Comparison

Chess vs Glow Chess

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Chess

Engage in the classic game of chess with customizable graphics and multiple difficulty levels. Play against AI or a friend, with features like move undo, hints, and time controls. Enjoy a rich chess experience with detailed game history and board customization.

Highlights
  • HD graphics
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • Hint option
  • Play against computer or friend
  • 2D and 3D themes
  • Unlimited undo moves
  • Time control options
Features
Read full description

Chess is #1 popular game in the world. According to FIDE, about 600 million people play chess and it is the most widespread game on the planet. "The Game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions..." (Benjamin Franklin, scientist) Game features: - HD graphics for iPhone 5 and the new iPad retina display - 5 levels of difficulty - hint option to find out the best next move - play either white or black - play against the computer or a friend - 2D and 3D themes for chess pieces - unlimited ability to undo moves - AI quick response time - time control (5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes) - animated moves - highlight legal moves - easy to use interface design - ability to go back to any previous position in the game - auto-save when exit or phone ring - view captured pieces - full game history with chess notation - change the appearance of the board - ability to listen music in background Play one of the oldest and most enjoyable games in the world!

About

Glow Chess

Engage in the classic strategy game with adjustable difficulty levels and helpful features. Practice tactics and strategy to become a Chess Master. Offers puzzles and a two-player mode for interactive play.

Highlights
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • Chess Puzzles
  • Game Assistant
  • Undo move
  • Hints
  • 2 player mode
Features
Read full description

Hi Players, As you know, Chess is one of the oldest strategy games in the world. Chess is an excellent board logic game that develops such skills as tactics, strategy and visual memory. I'm trying to create an application that allows a player of any level to enjoy the game. Play Chess, unlock levels and be Chess Master! Chess pieces: - The pawn moves to one field forward or two fields at the first move of this figure; beats diagonally to one field forward. - The king moves to one field in the vertical, horizontal or diagonal. - The queen moves to any distance vertically, horizontally or diagonally. - The rook moves to any distance vertically or horizontally. - The knight moves to the field two fields along the vertical and one horizontally or one field vertically and two horizontally. - The bishop moves to any distance diagonally. Important Chess situations: - Check - the situation in chess when a king is under immediate attack by opponent's pieces - Checkmate - the situation in chess when the player whose turn it is to move is in check and has no legal move to escape check. - Stalemate - the situation in chess when the player whose turn it is to move has no legal move and is not in check. (draw) The goal of the game is to checkmate the other king. Two special moves in Chess: - Castling is a double move, performed by the king and the rook that never moved. - En passant is a move in which a pawn can take an opponent's pawn if it jumps over a field under the pawn's blow. Features: - 5 levels of difficulty - Chess Puzzles - Game Assistant (Helper) - Ability to undo a move - Hints of moves - 2 player mode - Realistic graphics - Sound effects - Small size If you want to play good Chess, you can help me make the app better. Please write your feedback and suggestions here; I will read them and improve the quality of the application! Thank you.

Screenshots

Chess4 screens
Glow Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chess at none against Glow Chess's shown. Chess also leads on ratings volume (39K vs 39) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 6 months). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Glow Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess against 4.8 for Glow Chess. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess has 39K ratings behind it against 39, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update every 6 weeks, Glow Chess every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Chess versus Glow Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessGlow Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (39K ratings)4.8 (39 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings39K — better39
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.412.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVintolo LtdPhuong Ta

Customer experience

Chess

All ratings38,795 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews566 reviews
Positive70.5%
Neutral11.3%
Negative18.2%

Glow Chess

All ratings24 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%

Bugs and requests

Chess

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incorrect stalemate detection
  • Pieces disappearing or moving incorrectly
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to replay puzzles
  • Undo/redo move functionality
  • Online/multiplayer mode
  • More advanced AI difficulty
  • Improved stalemate detection

Glow Chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Chess

One-time4
  • 10 hints$4.99
  • 45 hints$19.99
  • 125 hints$49.99
Show 1 more
  • 200 hints$69.99
1 purchases

Glow Chess

One-time1
  • No Ads$3.99

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Glow Chess free?
Glow Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess or Glow Chess?
Glow Chess is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 39K ratings, while Glow Chess averages 4.8 from 39 ratings.
Do Chess or Glow Chess have ads?
Glow Chess shows ads; Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess or Glow Chess?
Chess ships an update every 6 weeks, and Glow Chess every 6 months. Most recently, Chess was updated on September 25, 2026 and Glow Chess on August 22, 2026.

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