# HIARCS Chess vs ChessMate

The clearest difference is price: ChessMate at Free against HIARCS Chess's $9.99. ChessMate also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). HIARCS Chess's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

ChessMate is free to download; HIARCS Chess costs $9.99 up front. ChessMate sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. HIARCS Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

HIARCS Chess ships an update every 3 months, ChessMate every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HIARCS Chess | ChessMate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (204 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiarcs-chess/id327708154/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **204** | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 21 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Applied Computer Concepts Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/327708157) | [Wolf Technologies Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893245521) |

## 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- 🖼️ Outdated or subpar UI/UX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


### ChessMate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessmate-master-chess/id6762457428)

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gold Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Platinum Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Diamond Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Gold Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Platinum Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Diamond Yearly | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HIARCS Chess free?

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

### Is ChessMate free?

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

### Do HIARCS Chess or ChessMate have ads?

Neither HIARCS Chess nor ChessMate shows ads.

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

HIARCS Chess ships an update every 3 months, and ChessMate every 2 weeks. Most recently, HIARCS Chess was updated on October 27, 2026 and ChessMate on October 8, 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.*