# Chess ∙ vs Chess Royale

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 (#92 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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess ∙ | Chess Royale |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (205K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess/id311395856/reviews) | [4.5 (20K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-royale/id1434658250/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **205K** | 20K |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews | **59.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#92** | — |
| Size | 84 MB | 473 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Optime Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/289278460) | [SayGames LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1551847165) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess ∙

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess/id311395856)

**Currently charting:** #92 Top Free · Strategy, #120 Top Free · Board (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Chess Royale

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-royale/id1434658250)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Vip | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Vip | $19.99 | per month |
| Annual Vip | $39.99 | per year |
| Tiny Coins Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tiny Gems Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gold Reserve 2 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Coins Pack Offer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Disable Ads Forever | $4.99 | one-time |
| Medium Gems Pack | $6.99 | one-time |
| Large Gems Pack | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤬 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*