# Chess.com vs Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles

The clearest difference is price: Chess.com at Free against Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles's $0.99. Chess.com also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (874K vs 70). Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Chess.com is free to download; Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles costs $0.99 up front. Chess.com sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Chess.com against 4.8 for Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess.com has 874K ratings behind it against 70, 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 91% of Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles's.

Chess.com ships an update weekly, Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess.com | Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (874K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesscom-play-and-learn/id329218549/reviews) | **[4.8 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mate-in-2-chess-puzzles/id368403957/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **874K** | 70 |
| Positive reviews | 64.4% of reviews | **91.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 456 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chess.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/329218552) | [Gano Technologies LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/333237652) |

## 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, #5 Top Free · Games, #7 Top Grossing · Board, #17 Top Grossing · Strategy, #48 Top Free, #73 Top Grossing · Games, #186 Top Grossing (US App Store)

Engage in chess with millions globally through online matches, tournaments, and lessons. Improve your skills with over a million puzzles, powerful bot opponents, and detailed game analysis. Explore various chess variants and track your progress with in-depth statistics.

**Highlights:** Online multiplayer chess, Over 1 million chess puzzles, Hundreds of chess lessons, Play against AI opponents, Chess variant modes, Game analysis tools, Community leaderboards

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| 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 | $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


### Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mate-in-2-chess-puzzles/id368403957)

Challenge yourself with over 1200 interactive chess puzzles designed to help you achieve checkmate in two moves. Suitable for both beginners and experienced players, this app offers a fun way to improve your tactical skills with a variety of classical problems.

**Highlights:** Over 1200 interactive chess problems, Checkmate in 2 moves objective, Variety of classical puzzles, Timing clock for puzzle solving, Multiple chess piece sets and color schemes, Leaderboards and social sharing

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🧠 Excellent puzzle collection with 1000+ problems
- 💰 Great value for money at low price point
- 🎯 Wide range of difficulty levels for various skill levels
- 🎨 Clean, well-designed user interface
- ⏱️ Built-in timer for tracking solve times

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔥 App causes phone to heat up during extended use
- ❌ Inconsistent puzzle accuracy and validity
- ⚠️ Sudden difficulty jump between Mate in 1 and Mate in 2
- 🤔 Some puzzles rely on opponent making unforced errors
- 🚫 Cannot explore alternative black responses

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes or goes haywire requiring restart
- Occasional crashes during gameplay
- App skips puzzles when navigating
- Game Center prompts become annoying
- Performance issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to freely move pieces and explore variations
- Sandbox mode to test alternative moves
- Play as black against white
- Hint that only shows which piece to move, not destination
- Landscape and portrait orientation support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess.com free?

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

### Is Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles free?

Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chess.com or Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles?

Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles is rated higher. Chess.com averages 4.8 out of 5 from 874K ratings, while Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles averages 4.8 from 70 ratings.

### Do Chess.com or Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles have ads?

Chess.com shows ads; Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles does not.

### Which is updated more often, Chess.com or Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles?

Chess.com ships an update weekly, and Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles every 7 months. Most recently, Chess.com was updated on November 6, 2026 and Mate in 2 Chess Puzzles 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.*