# Chess ∙ vs Chess

The clearest difference is price: Chess ∙ at Free against Chess's $3.99. Chess ∙ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (205K vs 116). Chess's advantage is review sentiment (92% vs 57%) and ads (none vs shown). On device support there is nothing between them.

Chess ∙ is free to download; Chess costs $3.99 up front. Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Chess ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.

Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 116, 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 92% of Chess's.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess ∙ | Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | [4.5 (205K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess/id311395856/reviews) | **[4.7 (116 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **205K** | 116 |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews | **92.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#81** | — |
| Size | 84 MB | 237 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Optime Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/289278460) | [Giordano Vicoli](https://appshunter.io/developer/460922805) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess ∙

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

**Currently charting:** #81 Top Free · Strategy, #112 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545)

Manage and study chess databases and games in PGN format with advanced analysis tools. Supports game creation, modification, and import from various sources. Includes engine analysis, opening book management, and puzzle training.

**Highlights:** PGN database and game management, Create, modify, and import games, Advanced engine analysis with Stockfish, Opening book and ChessBase support, Chess 960 (Fischer Random) support, Diagram recognition for PGN conversion, Puzzle training and online play

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $8.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Powerful chess database features
- 👍 Comprehensive analysis tools
- 👍 Excellent PGN management
- 👍 Great value for price
- 👍 Frequent updates and improvements

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Steep learning curve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Unintuitive interface
- 🐛 Some users find it confusing
- 🐛 Missing dark mode

**Reported bugs**

- Problem saving updated game data
- Engine stopped working after 30 seconds
- App crashes when adding annotations without hitting 'edit mode' first
- Crash opening .pgn in landscape mode
- Crashes when selecting a cell with 0 games associated

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode
- Add board flip button
- Improve interface for screen reader users
- Add private game feature with code
- Add computer whole game analysis with annotations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess ∙ free?

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

### Is Chess free?

Chess costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

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

Chess is rated higher. Chess ∙ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 205K ratings, while Chess averages 4.7 from 116 ratings.

### Do Chess ∙ or Chess have ads?

Chess ∙ shows ads; Chess does not.

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

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Chess fortnightly. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on September 25, 2026 and Chess on September 22, 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.*