# Shredder Chess Lite vs Chess

The clearest difference is price: Shredder Chess Lite at Free against Chess's $3.99. Shredder Chess Lite also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). Chess's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Shredder Chess Lite is free to download; Chess costs $3.99 up front. Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Shredder Chess Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess has 118 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Shredder Chess Lite's written reviews are positive against 92% of Chess's.

Shredder Chess Lite ships an update every 7 months, Chess fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shredder Chess Lite | Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | [4.0 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shredder-chess-lite/id343795703/reviews) | **[4.7 (118 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **118** |
| Positive reviews | 78.9% of reviews | **92.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 24 MB | 237 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Eiko Bleicher, Skizzix.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/288297104) | [Giordano Vicoli](https://appshunter.io/developer/460922805) |

## What reviewers say

### Shredder Chess Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shredder-chess-lite/id343795703)

Play chess against a world champion program that mimics human play and makes mistakes at lower levels. Solve puzzles, track your progress, and get advice to improve your game. Features adjustable difficulty and a built-in coach.

**Highlights:** Adjustable playing strength, 100 built-in chess puzzles, Coach warns of mistakes, Elo rating calculation, Opening book with over 1 million moves, Two player mode

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean, simple, and intuitive user interface
- 🎮 Excellent adaptive difficulty that adjusts to player skill level
- 🧠 Strong chess engine with intelligent gameplay
- 📚 Comprehensive puzzle collection for learning
- 💰 Free version with substantial features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Illegal chess moves by computer player
- 📱 Not optimized for newer iPhone screen sizes
- 🎮 Inconsistent endgame performance
- ❌ App crashes and freezing issues
- 🔧 Compatibility problems with iOS updates

**Reported bugs**

- Pawns moving sideways or diagonally without capturing
- Pawns captured by opponent pawns when not adjacent
- Illegal moves allowed by computer player
- App crashes on iOS 8 and later versions
- App won't open or load on startup

**Requested features**

- Full screen optimization for modern iPhones
- Time delay option before computer moves
- Multiplayer mode for human vs human play
- HD/universal app for iPad compatibility
- Detailed explanations for puzzle solutions


### Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545)

Manage and study chess databases and games in PGN format with advanced analysis tools. Supports game creation, modification, and import from various sources. Includes engine analysis, opening book management, and puzzle training.

**Highlights:** PGN database and game management, Create, modify, and import games, Advanced engine analysis with Stockfish, Opening book and ChessBase support, Chess 960 (Fischer Random) support, Diagram recognition for PGN conversion, Puzzle training and online play

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $8.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Powerful chess database features
- 👍 Comprehensive analysis tools
- 👍 Excellent PGN management
- 👍 Great value for price
- 👍 Frequent updates and improvements

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Steep learning curve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Unintuitive interface
- 🐛 Some users find it confusing
- 🐛 Missing dark mode

**Reported bugs**

- Problem saving updated game data
- Engine stopped working after 30 seconds
- App crashes when adding annotations without hitting 'edit mode' first
- Crash opening .pgn in landscape mode
- Crashes when selecting a cell with 0 games associated

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode
- Add board flip button
- Improve interface for screen reader users
- Add private game feature with code
- Add computer whole game analysis with annotations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shredder Chess Lite free?

Shredder Chess Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Chess free?

Chess costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Shredder Chess Lite or Chess?

Chess is rated higher. Shredder Chess Lite averages 4.0 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Chess averages 4.7 from 118 ratings.

### Do Shredder Chess Lite or Chess have ads?

Neither Shredder Chess Lite nor Chess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shredder Chess Lite or Chess?

Shredder Chess Lite ships an update every 7 months, and Chess fortnightly. Most recently, Shredder Chess Lite was updated on October 16, 2026 and Chess on October 18, 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.*