# HIARCS Chess vs Mastersoft Chess

The clearest difference is price: Mastersoft Chess at Free against HIARCS Chess's $9.99. Mastersoft Chess also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (90% vs 76%). HIARCS Chess's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On rating and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Mastersoft Chess is free to download; HIARCS Chess costs $9.99 up front. Mastersoft Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. HIARCS Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for HIARCS Chess against 4.7 for Mastersoft Chess. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastersoft Chess has 1.5K ratings behind it against 199, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of HIARCS Chess's written reviews are positive against 90% of Mastersoft Chess's.

HIARCS Chess ships an update every 3 months, Mastersoft Chess every 5 days. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | HIARCS Chess | Mastersoft Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (199 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiarcs-chess/id327708154/reviews)** | [4.7 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastersoft-chess/id378161776/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 199 | **1.5K** |
| Positive reviews | 75.9% of reviews | **90.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 21 MB | 277 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Applied Computer Concepts Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/327708157) | [Mastersoft](https://appshunter.io/developer/994180799) |

## What reviewers say

### HIARCS Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiarcs-chess/id327708154)

This app offers a powerful chess engine for playing, analyzing, and learning chess. It provides adjustable difficulty levels and coaching features to help players of all abilities improve their game. Analyze professional games and track your progress with an Elo rating.

**Highlights:** World Championship winning chess engine, Adjustable playing strengths and styles, Advanced coaching features, Elo rating tracking, PGN database support, Large tournament book, Multiple playing modes

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Strong chess engine
- 👍 Human-like play
- 🧠 Excellent coaching/analysis features
- 🔧 Customizable difficulty levels
- 💾 Saves and loads games well

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Lacks advanced features (PGN import/export, database navigation)
- 🖼️ Outdated or subpar UI/UX
- 💤 Slow move animations
- 🤖 Engine strength may be overstated

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on certain iOS versions
- Discount codes not working
- Issues with hotspot mode

**Requested features**

- PGN import/export functionality
- Advanced database navigation (next/previous game)
- Endgame tablebase support
- Improved UI/UX for modern devices
- More customization options


### Mastersoft Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastersoft-chess/id378161776)

Master the game of chess with this comprehensive app. Learn step-by-step, play against adaptive AI across 100 difficulty levels, and sharpen your skills with thousands of puzzles. Enjoy offline play and track your progress with an ELO rating.

**Highlights:** 100 difficulty levels, Interactive learning coach, Thousands of chess puzzles, Adaptive AI opponent, ELO rating tracker, Multiple game modes, Offline play

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chess Pro for 1 month. | $2.99 | per month |
| Buy Chess Pro. | $2.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to Ginkgo. 10% Off. | $9.95 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great learning tool
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 💡 Helpful training mode
- 👍 Challenging at higher levels
- 👍 Customizable board and pieces

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🔍 Unclear move suggestions
- 🤖 Computer plays too strong at times

**Reported bugs**

- Pawn disappearing issue when castling
- Ratings not updating properly after games
- Crashes on certain iOS versions

**Requested features**

- More detailed explanations for suggested moves
- Option to play against other users online
- Ability to set up custom board positions
- Slower computer move speeds for beginners


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HIARCS Chess free?

HIARCS Chess costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Mastersoft Chess free?

Mastersoft Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, HIARCS Chess or Mastersoft Chess?

HIARCS Chess is rated higher. HIARCS Chess averages 4.8 out of 5 from 199 ratings, while Mastersoft Chess averages 4.7 from 1.5K ratings.

### Do HIARCS Chess or Mastersoft Chess have ads?

Mastersoft Chess shows ads; HIARCS Chess does not.

### Which is updated more often, HIARCS Chess or Mastersoft Chess?

HIARCS Chess ships an update every 3 months, and Mastersoft Chess every 5 days. Most recently, HIARCS Chess was updated on September 25, 2026 and Mastersoft Chess on September 25, 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.*