# Chess ∙ vs Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles

The clearest difference is price: Chess ∙ at Free against Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles's $0.99. Chess ∙ also leads on ratings volume (208K vs 70) and chart position (#57 vs unranked). Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (91% vs 56%). On update cadence, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Chess ∙ is free to download; Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 208K ratings behind it against 70, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Chess ∙'s written reviews are positive against 91% of Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles's.

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess ∙ | Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | [4.5 (208K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess/id311395856/reviews) | **[4.8 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mate-in-2-chess-puzzles/id368403957/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **208K** | 70 |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | **91.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#57** | — |
| Size | 84 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Optime Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/289278460) | [Gano Technologies LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/333237652) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess ∙

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

**Currently charting:** #57 Top Free · Strategy, #79 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


### Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mate-in-2-chess-puzzles/id368403957)

Challenge yourself with over 1200 interactive chess puzzles designed to help you achieve checkmate in two moves. Suitable for both beginners and experienced players, this app offers a fun way to improve your tactical skills with a variety of classical problems.

**Highlights:** Over 1200 interactive chess problems, Checkmate in 2 moves objective, Variety of classical puzzles, Timing clock for puzzle solving, Multiple chess piece sets and color schemes, Leaderboards and social sharing

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🧠 Excellent puzzle collection with 1000+ problems
- 💰 Great value for money at low price point
- 🎯 Wide range of difficulty levels for various skill levels
- 🎨 Clean, well-designed user interface
- ⏱️ Built-in timer for tracking solve times

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔥 App causes phone to heat up during extended use
- ❌ Inconsistent puzzle accuracy and validity
- ⚠️ Sudden difficulty jump between Mate in 1 and Mate in 2
- 🤔 Some puzzles rely on opponent making unforced errors
- 🚫 Cannot explore alternative black responses

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes or goes haywire requiring restart
- Occasional crashes during gameplay
- App skips puzzles when navigating
- Game Center prompts become annoying
- Performance issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to freely move pieces and explore variations
- Sandbox mode to test alternative moves
- Play as black against white
- Hint that only shows which piece to move, not destination
- Landscape and portrait orientation support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess ∙ free?

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

### Is Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles free?

Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chess ∙ or Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles?

Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles is rated higher. Chess ∙ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 208K ratings, while Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles averages 4.8 from 70 ratings.

### Do Chess ∙ or Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles have ads?

Chess ∙ shows ads; Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles does not.

### Which is updated more often, Chess ∙ or Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles?

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles every 7 months. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on November 8, 2026 and Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles on November 6, 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.*