Mastersoft Chess vs Chess Notation Trainer
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 Notation Trainer
Master chess squares and notation with this training app. Improve your ability to identify coordinates, translate moves, and visualize the board, even without one. Ideal for serious players looking to enhance calculation speed and chess understanding.
- Identify squares by coordinate
- Translate move sequences to notation
- Determine square color instantly
- Stay oriented on the board
- Follow chess tutorials without a board
- Speed up calculation
- Practice blind chess
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Serious about chess? But struggling to identify the squares, remembering sequences and follow chess notations? Well, you just landed on the perfect app! This training app is designed to dramatically uplift your mastery over chess squares. There are 5 training sessions. A small dose of regular practice will make you: 1. Spot a square as soon as you hear or see its coordinate 2. Translate a sequence of moves into their notation at ease 3. Immediately identify the color of a square 4. Stay oriented regardless of you facing white or black 5. Follow along with chess tutorials, books or any discussion without a board 6. Massively speedup your thought process on any calculation 7. Finally, start playing blind chess! Don't be surprised if you see a sudden surge of rating simply increasing your strength on square reading. The free version is already good enough to cause a major spike in your chess career. However, a one time purchase will unlock the full version which includes: - Extended time controls - Untimed practice mode - Milestones and achievements - Board assistance during training - And a complete visualization of your records There will be no ads, neither in the full version nor in the free one. Just a beautiful and satisfyingly addictive way to your square mastery. Caution: If you are rated below 1500, this app is probably not gonna be as useful for you, and tactics training is something you should prioritize.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Chess Notation Trainer at none against Mastersoft Chess's shown. Chess Notation Trainer also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days) and review sentiment (100% vs 90%). Mastersoft Chess's advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 16) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Mastersoft Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Chess Notation Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Mastersoft Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastersoft Chess has 1.5K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of Mastersoft Chess's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chess Notation Trainer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Mastersoft Chess ships an update every 5 days, Chess Notation Trainer every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mastersoft Chess | Chess Notation Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.5K ratings) — better | 4.5 (16 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K — better | 16 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 277 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mastersoft | Nishat Majid |
Customer experience
Mastersoft Chess
Chess Notation Trainer
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 Notation Trainer
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 Notation Trainer
- Full Version$4.99
Questions
Is Mastersoft Chess free?
Is Chess Notation Trainer free?
Which has better reviews, Mastersoft Chess or Chess Notation Trainer?
Do Mastersoft Chess or Chess Notation Trainer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mastersoft Chess or Chess Notation Trainer?
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