Chess ∙ vs Chess By Post
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 1 and 2 player gameplay
- Challenging computer opponent
- Great graphics and sound
- Configurable difficulty
- Undo function
- Automatic save
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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.
Chess By Post
Engage in correspondence chess with others worldwide. Challenge friends or compete in ranked matches against similarly skilled players. The app offers automatic notifications for pending moves and tracks your progress with an Elo rating system.
- Correspondence chess
- Ranked matches
- Skill-based matchmaking
- Chess puzzles
- End game analysis
- Move history explorer
- Local hand-off games
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Play correspondence chess with real people! Challenge your friends to friendly games or play ranked matches against random opponents of similar skill levels. Play as many simultaneous games as your want! Automatic push notifications will let you know when you have moves waiting! Improve your ranking by playing ranked games against comparable opponents. Skill ranking updates using the classic Elo rating system to adjust your rank when you win or lose. A leader board view shows you how you compare to the top players. Chess By Post is perfect for players of all skill levels because your matched opponent's skill level will be adapted based on your own skill level. Create a local hand-off game and play your friend by passing the phone back and forth. Play against a computer opponent that adjusts difficulty to match your skill level. Improve your skills by playing rated chess puzzles. Features: --------- -Tracks your skill level over time -Matches you with similar skilled opponents -Practice chess puzzles to improve your game -End game analysis shows you the critical mistakes made by each player -Head to head stats -Move History Statistics - Explore the moves of every game you ever played with an interactive board explorer -Freely move pieces to plan strategies -Take notes on games to remember strategies -In-game chat message board -In-game move histories for easy review -Ratings leader board -Local hand-off games can be played offline -Play games against a computer opponent with varied skill levels -Alphanumeric grid display
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Chess ∙ at 205K against Chess By Post's 255. Chess ∙ also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.3) and chart position (#79 vs unranked). Chess By Post's advantage is review sentiment (81% vs 57%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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 255, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Chess ∙'s written reviews are positive against 81% of Chess By Post'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 By Post every 6 months. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Chess ∙ | Chess By Post |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (205K ratings) — better | 4.3 (255 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews | 80.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 205K — better | 255 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | #79 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Optime Software LLC | Games By Post LLC |
Customer experience
Chess ∙
Chess By Post
User reviews
Chess ∙
From 205K App Store ratingsWhat 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 By Post
From 255 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💡 Helpful planning mode
- 🌐 Cross-platform compatibility
- ⏱️ Leisurely pace of play
Room to improve
- ⏳ Long wait times between moves
- 🐛 Glitches and bugs
- 🤖 Concerns about cheating/engine use
- 🔇 Lack of notifications/push updates
- 📊 Inaccurate/inflated ranking system
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
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- 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
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- Ability to turn off draw by stalemate rule
Chess By Post
Reported bugs
4 issues- Moves not registering correctly
- Game freezes/crashes
- Notification issues
- Rating/scoring problems
Requested features
5 requests- Shorter move time limits
- Friends/social features
- Ability to report/block abusive players
- Board orientation/view options
- Customizable game settings
In-app purchases
Chess ∙
No in-app purchases
Chess By Post
No in-app purchases
