Comparison

Chess.com vs SparkChess Pro

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Chess.com

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
Read full description

Play chess lessons online with over 265 million players from around the world! Chess is known as the best strategy board game in the world! Enjoy unlimited 3D offline pocket chess games and improve your chess rating with 500,000+ puzzles, more than 20 million chess games a day, lessons, and over 100 powerful bot opponents. Unlock your inner chess master today! PLAY CHESS ONLINE: - 2 Player online chess mode is entirely free to enjoy with your friends. - Join tournaments with players online or friends and become a master. - Play games in real-time from one minute per game to 30 minutes or longer with friends. - Review your strategy and game lessons and lay out daily correspondence in online chess. - Play exciting chess variants in our app: chess960 (Fischer-Random), blitz chess, puzzle rush, bullet chess, puzzle battle, or blindfold. CHESS PUZZLES: - Enjoy 500,000 + unique puzzles. - Rated mode automatically adjusts to your skill level to help you improve. - Race the clock with a timer to beat your high score in Puzzle Rush. - Practice puzzles with specific themes in this strategy board game (checkmate in 1, in 2, in 3, blindfold, endgames, fork, skewer, sacrifice, timer, etc.) CHESS LESSONS: - Hundreds of quality chess lessons and online videos made by masters (Learn and practice your skills with chess problems) - Interactive puzzles tutorials with tips and game recommendations. - Learn all the chess rules and strategies in a step-by-step lesson plan (opening, endgame...) CHESS COACHING: - Learn from helpful and immersive visual chess coach lessons. - Review your games with the coach and learn the strategy of the board game for every move. - Play games with the coach, who will guide you through the fundamentals move by move and provide helpful hints as you play. PLAY CHESS ONLINE AGAINST THE COMPUTER: - Choose the level of computer opponent you want to play and set a timer. - Analyze your chess games offline and learn to see where you went wrong and how you can improve. CHESS COMMUNITY: - Join a community of more than 200M online chess players. Find friends! - More than 20M games played each day. - Compete to get your own rating and try to join the best player online chess leaderboards against other players. - Watch the most popular superstars: Hikaru, GothamChess, or Magnus! ... and MUCH MORE: - Play chess games offline against the computer and the clock with a timer. - Articles by the best coaches and masters. - Explore openings like Queen´s Gambit or Sicilian Defense. - Challenge and play with your friends in an online chess game. - Choose from 20+ board themes and 3D pieces. - Get in-depth performance stats about your games, puzzles, and lessons. Playing pocket chess online has never been so easy! Chess.com is the place to play chess games online with your friends and other players! Share your suggestions and comments. Our support team is happy to help you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! ABOUT CHESS.COM: Chess.com was created by chess players and people who love chess! Team: http://www.chess.com/about

About

SparkChess Pro

This ancient strategy game offers a fun and accessible experience for all skill levels. Practice against the computer, challenge friends online, or learn with interactive lessons and puzzles. Features include various board styles, a virtual coach, and progress tracking.

Highlights
  • Practice against computer or friends
  • Interactive lessons and puzzles
  • Multiple board styles (2D, 3D, fantasy)
  • Virtual Chess Coach
  • Multiplayer progress tracking
  • Save and replay games
Features
Read full description

SparkChess is the only chess game that puts fun first. With a choice of boards, computer opponents and online play, it delivers a first-class experience that is as accessible to experts as it is to beginners, kids and anyone else who wants to discover how entertaining this ancient strategy game really is. The chess game that everyone can enjoy! Too many chess apps are impossible for anyone but the experts and masters. The real test of a truly intelligent chess game isn’t how hard it is to beat, but how well it can adapt to players of all skill levels. That’s exactly what makes the award-winning SparkChess stand out. Whether you’re brand new to the chess board, looking to improve your game, to teach your kids to play, or are ready to take it to the next challenging level, everyone can find the perfect balance in SparkChess. FEATURES: * Practice chess against the computer or challenge your friends in multiplayer. * A simple user interface that makes it easy to set up and play games. * Choose from different boards: 2D, 3D and a stunning fantasy chess set. * Play casual, quick or expert games, depending on your level. * Learn chess with over 30 interactive lessons. * Study famous historcal games. * Test your skills with over 70 chess puzzles. * Learn and practice common openings and their variations (over 100 in total). * A Virtual Chess Coach explains the consequences of your moves. * The only chess game that appeals to beginners and experts alike. * Track your multiplayer progress with statistics. * Create and join teams. * Save and replay your games. * Import/Export games in PGN format. * Watch and comment on live multiplayer games. * Child-safe design, with built-in anti-abuse measures built-in. * Edit the board. * Large and friendly community of chess lovers from all over the world. Young or old, beginner or advanced, SparkChess gives you the extra edge to become a better chess player while having fun! REVIEWS “Your chess board and pieces are the best by far (compared to any other program, including Fritz 12).” “SparkChess is a superbly presented and polished program. I think you have achieved your aim of making chess fun, accessible and entertaining for a wide audience.” “I love the game and play it regularly - great work on the game” “SparkChess provides deep, intelligent gameplay… [Its] multiplayer offerings are just as impressive.” ~ MaximumPC.com, app of the week.

Screenshots

Chess.com4 screens
SparkChess Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chess.com at Free against SparkChess Pro's $24.99. Chess.com also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). SparkChess Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Chess.com is free to download; SparkChess Pro costs $24.99 up front. Chess.com sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. SparkChess Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Chess.com's written reviews are positive against 61% of SparkChess Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess.com ships an update weekly, SparkChess Pro every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Chess.com versus SparkChess Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess.comSparkChess Pro
PriceFree — better$24.99
Rating4.8 (827K ratings) — better4.4 (42 ratings)
Positive reviews63.9% of reviews — better60.9% of reviews
Number of ratings827K — better42
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size445 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChess.comMedia Division SRL

Customer experience

Chess.com

All ratings827,408 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral1.5%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews8,373 reviews
Positive63.9%
Neutral5.9%
Negative30.2%

SparkChess Pro

All ratings42 ratings
Positive81.0%
Neutral7.1%
Negative11.9%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral13.0%
Negative26.1%

Bugs and requests

Chess.com

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

SparkChess Pro

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Chess.com

Subscriptions12
  • Gold Membership7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Gold Membership7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Platinum Membership7 Days trial$6.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Platinum Membership7 Days trial$10.991 Month
  • Diamond Membership7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Diamond Membership7 Days trial$16.991 Month
  • Gold Membership7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Platinum Membership7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Gold Membership7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Platinum Membership7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Diamond Membership7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Diamond Membership7 Days trial$119.991 Year
None

SparkChess Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess.com free?
Chess.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SparkChess Pro free?
SparkChess Pro costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess.com or SparkChess Pro?
Chess.com is rated higher. Chess.com averages 4.8 out of 5 from 827K ratings, while SparkChess Pro averages 4.4 from 42 ratings.
Do Chess.com or SparkChess Pro have ads?
Chess.com shows ads; SparkChess Pro does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess.com or SparkChess Pro?
Chess.com ships an update weekly, and SparkChess Pro every 4 months. Most recently, Chess.com was updated on September 25, 2026 and SparkChess Pro on September 23, 2026.

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