Comparison

Chess vs Chess Tiger Lite

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

Head to head
About

Chess

Master the game of chess with this comprehensive app. Learn step-by-step, play against adaptive AI across 100 difficulty levels, and sharpen your skills with thousands of puzzles. Enjoy offline play and track your progress with an ELO rating.

Highlights
  • 100 difficulty levels
  • Interactive learning coach
  • Thousands of chess puzzles
  • Adaptive AI opponent
  • ELO rating tracker
  • Multiple game modes
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Play Chess – Learn, Train & Challenge with the Ultimate Chess App Take your chess to the next level with the ultimate chess app for iPhone and iPad. Whether you’re a beginner learning chess, an intermediate player looking to improve, or an advanced competitor training like a grandmaster, our app has everything you need. Powered by an award-winning chess engine, it feels like you’re playing against a real opponent – not just a computer. With 100 skill levels, automatic ELO rating tracking, and personalized difficulty that adapts to your style, you’ll always find the perfect challenge. No accounts. No fuss. Just download and start playing chess instantly. Key Features World Chess Champion Software 2026 Award Winner using Ginkgo 150 difficulty levels – from beginner to grandmaster strength Adaptive chess engine – plays like a human and adjusts to your skill ELO rating calculator – track your progress and growth Powerful AI – ranked 4th in the World Microcomputer Chess Championship Learn chess with a built-in coach – highlights best moves and alternatives Solve 1000s of chess puzzles – improve tactics, strategy, and endgame skills Huge book of chess openings Database of famous chess games – study, replay, and analyze the masters Multiple modes – Classic, Blitz, Training, Two-Player, and Analysis Mode Custom boards and sets – from traditional chess book style to modern themes Full chess rules supported – castling, en passant, pawn promotion, and more Minimal ads, no login required – play chess instantly without interruptions Whether you enjoy casual games, serious training, or fast-paced blitz chess, this app has you covered. Always challenging, sometimes aggressive, and never boring – just like real chess should be. Perfect for: Beginners who want to learn chess step by step Casual players who enjoy fun, relaxing games Competitive players who want to train like a grandmaster Puzzle lovers who want to sharpen their tactics End User License Agreement ("Agreement") (EULA) https://www.mastersoft.biz/eula.htm Privacy policy https://www.mastersoft.biz/privacy.htm

About

Chess Tiger Lite

Master chess with interactive lessons and guided gameplay. Learn rules, practice moves with Grandmaster suggestions, and analyze your games to improve. Enjoy an ad-free, offline experience suitable for all skill levels.

Highlights
  • Introductory chess lessons
  • Grandmaster move suggestions
  • Game analysis and improvement tips
  • Ad-free and offline play
  • Customizable themes and pieces
  • Progressive difficulty levels
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Beginner or advanced, improve your chess skills, 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 21 progressive levels ranging from absolute beginner (100 Elo) to club player (1300 Elo). • 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. • You can set up any position. • The chess engine displays its thinking, up to 20 moves ahead. 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. • 19 beautiful visual themes are included, which you can customize. • 10 styles of chess pieces are available (wood, ebony & ivory, metal, glass, …). • You can choose from 20 chessboard styles (marble, blue marble, wood, metal, stone, …). • A collection of over 10,000 famous games by the greatest players of all time is included. For example, the entire career of Magnus Carlsen, since 2001, is available. • «Reload last game» allows you to return to the most recent game. • 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

Chess4 screens
Chess Tiger Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chess at Free against Chess Tiger Lite's $4.99. Chess also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 349). Chess Tiger Lite's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#187 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 is free to download; Chess Tiger Lite costs $4.99 up front. Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Chess Tiger Lite sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess against 4.8 for Chess Tiger Lite. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.6K and 349 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 90% and 91% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update every 5 days, Chess Tiger Lite every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Chess versus Chess Tiger Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessChess Tiger Lite
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.7 (1.6K ratings)4.8 (349 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.5% of reviews90.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.6K — better349
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#187 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size276 MB44 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMastersoftChristophe Théron

Customer experience

Chess

All ratings1,556 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews2,036 reviews
Positive90.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative5.5%

Chess Tiger Lite

All ratings349 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews274 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral4.0%
Negative5.1%

User reviews

Chess

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great learning tool
  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 💡 Helpful training mode
  • 👍 Challenging at higher levels
  • 👍 Customizable board and pieces

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🔍 Unclear move suggestions
  • 🤖 Computer plays too strong at times

Chess Tiger Lite

From 349 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for learning and improving chess skills
  • 🚀 Excellent app with robust features
  • 💡 Helpful suggestion and threat alert features
  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
  • 👍 Good value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional issues with move suggestions and difficulty levels
  • 💡 Could use more detailed explanations for suggested moves
  • 🔍 Limited coaching options for beginners

Bugs and requests

Chess

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Pawn disappearing issue when castling
  • Ratings not updating properly after games
  • Crashes on certain iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • More detailed explanations for suggested moves
  • Option to play against other users online
  • Ability to set up custom board positions
  • Slower computer move speeds for beginners

Chess Tiger Lite

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional crashes or freezes
  • Issues with switching between player colors

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add more detailed tutorials and coaching options
  • Improve the explanation of suggested moves
  • Introduce more advanced difficulty levels for experienced players

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Chess

Subscriptions1
  • Chess Pro for 1 month.$2.991 Month
One-time2
  • Buy Chess Pro.$2.99
  • Upgrade to Ginkgo. 10% Off.$9.95
6 purchases

Chess Tiger Lite

Subscriptions3
  • PRO, 1 week$0.497 Days
  • PRO, 1 month$0.991 Month
  • PRO, 3 months$1.993 Months
One-time3
  • PRO, for life (SALE!)$4.99
  • Learn chess$4.99
  • PRO, for life (regular price)$8.99

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Tiger Lite free?
Chess Tiger Lite costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess or Chess Tiger Lite?
Chess Tiger Lite is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Chess Tiger Lite averages 4.8 from 349 ratings.
Do Chess or Chess Tiger Lite have ads?
Chess shows ads; Chess Tiger Lite does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess or Chess Tiger Lite?
Chess ships an update every 5 days, and Chess Tiger Lite every 2 weeks. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 31, 2026 and Chess Tiger Lite on October 30, 2026.

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