# Chess vs Lotus Chess

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess at none against Lotus Chess's 4. Lotus Chess's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 202). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lotus Chess sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess against 4.8 for Lotus Chess. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lotus Chess has 1.1K ratings behind it against 202, 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 86% of Lotus Chess's.

Chess ships an update every 9 months, Lotus Chess weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess | Lotus Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (202 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-learn-chess/id305309870/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lotus-chess-trainer/id6738741464/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 202 | **1.1K** |
| Positive reviews | **92.4% of reviews** | 86.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 5 MB | 245 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tom Kerrigan](https://appshunter.io/developer/295445504) | [Lotus Chess UG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1823941947) |

## 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


### Lotus Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lotus-chess-trainer/id6738741464)

Master chess openings, tactics, and endgames with a personalized training system. Analyze your games, identify weaknesses, and learn winning strategies against human opponents. Improve your chess skills from beginner to competitive levels.

**Highlights:** Personalized opening courses from your games, Import games from Chess.com/Lichess, Master endgames with step-by-step lessons, 100,000+ chess puzzles, Offline access to lessons, In-depth game analysis

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Subscription - 1 Month | $7.99 | per month |
| Pro Subscription - 1 Month | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro Subscription - 1 Year | $49.99 | per year |
| Pro Subscription - 1 Year | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Helps with learning openings
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Tailored advice based on actual games
- 👍 Surprisingly large catalog of openings
- 👍 Effective learning through repetition

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs in the coding of the app
- 💡 Lack of explanations for the moves

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Library to explain the WHY behind the moves
- Link to an online library
- Ability to remove pre-selected openings
- Review of daily correspondence games


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess free?

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

### Is Lotus Chess free?

Lotus Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Chess or Lotus Chess?

Lotus Chess is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 202 ratings, while Lotus Chess averages 4.8 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do Chess or Lotus Chess have ads?

Neither Chess nor Lotus Chess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess or Lotus Chess?

Chess ships an update every 9 months, and Lotus Chess weekly. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 23, 2026 and Lotus Chess on October 25, 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.*