# Chess.com vs Chess puzzles!

The clearest difference is ads: Chess puzzles! at none against Chess.com's shown. Chess puzzles! also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 64%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Chess.com's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (827K vs 1.3K). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chess.com sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Chess puzzles! sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Chess.com against 4.7 for Chess puzzles!. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess.com has 827K ratings behind it against 1.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of Chess.com's written reviews are positive against 78% of Chess puzzles!'s.

Chess.com ships an update weekly, Chess puzzles! every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess.com | Chess puzzles! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (827K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesscom-play-and-learn/id329218549/reviews)** | [4.7 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-puzzles/id1472604043/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **827K** | 1.3K |
| Positive reviews | 64.0% of reviews | **78.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#5** | — |
| Size | 445 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chess.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/329218552) | [Erik Brandsma](https://appshunter.io/developer/1472604042) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess.com

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

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Free · Board, #7 Top Free · Strategy, #8 Top Grossing · Board, #21 Top Grossing · Strategy, #59 Top Free · Games, #85 Top Grossing · Games (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


### Chess puzzles!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-puzzles/id1472604043)

Engage in mind-teasing chess challenges designed for all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned players. Test your strategic thinking with various puzzle difficulties and enjoy a fun variation of the classic board game.

**Highlights:** Tutorial levels for beginners, Simple tap and drag controls, Mate in 1 challenges, Mate in 2 challenges, Alternate chess challenges, Categorized difficulty levels

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fun pack! | $0.99 | one-time |
| Human vs machine | $0.99 | one-time |
| Funky moves | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove all ads | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Challenging and engaging puzzles
- 👍 No ads or in-app purchases
- 👍 Helpful for improving chess skills
- 👍 Fun and enjoyable experience
- 👍 Realistic and creative puzzles

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Some puzzles have no solution or are buggy
- 🔍 Lack of explanations or feedback on wrong moves
- 🔍 Repetitive puzzle types (e.g., queen sacrifices)
- 🔍 Inefficient navigation between puzzles

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzle with no solution ("Mate in 3 - Queen pack - AAAAAAAY-OH")
- Puzzle solution not recognized ("you have one move only ;)")

**Requested features**

- Reset puzzle option
- Next puzzle button
- Ability to make wrong moves in puzzles
- Puzzle solution hints or explanations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess.com free?

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

### Is Chess puzzles! free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Chess.com or Chess puzzles!?

Chess.com is rated higher. Chess.com averages 4.8 out of 5 from 827K ratings, while Chess puzzles! averages 4.7 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Chess.com or Chess puzzles! have ads?

Chess.com shows ads; Chess puzzles! does not.

### Which is updated more often, Chess.com or Chess puzzles!?

Chess.com ships an update weekly, and Chess puzzles! every 6 weeks. Most recently, Chess.com was updated on September 30, 2026 and Chess puzzles! on September 28, 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.*