Comparison

Chess ∙ vs Chess Move

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 Move

This app helps chess players find the best moves using a powerful cloud-based engine. It allows users to set up board positions manually or via camera scan, and customize analysis depth and engine settings for in-depth game review.

Highlights
  • Best move calculation
  • Cloud-based Stockfish engine
  • Board setup via drag-and-drop
  • Camera position scanning
  • Customizable engine presets
  • Multiple analysis lines
Features
Read full description

Introducing ChessMovePro, the all-new powerful move calculator that lets users find the best move in seconds! The app calculates the best lines using powerful dedicated servers running Stockfish 16 in the cloud. ChessMovePro offers a wide variety of customizations that allow users to find the best move quickly. Users can set up their board by dragging and dropping pieces onto the setup board to match the app to their current board position. Next head over to the analysis screen where you can see the best moves and lines at a glance. Customize the engine preset in order to increase depth, get more lines, change the elo target or increase think time. ChessMovePro allows users to use their camera to scan chess positions and find the best moves to play within seconds. The dedicated Stockfish servers ensure only the best moves are shown and that users can analzye games at the highest level. In the settings, users can customize the look of their app with various boards and app colors. Upgrade to ChessMovePro in order to unlock the full suite of customizations for the app and take your experience to the next level! How do I use Chess Move Pro? After opening the app users first have to setup their chess board. Take advantage of the apps scanning feature and pull out your camera to caputre the position or place the chess pieces in the correct squares. Next hit the analyze button and Chess Move Pro will analyze your current chess position using cloud Stockfish 15.1 servers that will find the best next chess move for you to play. If you don't like the next chess move that the app suggests hit the re-calculate button in order to calculate a new best move for the current position. Terms and Conditions: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Chess ∙4 screens
Chess Move4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess ∙ at none against Chess Move's 17. Chess ∙ also leads on review sentiment (57% vs 28%) and ratings volume (205K vs 1.1K). Chess Move's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). 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 Move sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Chess ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess ∙ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 1.1K, 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 28% of Chess Move's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Chess Move every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Chess ∙ versus Chess Move: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess ∙Chess Move
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (205K ratings) — better4.3 (1.1K ratings)
Positive reviews56.9% of reviews — better27.9% of reviews
Number of ratings205K — better1.1K
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#79 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOptime Software LLCSetse LLC

Customer experience

Chess ∙

All ratings204,953 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral5.4%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews2,579 reviews
Positive56.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative36.1%

Chess Move

All ratings1,107 ratings
Positive82.6%
Neutral2.9%
Negative14.5%
Written reviews172 reviews
Positive27.9%
Neutral11.0%
Negative61.0%

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 Move

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Great app
  • 🚀 Works well
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🧠 Helpful for improving chess skills
  • 🏆 Allows beating difficult opponents

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔒 Locked behind paywall
  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔄 Inconsistent performance after updates
  • 🤯 Confusing or misleading about free trial

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 Move

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Pieces not detected correctly
  • Moves suggested in wrong direction
  • App crashes on launch or during use

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add ability to save board positions
  • Improve piece detection and move suggestions
  • Provide more free analysis options

In-app purchases

None

Chess ∙

No in-app purchases

17 purchases

Chess Move

Subscriptions17
  • ChessMovePro - Premium$3.997 Days
  • ChessMovePro - Monthly$3.991 Month
  • ChessMovePro - Premium$4.991 Month
Show 14 more
  • ChessMovePro - Premium$7.991 Month
  • ChessMovePro (Weekly)$7.997 Days
  • ChessMovePro - Hidden Discount$9.991 Year
  • ChessMovePro (Monthly)$9.991 Month
  • ChessMovePro - Premium$14.991 Year
  • ChessMovePro - Premium3 Days trial$14.991 Year
  • ChessMovePro - Premium3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • ChessMovePro - Premium$19.991 Year
  • ChessMovePro (Quarterly)$19.993 Months
  • ChessMovePro7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • ChessMovePro (Yearly)$29.991 Year
  • ChessMovePro (Yearly)3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • ChessMovePro (Yearly)3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • ChessMovePro7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Chess ∙ free?
Chess ∙ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Move free?
Chess Move is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess ∙ or Chess Move?
Chess ∙ is rated higher. Chess ∙ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 205K ratings, while Chess Move averages 4.3 from 1.1K ratings.
Do Chess ∙ or Chess Move have ads?
Chess ∙ shows ads; Chess Move does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess ∙ or Chess Move?
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Chess Move every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on September 25, 2026 and Chess Move on September 22, 2026.

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