable shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess or Chessable?
Chess ships an update every 9 months, and Chessable every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chess was updated on September 22, 2026 and Chessable on September 24, 2026.

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