# HIARCS Chess vs Chess Time

The clearest difference is price: Chess Time at Free against HIARCS Chess's $9.99. Chess Time also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (1.7K vs 199). HIARCS Chess's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Chess Time is free to download; HIARCS Chess costs $9.99 up front. Chess Time sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 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 Chess Time. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Time has 1.7K 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 86% of Chess Time's.

HIARCS Chess ships an update every 3 months, Chess Time every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HIARCS Chess | Chess Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (199 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiarcs-chess/id327708154/reviews)** | [4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-time-multiplayer-chess/id455602152/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 199 | **1.7K** |
| Positive reviews | 75.9% of reviews | **86.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#105** | — |
| Size | 21 MB | 42 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Applied Computer Concepts Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/327708157) | [Haptic Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/421590139) |

## What reviewers say

### HIARCS Chess

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

**Currently charting:** #105 Top Paid · Board (US App Store)

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


### Chess Time

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-time-multiplayer-chess/id455602152)

Engage in online chess matches with friends or players worldwide. This app supports correspondence play with extended move times and offers features like in-game chat and customizable themes. Track your progress with an auto-calculated ELO rating.

**Highlights:** Online correspondence chess, Play with friends, Global player matchmaking, In-game chat, Customizable chess sets and themes, Auto-calculated ELO rating, PGN export

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chess Time Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| Chess Time Premium - Annual | $17.99 | per year |
| IOS Chess Time Pro | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🌍 Cross-platform play
- 📊 Detailed player stats and rankings
- 💬 In-game chat functionality
- 🕰️ Flexible time controls for games

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 💰 Ads can be intrusive
- 🔒 Lack of robust anti-cheat measures
- 🖥️ Outdated or basic user interface

**Reported bugs**

- Game incorrectly declaring draws on checkmate
- Inability to castle or move pieces in certain situations
- Notification issues across different devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to invite friends to watch ongoing games
- Option to disable move analysis for rated games
- Faster move processing and real-time gameplay
- More diverse chess piece and board designs
- In-app purchase to remove ads permanently


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HIARCS Chess free?

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

### Is Chess Time free?

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

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

HIARCS Chess is rated higher. HIARCS Chess averages 4.8 out of 5 from 199 ratings, while Chess Time averages 4.7 from 1.7K ratings.

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

Chess Time shows ads; HIARCS Chess does not.

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

HIARCS Chess ships an update every 3 months, and Chess Time every 10 days. Most recently, HIARCS Chess was updated on September 25, 2026 and Chess Time on September 23, 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.*