Comparison

Chess ∙ vs Chess Royale

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 Royale

Engage in the classic game of chess with millions worldwide. This app offers AI challenges, multiplayer matches, and extensive training tools including puzzles and post-game analysis to improve your strategic skills.

Highlights
  • Play against AI
  • Multiplayer matches
  • Chess puzzles
  • Post-game analysis
  • Beginner and advanced training
  • Multiple game modes
Features
Read full description

► THE ONLY CHESS APP YOU NEED Whether you’re a complete beginner or a highly experienced player, Chess Royale has everything you could need to enjoy one of the world’s greatest board games on your mobile device. Play with the AI, with friends, or with millions of strangers all over the world, then train your chess skills with tutorials, puzzles, and post-game analysis. One of the greatest things about chess is that there’s always something new to learn, and this beautifully designed app will allow you to keep on discovering the magic of chess and enhancing your love of the game day after day. ► WHY CHESS? ◾ With a history that stretches back over millennia, chess is both a vital cultural artefact and a beloved pastime that brings together millions of players all over the world. ◾ Renowned as a fierce test of the intellect, chess provides incredible training for your brain. Regularly playing chess and solving puzzles can train your strategic skills, develop logical and lateral thinking, help with learning and understanding psychology, improve your analysis and enhance your memory. ◾ It’s fun! Chess may be intimidating for beginners, but the more you learn and the better you understand the game, the more entertaining and rewarding it becomes. There’s some reason why it has remained among the most popular board games in the world for centuries, after all. ► WHY CHESS ROYALE? ◾ It pays to be popular: With over 50 000 000 players across all popular platforms, Chess Royale ensures there’s always a real opponent of similar skill online and ready to play in a variety of multiplayer formats. ◾ Endless variations: Not only can you challenge real players of different skill levels, you can also play in eight different modes. Play blitzes with varying time limitations, use the notifications system to play with friends when they’re online, test yourself in private against the game’s AI, and enter and arrange tournaments of various formats for more multiplayer fun. ◾ More than just a game: Chess Royale boasts more than 5000 chess puzzles to help you train specific aspects of your game. The app also features analysis tools that you can use post-match to help with your learning and development. And there is a trainer for beginners and more advanced players to get a better grasp of this intensely rich and complex game. Despite the wonders of modern technology, you’ll be hard pressed to find a mobile game that’s as challenging, enjoyable, and intellectually satisfying as chess. Whether you’re looking for just a new game to play online or a trainer to help you take the very first steps in exploring the magic of chess, Chess Royale offers something extra. Download the app now to discover the ultimate mobile chess environment. ►Vip Subscription: - You can subscribe to Vip membership to play without any ads, unlock all purchasable deck packs and play infinite puzzles every day. Also you can use infinite hints while solving chess puzzles - You are able to choose from three subscription options: a weekly subscription (free for the first 3 days) for $4.99 USD, a monthly subscription for $14.99 USD, an annual subscription for $79.99 USD - Subscription payments will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of your purchase and upon commencement of each renewal term. Subscription with a free trial period will automatically renew to a paid subscription. You can cancel your subscription or free trial in the iTunes settings at least 24-hours before the end of the free trial period. The cancellation will take effect the day after the last day of the current subscription period and you will be downgraded to the free service. - Please note that any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a premium subscription during the free trial period. - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase Privacy Policy: https://say.games/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://say.games/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Chess ∙4 screens
Chess Royale4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess ∙ at none against Chess Royale's 13. Chess ∙ also leads on ratings volume (205K vs 20K) and chart position (#90 vs unranked). Chess Royale's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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 Royale sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Chess ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Chess ∙ against 4.5 for Chess Royale. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 20K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Chess ∙'s written reviews are positive against 60% of Chess Royale's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Chess Royale every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Chess ∙ versus Chess Royale: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess ∙Chess Royale
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (205K ratings)4.5 (20K ratings)
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews59.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings205K — better20K
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#90 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB473 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOptime Software LLCSayGames LTD

Customer experience

Chess ∙

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

Chess Royale

All ratings19,911 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral5.4%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews781 reviews
Positive59.7%
Neutral11.3%
Negative29.1%

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 Royale

From 20K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Enjoyable gameplay
  • 🚀 Seamless matchmaking
  • 💡 Helpful chess lessons and puzzles
  • 🤩 Great for learning and improving chess skills

Room to improve

  • 🤬 Excessive and disruptive advertisements
  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • 🕰️ Long wait times between games due to ads
  • 🤖 Suspicion of playing against bots instead of real players

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 Royale

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect puzzle solutions being marked as wrong
  • Game losses due to connection issues or app freezes
  • Inconsistent trophy/ranking system
  • Inability to report cheating or suspicious behavior

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to play longer timed games
  • Option to disable ads for a one-time fee
  • More advanced chess analysis and training features
  • Improved matchmaking to pair players of similar skill levels

In-app purchases

None

Chess ∙

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Chess Royale

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Vip3 Days trial2 variants$7.997 Days
  • Monthly Vip$19.991 Month
  • Annual Vip$39.991 Year
One-time7
  • Tiny Coins Pack$0.99
  • Tiny Gems Pack$1.99
  • Gold Reserve 2$2.99
Show 4 more
  • Coins Pack Offer$3.99
  • Disable Ads Forever$4.99
  • Medium Gems Pack$6.99
  • Large Gems Pack$19.99

Questions

Is Chess ∙ free?
Chess ∙ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Royale free?
Chess Royale is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess ∙ or Chess Royale?
Chess ∙ and Chess Royale are both rated 4.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 205K and 20K ratings respectively.
Do Chess ∙ or Chess Royale have ads?
Both Chess ∙ and Chess Royale show ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess ∙ or Chess Royale?
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Chess Royale every 5 weeks. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on September 24, 2026 and Chess Royale on September 24, 2026.

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