# Mastersoft Chess vs Chess Puzzles & Tactics

The clearest difference is monetization model: Chess Puzzles & Tactics at free against Mastersoft Chess's freemium. Mastersoft Chess's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (90% vs 78%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mastersoft Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Chess Puzzles & Tactics 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. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 478 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Mastersoft Chess's written reviews are positive against 78% of Chess Puzzles & Tactics's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastersoft Chess | Chess Puzzles & Tactics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastersoft-chess/id378161776/reviews)** | [4.5 (478 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-puzzles-and-tactics/id6480381614/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 478 |
| Positive reviews | **90.5% of reviews** | 77.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 5 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 277 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mastersoft](https://appshunter.io/developer/994180799) | [Sajed Nahian](https://appshunter.io/developer/1494597866) |

## What reviewers say

### Mastersoft Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastersoft-chess/id378161776)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chess Pro for 1 month. | $2.99 | per month |
| Buy Chess Pro. | $2.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to Ginkgo. 10% Off. | $9.95 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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 Puzzles & Tactics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-puzzles-and-tactics/id6480381614)

Enhance your chess skills with an extensive collection of puzzles and tactical exercises. Tailor your training by customizing puzzle difficulty and Elo ratings to target specific weaknesses and accelerate improvement, suitable for players of all levels.

**Highlights:** Infinite chess puzzles, Tactics training, Customizable puzzles, Elo rating adjustment, All player levels, Extensive tactic list

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ad-Free Forever | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🆓 Free to use, no ads
- ♾️ Seemingly endless puzzles
- 🧠 Great for chess improvement
- 👍 Simple and easy to use interface
- 🎯 Puzzles tailored to skill level

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- 🔄 Progress resets (ELO, history)
- ⚠️ Login issues (Apple/Google)
- ⏳ Puzzles take a long time to load
- 🥶 Freezes and crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to login
- Application resets to starting value (1000elo)
- History/review chapters remain unlocked
- In-application feedback not functioning
- Rating feature broke

**Requested features**

- Option to mute sounds
- Ability to disable audio
- Allow loading custom puzzle sets
- Better interface and cable


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastersoft Chess free?

Mastersoft Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Chess Puzzles & Tactics free?

Chess Puzzles & Tactics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Mastersoft Chess or Chess Puzzles & Tactics?

Mastersoft Chess is rated higher. Mastersoft Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Chess Puzzles & Tactics averages 4.5 from 478 ratings.

### Do Mastersoft Chess or Chess Puzzles & Tactics have ads?

Both Mastersoft Chess and Chess Puzzles & Tactics show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mastersoft Chess or Chess Puzzles & Tactics?

Mastersoft Chess ships an update every 5 days, and Chess Puzzles & Tactics every 5 days. Most recently, Mastersoft Chess was updated on September 24, 2026 and Chess Puzzles & Tactics on September 24, 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.*