# Chess.com vs Chess

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Chess.com at 863K against Chess's 6.8K. Chess.com also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks) and review sentiment (64% vs 46%). Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. 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 4.9 for Chess. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess.com has 863K ratings behind it against 6.8K, 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 46% of Chess's.

Chess.com ships an update weekly, Chess every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess.com | Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (863K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesscom-play-and-learn/id329218549/reviews) | **[4.9 (6.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-chess-online/id1547549647/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **863K** | 6.8K |
| Positive reviews | **64.4% of reviews** | 46.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 447 MB | 282 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) | [Wuhan Dobest Information Technology Co, Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/917530329) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess.com

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

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Free · Board, #1 Top Free · Strategy, #4 Top Free · Games, #8 Top Grossing · Board, #23 Top Grossing · Strategy, #40 Top Free, #95 Top Grossing · Games, #195 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


### Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-chess-online/id1547549647)

Play chess against AI or other players online. Features adjustable difficulty, hints, and multiple game modes. Save your progress and develop your strategy to become a chess master.

**Highlights:** Selectable board skins, Adjustable game difficulty, Hint function, Endgame mode, AI mode, Two-player mode, Save game progress

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VIP Per Week | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| VIP Per Month | $1.99 | per month |
| VIP Per Month | $15.99 | per year |
| Hint*30 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads B | $0.99 | one-time |
| Badge*120 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Analysis*15 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Hint*65 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Badge250 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Chess Online-Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Analysis*75 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Badge*500 | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent online play
- 🎮 Good computer play
- 🎉 Very fun game
- 🤩 Amazing and super good

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy online play
- 💤 Freezes and crashes mid-game
- 🔍 False advertising (not 3D as shown)
- 🕰️ Stalemate issues with AI
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection

**Reported bugs**

- Pieces making impossible moves
- Touch screen becoming unresponsive
- Game declaring draws on clear checkmates
- Disconnections and network issues

**Requested features**

- Add online multiplayer with friends
- Option to disable stalemate rule
- Improve AI's understanding of checkmate


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess.com free?

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

### Is Chess free?

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

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

Chess is rated higher. Chess.com averages 4.8 out of 5 from 863K ratings, while Chess averages 4.9 from 6.8K ratings.

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

Both Chess.com and Chess show ads.

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

Chess.com ships an update weekly, and Chess every 4 weeks. Most recently, Chess.com was updated on October 31, 2026 and Chess on October 29, 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.*