# HIARCS Chess vs Chess Score Pad

HIARCS Chess and Chess Score Pad both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of HIARCS Chess's written reviews are positive against 65% of Chess Score Pad's. HIARCS Chess also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

HIARCS Chess costs $9.99 and Chess Score Pad $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for HIARCS Chess against 4.6 for Chess Score Pad. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 205 and 179 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of HIARCS Chess's written reviews are positive against 65% of Chess Score Pad's.

HIARCS Chess ships an update every 3 months, Chess Score Pad every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HIARCS Chess | Chess Score Pad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | $9.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (205 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiarcs-chess/id327708154/reviews)** | [4.6 (179 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-score-pad/id518018730/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **205** | 179 |
| Positive reviews | **75.9% of reviews** | 64.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 21 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Applied Computer Concepts Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/327708157) | [CalcFxC, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/395979596) |

## 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


### Chess Score Pad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-score-pad/id518018730)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use for recording games
- 👍 Great for over-the-board chess
- 👍 Converts games to PGN format
- 👍 Intuitive design
- 👍 Useful for correspondence chess

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Clunky and not intuitive
- 🐛 Screen controls are flaky
- 🐛 Missing many features for the price
- 🐛 Shows own pieces checking own King
- 🐛 Does not show check to opponent

**Reported bugs**

- Board not accessible to voiceover users
- Contact option on website is broken
- Screen controls are flaky, requiring repeated attempts
- Cost me a tournament game due to flaky controls
- Cannot use 'Save to Files' in iPad if the result is draw (1/2)

**Requested features**

- Make board accessible to voiceover users or allow notation entry
- Ability to enter ??, !!, !? and ?! notations
- Cloud support (iCloud/Dropbox)
- Option to load a game
- Built-in player list


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HIARCS Chess free?

HIARCS Chess costs $9.99, 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, HIARCS Chess or Chess Score Pad?

HIARCS Chess is rated higher. HIARCS Chess averages 4.8 out of 5 from 205 ratings, while Chess Score Pad averages 4.6 from 179 ratings.

### Do HIARCS Chess or Chess Score Pad have ads?

Neither HIARCS Chess nor Chess Score Pad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HIARCS Chess or Chess Score Pad?

HIARCS Chess ships an update every 3 months, and Chess Score Pad every 5 months. Most recently, HIARCS Chess was updated on November 6, 2026 and Chess Score Pad on November 1, 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.*