# Chess.com vs Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles

The clearest difference is price: Chess.com at Free against Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles's $0.99. Chess.com also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (867K vs 5). Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and ads (none vs shown). On rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Chess.com is free to download; Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles costs $0.99 up front. Chess.com sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Mate in 4+ 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 4+ Chess Puzzles. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess.com has 867K ratings behind it against 5, 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 86% of Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles's.

Chess.com ships an update weekly, Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess.com | Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (867K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesscom-play-and-learn/id329218549/reviews)** | [4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mate-in-4-plus-chess-puzzles/id368405007/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **867K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 64.4% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 456 MB | 28 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) | [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, #6 Top Free · Games, #6 Top Grossing · Board, #13 Top Grossing · Strategy, #59 Top Grossing · Games, #63 Top Free, #158 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 (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


### Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mate-in-4-plus-chess-puzzles/id368405007)

Engage in over 1000 interactive chess puzzles designed to sharpen your tactical skills. Force checkmates within 4 to 8 moves, with a revamped engine and timing features to track your progress. Compete with friends on leaderboards and share your achievements.

**Highlights:** 1000+ interactive chess puzzles, Force checkmate in 4-8 moves, Revamped, stronger chess engine, Timing clock and solve time tracking, 7 chess piece sets and color schemes, Leaderboards for social comparison, Facebook integration for sharing and help

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess.com free?

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

### Is Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles free?

Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chess.com or Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles?

Chess.com is rated higher. Chess.com averages 4.8 out of 5 from 867K ratings, while Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do Chess.com or Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles have ads?

Chess.com shows ads; Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles does not.

### Which is updated more often, Chess.com or Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles?

Chess.com ships an update weekly, and Mate in 4+ Chess Puzzles every 7 months. Most recently, Chess.com was updated on November 2, 2026 and Mate in 4+ 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.*