Comparison

Chess ∙ vs Chess Score Pad

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 Score Pad

This app provides a modern, distraction-free electronic scoresheet for over-the-board chess tournament play. Record moves effortlessly, review positions, and export games in PGN or PDF formats for post-game analysis. Designed by a tournament player, it streamlines the scoring process so you can focus on the game.

Highlights
  • Effortless move recording (tap or drag)
  • Automatic game saving
  • Easy move correction
  • Step-through and slider game review
  • PGN export for analysis
  • PDF scoresheet export with diagram
  • Optional legal-move and time tracking
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Chess Score Pad A modern electronic scoresheet designed for over-the-board tournament play. Record moves effortlessly and export PGN for post-game analysis. Chess Score Pad replaces paper scoresheets with a clean, distraction-free way to record your games move by move — so you can focus on playing, not writing. Designed by a tournament player with hundreds of USCF-rated games, Chess Score Pad is built for over-the-board chess and post-game review. Record games naturally • Enter moves by tapping or dragging pieces • No coordinates to write, no notation to translate • All moves are saved automatically — no “Save” button required • Easy move correction if a mistake happens Review positions and games • Step through moves one at a time • Scrub through the game with a live position slider • On iPad, view the board and notation side by side • Quickly return to critical positions after the game Export and share • Export games as PGN for analysis in your chess database • Share via AirDrop, Mail, Messages, Files, Notes, Clipboard, and compatible chess apps • Export a professional PDF scoresheet with a position diagram Built for tournament play • Start recording immediately — game details are optional • “Next Game of Event” copies event info and increments the round • Automatically place your pieces at the bottom of the board • Optional legal-move and position checking • Optional move-time tracking Flexible notation • Long or short algebraic notation • Figurine or standard notation Important note Chess Score Pad is an electronic scoresheet and does not provide analysis or engine assistance. Chess Score Pad is not currently certified for tournament use. It may be permitted at the discretion of the tournament director. More screenshots and documentation are available at the Support URL.

Screenshots

Chess ∙4 screens
Chess Score Pad3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chess ∙ at Free against Chess Score Pad's $9.99. Chess ∙ also leads on ratings volume (205K vs 177) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). Chess Score Pad's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Chess ∙ is free to download; Chess Score Pad costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Chess ∙ against 4.6 for Chess Score Pad. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 177, 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 64% of Chess Score Pad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Chess Score Pad every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Chess ∙ versus Chess Score Pad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess ∙Chess Score Pad
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating4.5 (205K ratings)4.6 (177 ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.9% of reviews63.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings205K — better177
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterPaid
Best chart rank#81 — better#194
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOptime Software LLCCalcFxC, 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 Score Pad

All ratings177 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral5.1%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive63.9%
Neutral13.9%
Negative22.2%

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 Score Pad

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess ∙

No in-app purchases

None

Chess Score Pad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess ∙ free?
Chess ∙ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Score Pad free?
Chess Score Pad costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess ∙ or Chess Score Pad?
Chess Score Pad is rated higher. Chess ∙ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 205K ratings, while Chess Score Pad averages 4.6 from 177 ratings.
Do Chess ∙ or Chess Score Pad have ads?
Chess ∙ shows ads; Chess Score Pad does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess ∙ or Chess Score Pad?
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Chess Score Pad every 5 months. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on September 25, 2026 and Chess Score Pad on September 14, 2026.
Which is more popular, Chess ∙ or Chess Score Pad?
Chess ∙ currently peaks at #81 in the App Store charts, and Chess Score Pad at #194. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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