Chess HD ∙ vs Chess without ads
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chess HD ∙
Experience a visually stunning chess game with excellent graphics and sound effects. Play against a challenging AI or a friend, with features like configurable difficulty, score tracking, and an undo function. Enjoy a free, ad-supported chess experience.
- High-definition graphics and sound effects
- 1-player vs. computer and 2-player modes
- Configurable AI difficulty
- Score tracking and player names
- Undo function
- Automatic save
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Are you tired of playing chess games that look like they were designed for a Commodore 64 instead of an iPad? We've got the antidote for you. Chess Free HD is the best looking chess game for the iPad, and best of all - it's free! Chess Free HD supports both 1 player and 2 player gameplay, so you can play against friends or test your skills against a challenging computer opponent. Chess Free HD offers a host of exciting features, including: * Great graphics and exciting sound effects * Configurable player names and score tracking * Outstanding AI engine with configurable difficulty level * Board rotation for two player games * Undo function * Automatic save when you exit the application Chess Free HD is supported by unobtrusive banner advertising.
Chess without ads
Learn and play chess without distractions. This app offers guided lessons for beginners and advanced analysis for experts, helping you improve your game with intelligent suggestions and post-game reviews. Play offline and enjoy a seamless, ad-free experience.
- Ad-free learning and play
- Introductory lessons for beginners
- Grandmaster move suggestions
- Game analysis with good/bad moves
- Supports USCF and FIDE rating scales
- Strong mobile chess engine
- Offline play
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Beginner or advanced, become a chess master, without ever being disturbed by ads. Do you want to master the most prestigious, the classiest game ever, while having fun? It's EASY! For starters, there are no ads to distract you. There's no account to create, and you don't even need to be connected to the Internet. So, how does it work? If you are a beginner, let yourself be guided by the introductory lessons included. The lessons are SHORT and EASY. Right from the start, you begin playing by moving pieces, and you learn the rules of the game while having fun. The first 40 lessons are free. Once you know the rules, you start playing real games! The coach shows you the moves a Grandmaster would pick. Not just one move, but THE 4 BEST MOVES. Sounds too simple? But think about it... How did you learn to speak as a child? Did you take grammar and spelling lessons? Of course not. You listened to the adults talk and then you went for it! Because that's how you learn! This app allows you to do just that, AND IT WORKS! From the very first games, you start learning effortlessly. You immediately enjoy playing, and after a while you notice that the right moves come to mind naturally, as if they were obvious. Gradually, you deactivate the suggestions and play by yourself. At the end of each game, the coach shows you the good and bad moves you've made. You can better understand what happened, and you can even try out other moves to improve. If this sounds unbelievable, you should read the user reviews for our app. It has one of the highest satisfaction ratings on the App Store, in all countries. FOR BEGINNERS, THIS APP... • contains introductory chess lessons that are suitable even for children. The first 40 are free. • shows you all the possible moves of a piece when you touch it. • explains why certain moves are forbidden. • can suggest 4 to 6 excellent moves at any one time. The green button lets you show or hide these suggestions. • can tell you when you can mate your opponent, so you can look for the winning move by yourself. • can warn you when your opponent is about to play a dangerous move. • provides many trainer levels of increasing difficulty. • knows and applies perfectly all the official rules of chess. • is a very competent teacher of a very high level. • analyzes your games and shows you how to improve. FOR EXPERTS: • Both USCF and FIDE rating scales are supported. • This app has one of the strongest chess engines for mobile devices (3040 USCF Elo). • On current devices, as incredible as it sounds, it plays at the world champion level. • The chess engine displays its thinking, up to 20 moves ahead. • You can analyze a game by replaying it. The app indicates bad moves by coloring them red. The 4 best moves in each position are shown in green. • This app supports variations: you can test other moves and then return to your original game. OTHER FEATURES INCLUDE: • The coach can comment on the game as you play (optional). • When the game is over, the coach can analyze it and show you how to improve. • Several beautiful visual themes are included, which you can customize. • 4 playing styles are included, from «cautious» to «suicidal», which you can combine with all available levels. • Includes an opening book of more than one million moves. • Many customization options are available (graphics, sounds, engine output…). • ...and much more... privacy policy: http://www.chesstiger.com/iphone/About_privacy_en.html terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess HD ∙ at none against Chess without ads's 7. Chess HD ∙ also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Chess without ads's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (90% vs 55%). On price 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
Both are free to download. Chess without ads sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per 7 days. Chess HD ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.
Chess without ads holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess without ads has 38K ratings behind it against 7.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Chess HD ∙'s written reviews are positive against 90% of Chess without ads's.
Chess HD ∙ ships an update every 5 months, Chess without ads fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess HD ∙ | Chess without ads |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (7.7K ratings) | 4.7 (38K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.4% of reviews | 90.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.7K | 38K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Optime Software LLC | Christophe Théron |
Customer experience
Chess HD ∙
Chess without ads
User reviews
Chess HD ∙
From 7.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast gameplay
- 👍 Adjustable difficulty levels
- 💡 Undo feature
- 🎨 Nice graphics and design
- 🧠 Helps improve chess skills
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (illegal moves, pieces disappearing, incorrect checkmate/stalemate detection)
- 💰 Intrusive ads
- 🔒 No option to disable ads even after purchase
- ⏱️ Slow computer moves on higher difficulty
- 🔀 Inability to castle or move pieces as per rules
Chess without ads
From 38K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Excellent chess training tool
- 🚀 Customizable difficulty levels
- 💡 Helpful move suggestions
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🚀 No ads or distractions
Room to improve
- 🔒 Limited free version with paid upgrade
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 💡 Desire for more chess variants and modes
- 🔒 Aggressive prompts to upgrade to paid version
Bugs and requests
Chess HD ∙
Reported bugs
5 issues- Pieces disappearing during gameplay
- Incorrect checkmate/stalemate detection
- Computer making illegal moves
- Game freezing or crashing
- Inability to undo after checkmate/stalemate
Requested features
5 requests- Landscape mode support
- Ability to track wins/losses/draws
- More customization options (piece designs, board colors, etc.)
- Tutorials or lessons for beginners
- Multiplayer mode with friends
Chess without ads
Reported bugs
3 issues- Freezing on the login screen
- Incompatibility with older devices
- Inconsistent behavior when running out of free credits
Requested features
4 requests- Add more chess variants (3-check, king of the hill, etc.)
- Provide more detailed game analysis and feedback
- Improve the en passant move functionality
- Add online/multiplayer capabilities
In-app purchases
Chess HD ∙
No in-app purchases
Chess without ads
- PRO, 1 week$0.497 Days
- PRO, 1 month$0.991 Month
- PRO, 3 months$1.993 Months
- Learn chess$4.99
- PRO, for life (SALE!)$9.99
- PRO, for life (regular price)$12.99
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- PRO FOR LIFE - TODAY ONLY$14.99
Questions
Is Chess HD ∙ free?
Is Chess without ads free?
Which has better reviews, Chess HD ∙ or Chess without ads?
Do Chess HD ∙ or Chess without ads have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chess HD ∙ or Chess without ads?
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