Mastersoft Chess vs Chess Score Pad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mastersoft 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.
- 100 difficulty levels
- Interactive learning coach
- Thousands of chess puzzles
- Adaptive AI opponent
- ELO rating tracker
- Multiple game modes
- Offline play
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Chess – Learn Chess, Play Chess & Train Like a Grandmaster Learn chess step by step, play chess at any level, and train with the ultimate chess app for iPhone and iPad. Whether you’re a complete beginner learning chess or a competitive player mastering advanced tactics, this chess trainer gives you everything you need. Powered by an award-winning chess engine, you can play chess at up to 150 difficulty levels – from beginner to grandmaster. With adaptive AI, automatic ELO ratings, multiplayer modes, and thousands of chess puzzles, every match is a new challenge. No account required. Just download and start playing chess instantly. Key Features • 150 Levels of Chess – from beginner to expert strength and way beyond. • Learn Chess Easily – built-in trainer and interactive coach. • Adaptive AI – feels like playing against a real opponent. • Chess Puzzles & Tactics – thousands of puzzles to sharpen skills. • ELO Rating Tracker – follow your progress and growth. • Openings & Famous Games – study proven strategies. • Multiple Modes – Classic, Blitz, Training, 2-Player, and Analysis. • Custom Boards & Sets – from traditional to modern themes. • Full Chess Rules – castling, pawn promotion, en passant, and more. • Offline Play – play chess anywhere, no login or internet needed. Why Choose This Chess App? • Beginners can learn chess step by step. • Casual players can play chess for fun or practice. • Puzzle lovers can solve thousands of chess tactics. • Competitors can train like grandmasters with real challenge. Whether you enjoy slow strategy, fast blitz chess, or deep puzzle-solving, this chess app adapts to your style. Always challenging, always fun. End User License Agreement ("Agreement") (EULA) https://www.mastersoft.biz/eula.htm Privacy policy https://www.mastersoft.biz/privacy.htm
Chess Score Pad
This app provides a modern, distraction-free electronic scoresheet for over-the-board chess tournament play. Record moves effortlessly, review positions, and export games in PGN or PDF formats for post-game analysis. Designed by a tournament player, it streamlines the scoring process so you can focus on the game.
- Effortless move recording (tap or drag)
- Automatic game saving
- Easy move correction
- Step-through and slider game review
- PGN export for analysis
- PDF scoresheet export with diagram
- Optional legal-move and time tracking
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Chess Score Pad A modern electronic scoresheet designed for over-the-board tournament play. Record moves effortlessly and export PGN for post-game analysis. Chess Score Pad replaces paper scoresheets with a clean, distraction-free way to record your games move by move — so you can focus on playing, not writing. Designed by a tournament player with hundreds of USCF-rated games, Chess Score Pad is built for over-the-board chess and post-game review. Record games naturally • Enter moves by tapping or dragging pieces • No coordinates to write, no notation to translate • All moves are saved automatically — no “Save” button required • Easy move correction if a mistake happens Review positions and games • Step through moves one at a time • Scrub through the game with a live position slider • On iPad, view the board and notation side by side • Quickly return to critical positions after the game Export and share • Export games as PGN for analysis in your chess database • Share via AirDrop, Mail, Messages, Files, Notes, Clipboard, and compatible chess apps • Export a professional PDF scoresheet with a position diagram Built for tournament play • Start recording immediately — game details are optional • “Next Game of Event” copies event info and increments the round • Automatically place your pieces at the bottom of the board • Optional legal-move and position checking • Optional move-time tracking Flexible notation • Long or short algebraic notation • Figurine or standard notation Important note Chess Score Pad is an electronic scoresheet and does not provide analysis or engine assistance. Chess Score Pad is not currently certified for tournament use. It may be permitted at the discretion of the tournament director. More screenshots and documentation are available at the Support URL.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Mastersoft Chess at Free against Chess Score Pad's $9.99. Mastersoft Chess also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (90% vs 64%). Chess Score Pad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On rating 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
Mastersoft Chess is free to download; Chess Score Pad costs $9.99 up front. Mastersoft Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Chess Score Pad asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Mastersoft Chess against 4.6 for Chess Score Pad. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastersoft Chess has 1.5K ratings behind it against 177, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Mastersoft Chess's written reviews are positive against 64% of Chess Score Pad's.
Mastersoft Chess ships an update every 5 days, Chess Score Pad every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mastersoft Chess | Chess Score Pad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.5K ratings) — better | 4.6 (177 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.5% of reviews — better | 63.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K — better | 177 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #194 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 277 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mastersoft | CalcFxC, LLC |
Customer experience
Mastersoft Chess
Chess Score Pad
Bugs and requests
Mastersoft 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 Score Pad
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Mastersoft Chess
- Chess Pro for 1 month.$2.991 Month
- Buy Chess Pro.$2.99
- Upgrade to Ginkgo. 10% Off.$9.95
Chess Score Pad
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mastersoft Chess free?
Is Chess Score Pad free?
Which has better reviews, Mastersoft Chess or Chess Score Pad?
Do Mastersoft Chess or Chess Score Pad have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mastersoft Chess or Chess Score Pad?
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