Comparison

Mastersoft Chess vs SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

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

Head to head
About

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.

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

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

About

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

This app leverages the powerful Stockfish chess engine to help you improve your game. Analyze your matches with detailed comments, study the engine's thought process, and track your progress. It offers advanced features like blunder checking and graphical evaluations without any ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Blunder checking
  • Multiple line analysis
  • Graphical game evaluation
  • Game previews
  • Dark mode support
  • Endgame tablebase
  • Opening books
Features
Read full description

SmallFish is a project based on the Stockfish chess engine. It uses the latest Stockfish chess engine (Stockfish 18.0), rated about Elo 3600+ and is the strongest chess app on the App Store. SmallFish offers you three distinct ways to improve your game. You can review your game with comments, or study how Stockfish thinks, or track your progress. No in-app purchase, no ads, no data tracking. SmallFish is simply amazing. It's small but powerful, you'll be surprised. Features --------- - Blunder checking - Multiple line analysis - Graphical evaluation of your game - Game previews - Dark mode support - Endgame tablebase - Opening books Why not just download and try it yourself?

Screenshots

Mastersoft Chess4 screens
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mastersoft Chess at Free against SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's $4.99. Mastersoft Chess also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 79%). SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and device support 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

Mastersoft Chess is free to download; SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99 up front. Mastersoft Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Mastersoft Chess against 4.8 for SmallFish Chess for Stockfish. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 4.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Mastersoft Chess's written reviews are positive against 79% of SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mastersoft Chess ships an update every 5 days, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish every 8 days. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Mastersoft Chess versus SmallFish Chess for Stockfish: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMastersoft ChessSmallFish Chess for Stockfish
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.7 (1.5K ratings)4.8 (4.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.5% of reviews — better79.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1.5K4.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 8 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank—#22 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.114.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size277 MB208 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMastersoftTed Wong

Customer experience

Mastersoft Chess

All ratings1,549 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews2,033 reviews
Positive90.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative5.5%

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

All ratings4,466 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews596 reviews
Positive79.0%
Neutral7.2%
Negative13.8%

User reviews

Mastersoft Chess

From 1.5K 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

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

From 4.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful chess engine
  • 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
  • 💡 Customizable board and piece styles
  • 🚀 Fast move calculations
  • 👍 Helpful analysis and suggestions

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Issues with board and coordinate display
  • 🐛 Inconsistencies in engine difficulty levels
  • 🐛 Problems with PGN file handling
  • 👎 Complicated user interface

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

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when setting up positions
  • Incorrect move suggestions and engine evaluations
  • Freezing and unresponsiveness during gameplay
  • Issues with board and coordinate display alignment

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for variations and multiple analysis lines
  • Implement a two-player mode with piece flipping
  • Add PGN file sorting, searching, and folder support
  • Provide an option to hide the board and show captured pieces
  • Integrate with chess.com and other platforms

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Mastersoft Chess

Subscriptions1
  • Chess Pro for 1 month.$2.991 Month
One-time2
  • Buy Chess Pro.$2.99
  • Upgrade to Ginkgo. 10% Off.$9.95
None

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mastersoft Chess free?
Mastersoft Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SmallFish Chess for Stockfish free?
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mastersoft Chess or SmallFish Chess for Stockfish?
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish is rated higher. Mastersoft Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while SmallFish Chess for Stockfish averages 4.8 from 4.5K ratings.
Do Mastersoft Chess or SmallFish Chess for Stockfish have ads?
Mastersoft Chess shows ads; SmallFish Chess for Stockfish does not.
Which is updated more often, Mastersoft Chess or SmallFish Chess for Stockfish?
Mastersoft Chess ships an update every 5 days, and SmallFish Chess for Stockfish every 8 days. Most recently, Mastersoft Chess was updated on September 25, 2026 and SmallFish Chess for Stockfish on September 25, 2026.

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