Comparison

Chess ∙ vs Chess ⁺

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

Head to head
About

Chess ∙

Experience a visually appealing and engaging chess game on your iPhone and iPod Touch. Play against friends or a customizable AI opponent with features like undo and automatic saving. Enjoy a free, ad-supported experience.

Highlights
  • 1 and 2 player gameplay
  • Challenging computer opponent
  • Great graphics and sound
  • Configurable difficulty
  • Undo function
  • Automatic save
Features
Read full description

Are you tired of playing chess games that look like they were designed for a Commodore 64 instead of an iPhone? We've got the antidote for you. Chess Free is the best chess game for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and it's free! Chess Free supports both 1 player and 2 player gameplay, so you can play against friends or test your skills against a challenging computer opponent. Chess Free offers a host of exciting features, including: * Great graphics and exciting sound effects * Configurable player names and score tracking * Outstanding AI engine with configurable difficulty level * Board rotation for two player games * Undo function * Automatic save when you get a phone call or exit the application Chess Free is supported by unobtrusive banner advertising. Chess Premium is the same great app without the ads.

About

Chess ⁺

Enhance your chess abilities with this comprehensive training application. It offers a vast array of puzzles, tactical exercises, and learning modes for players of all levels. Track your progress with live statistics and enjoy a visually engaging experience.

Highlights
  • 2D & 3D chess pieces
  • Hundreds of levels
  • Thousands of exercises
  • Tactics training
  • Opening and endgame practice
  • Checkmate puzzles
  • Learning mode with hints
Features
Read full description

The most advanced chess training app. Improve your skills, learn tactics and strategies. Chess + was created with the goal to improve chess skills of every player. This app is perfect for any amateur or professional. Difficulty of tasks is dynamically adjusted to the skills and previous performance. Features: ● 2D & 3D chess pieces ● Hundreds of levels ● Thousands of exercises ● Tactics training ● Opening and endgame training and practice ● Checkmate puzzles ● Time and move limit puzzles ● Learning mode with best move hints ● Play chess in infinite rematch fights ● Live chess statistics and leaderboards ● Game boosters ● Mistake preventing (Learn how to play without mistakes in your chess games) ● Amazing 3D chess world, with cartoon graphics. ● No advertising Chess + is an offline application. You don't need internet to play online, but you can switch to online play using our other app. Play chess and learn various strategies and compare your results with friends. Chess + is completely free to play app, but you can purchase some optional in-game items. Download this free chess game and let the journey begin!

Screenshots

Chess ∙4 screens
Chess ⁺4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess ∙ at none against Chess ⁺'s 7. Chess ∙ also leads on ratings volume (205K vs 2.9K) and chart position (#90 vs unranked). Chess ⁺'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (85% vs 57%). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Chess ⁺ sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Chess ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess ⁺ holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 2.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Chess ∙'s written reviews are positive against 85% of Chess ⁺'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Chess ⁺ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Chess ∙ versus Chess ⁺: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess ∙Chess ⁺
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (205K ratings)4.7 (2.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews85.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings205K — better2.9K
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#90 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB57 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperOptime Software LLCEntertainment 4Media AG

Customer experience

Chess ∙

All ratings204,953 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral5.4%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews2,571 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral7.0%
Negative35.9%

Chess ⁺

All ratings2,866 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral5.3%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews184 reviews
Positive85.3%
Neutral6.0%
Negative8.7%

User reviews

Chess ∙

From 205K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun to play everyday
  • 👍 Good free game
  • 👍 Nice little game
  • 👍 Very good practice
  • 👍 Addictive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 AD crazy
  • 🐛 Major glitches make the game impossible
  • 🐛 Force draw
  • 🐛 Issues, needs fixing but has potential
  • 🐛 Disappearing Pieces

Chess ⁺

From 2.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great gameplay
  • 👍 Visually appealing
  • 💡 Helpful for learning chess
  • 🎓 Effective teaching of tactics and strategies

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 💰 Limited free content, requires in-app purchases
  • ⏱️ AI can take too long to make moves

Bugs and requests

Chess ∙

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Rook being able to move diagonally
  • Stalemate glitch where it will preemptively call stalemate before it even happens
  • Call stalemate when only the king can't move, and the other pieces can still move
  • Pieces move too fast
  • Doesn't allow en-passant moves by pawns
Show 5 more
  • Refuses to allow legitimate win, claims draw instead
  • Doesn't recognize stalemate
  • Doesn't recognize checkmate
  • Pieces disappearing
  • Illegal moves by the AI

Requested features

6 requests
  • Undo from stalemate
  • Highland opponents last move in green and my last move in blue
  • Allow a third level of zoom to fill the screen
  • Display a numeric value when difficulty slider is moved
  • Ability to turn off safety where you can't move king to where it would get taken out
Show 1 more
  • Ability to turn off draw by stalemate rule

Chess ⁺

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • AI freezing and not making moves
  • Game progress and achievements being reset
  • Connectivity issues with login and cloud sync

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to analyze and save past games
  • Option to play against other users online
  • More advanced training modes and challenges

In-app purchases

None

Chess ∙

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Chess ⁺

One-time7
  • 10 Gem Pack$0.99
  • Starter Pack$1.99
  • 50 Gem Pack$4.99
Show 4 more
  • 100 Gem Pack$9.99
  • 250 Gem Pack$19.99
  • 500 Gem Pack$36.99
  • 1000 Gem Pack$69.99

Questions

Is Chess ∙ free?
Chess ∙ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess ⁺ free?
Chess ⁺ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess ∙ or Chess ⁺?
Chess ⁺ is rated higher. Chess ∙ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 205K ratings, while Chess ⁺ averages 4.7 from 2.9K ratings.
Do Chess ∙ or Chess ⁺ have ads?
Chess ∙ shows ads; Chess ⁺ does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess ∙ or Chess ⁺?
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Chess ⁺ every 2 months. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on September 24, 2026 and Chess ⁺ on September 23, 2026.

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