# Chess vs Chess Max Academy

The clearest difference is monetization model: Chess Max Academy at free against Chess's paid. Chess Max Academy also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Chess's advantage is ratings volume (200 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Chess Max Academy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess has 200 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chess Max Academy's.

Chess ships an update every 9 months, Chess Max Academy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess | Chess Max Academy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (200 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-learn-chess/id305309870/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-max-academy/id1621009770/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **200** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 92.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 5 MB | 86 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tom Kerrigan](https://appshunter.io/developer/295445504) | [Chess Max Nexus Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1621009772) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-learn-chess/id305309870)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Chess Max Academy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-max-academy/id1621009770)

Learn chess through interactive courses and activities. Engage with explanations, puzzles, and practice games to improve your skills. Designed for various learning levels, it makes understanding chess concepts easy and fun.

**Highlights:** Interactive chess courses, Activity-based learning, Explanation activities, Capture activities, Puzzle and tactics solving, Multiple-choice quizzes, Play against computer

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess free?

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

### Is Chess Max Academy free?

Chess Max Academy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chess or Chess Max Academy?

Chess Max Academy is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 200 ratings, while Chess Max Academy averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Chess or Chess Max Academy have ads?

Neither Chess nor Chess Max Academy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess or Chess Max Academy?

Chess ships an update every 9 months, and Chess Max Academy every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chess was updated on September 26, 2026 and Chess Max Academy on September 15, 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.*