# Chess ∙ vs Chess TD

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess ∙ at none against Chess TD's 14. Chess ∙ also leads on review sentiment (56% vs 23%) and ratings volume (207K vs 854). Chess TD's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chess TD sells 14 one-off in-app purchases. Chess ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.

Chess TD holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 207K ratings behind it against 854, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Chess ∙'s written reviews are positive against 23% of Chess TD's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Chess TD every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess ∙ | Chess TD |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (207K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess/id311395856/reviews) | **[4.7 (854 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-td/id1522888447/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **207K** | 854 |
| Positive reviews | **56.4% of reviews** | 22.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#69** | — |
| Size | 84 MB | 491 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Optime Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/289278460) | [vmoga](https://appshunter.io/developer/945300832) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess ∙

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

**Currently charting:** #69 Top Free · Strategy, #98 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 TD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-td/id1522888447)

Engage in a strategic tower defense experience where you merge and upgrade hero cards to build powerful combinations. Defend your stronghold against an invading army through various game modes, including campaign, PvP battles, and dungeons.

**Highlights:** Merge and upgrade hero cards, Strategic tower defense gameplay, Campaign mode with daily missions, PvP Battle Mode, Dungeon escape system, Card collection and hero diversity, Guild and clan battles

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

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pile of Diamonds | $0.99 | one-time |
| Wood Offer | $0.99 | one-time |
| Patron Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Beginner Pack Sale | $2.99 | one-time |
| Scoop of Diamonds | $4.99 | one-time |
| Beginner Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Silver Offer | $4.99 | one-time |
| Heap of Diamonds | $9.99 | one-time |
| VIP Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gold Offer | $9.99 | one-time |
| Seasonal Battle Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| Pocket of Diamonds | $19.99 | one-time |
| Sapphire Offer | $24.99 | one-time |
| Bucket of Diamonds | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Awesome game
- 👍 Interesting gameplay
- 💡 Unique character design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Login/name input issues
- 🐛 Game crashes/black screens
- 🔋 Excessive ads

**Reported bugs**

- Can't type in name on login screen
- Game crashes on startup
- Matchmaking with AI players instead of real people

**Requested features**

- Add more slots for characters
- Improve online multiplayer experience
- Introduce solo survival mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess ∙ free?

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

### Is Chess TD free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Chess ∙ or Chess TD?

Chess TD is rated higher. Chess ∙ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 207K ratings, while Chess TD averages 4.7 from 854 ratings.

### Do Chess ∙ or Chess TD have ads?

Both Chess ∙ and Chess TD show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess ∙ or Chess TD?

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Chess TD every 6 weeks. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on October 22, 2026 and Chess TD on October 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.*