# Chess.com vs ™ Chinese Chess

The clearest difference is ads: ™ Chinese Chess at none against Chess.com's shown. ™ Chinese Chess also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 64%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Chess.com's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 9 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chess.com sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and ™ Chinese Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Chess.com holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess.com has 827K ratings behind it against 167, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Chess.com's written reviews are positive against 91% of ™ Chinese Chess's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Chess.com ships an update weekly, ™ Chinese Chess every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess.com | ™ Chinese Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (827K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesscom-play-and-learn/id329218549/reviews)** | [4.4 (167 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-chess/id1090706558/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **827K** | 167 |
| Positive reviews | 63.9% of reviews | **90.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#5** | — |
| Size | 445 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chess.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/329218552) | [VM Mobile Team](https://appshunter.io/developer/646128457) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesscom-play-and-learn/id329218549)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Free · Board, #6 Top Free · Strategy, #7 Top Grossing · Board, #17 Top Grossing · Strategy, #58 Top Free · Games, #67 Top Grossing · Games, #189 Top Grossing (US App Store)

Engage in online and offline chess matches with millions of players worldwide. Improve your skills through interactive lessons, over 500,000 puzzles, and powerful AI opponents. Compete in tournaments and explore various chess variants.

**Highlights:** Online multiplayer chess, Offline play against AI, Extensive puzzle library, Interactive chess lessons, Tournament participation, Chess variants, Game analysis

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gold Membership | $4.99 | per month |
| Gold Membership | $6.99 | per month |
| Platinum Membership | $6.99 | per month |
| Platinum Membership | $10.99 | per month |
| Diamond Membership | $14.99 | per month |
| Diamond Membership | $16.99 | per month |
| Gold Membership | $29.99 | per year |
| Platinum Membership | $49.99 | per year |
| Gold Membership | $49.99 | per year |
| Platinum Membership | $79.99 | per year |
| Diamond Membership | $99.99 | per year |
| Diamond Membership | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent app for learning and improving chess skills
- 🎓 Comprehensive lessons, puzzles, and analysis tools
- 🌍 Large player base for quick matchmaking
- 📊 Detailed game statistics and progress tracking
- 💻 Seamless integration between mobile app and website

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent connection issues and game freezes
- ⏱️ Unreliable and inconsistent game timers
- 🔒 Lack of transparency around anti-cheating measures
- 💰 Aggressive paywall for advanced features
- 🤖 Subpar AI opponents with questionable move choices

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect move suggestions in game analysis
- Inability to leave or manage chess clubs within the app
- Puzzle mode crashing when attempting to reveal the solution
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data
- Pieces not registering correctly on the board during gameplay

**Requested features**

- Ability to customize board and piece themes
- Option to pause and resume games at a later time
- Improved game analysis with more detailed explanations
- Enhanced social features for interacting with other players
- Offline mode for practicing puzzles and tactics


### ™ Chinese Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-chess/id1090706558)

Experience the strategic depth of Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) with this app. Challenge AI opponents across five difficulty levels, customize your game with a board editor and various themes, and track your progress as you ascend to grandmaster status.

**Highlights:** AI opponents with 5 difficulty levels, Board editor for custom game setups, Customizable boards, pieces, themes, and sounds, Undo and Save/Load functionality, Timer-based matches, Experience points and ranking system

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess.com free?

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

### Is ™ Chinese Chess free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Chess.com or ™ Chinese Chess?

Chess.com is rated higher. Chess.com averages 4.8 out of 5 from 827K ratings, while ™ Chinese Chess averages 4.4 from 167 ratings.

### Do Chess.com or ™ Chinese Chess have ads?

Chess.com shows ads; ™ Chinese Chess does not.

### Which is updated more often, Chess.com or ™ Chinese Chess?

Chess.com ships an update weekly, and ™ Chinese Chess every 9 months. Most recently, Chess.com was updated on September 24, 2026 and ™ Chinese Chess on September 21, 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.*