# Mastersoft Chess vs SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastersoft Chess | SmallFish Chess for Stockfish |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastersoft-chess/id378161776/reviews) | **[4.8 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallfish-chess-for-stockfish/id675049147/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K | **4.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **90.5% of reviews** | 79.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 8 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#22** |
| Size | 277 MB | 208 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mastersoft](https://appshunter.io/developer/994180799) | [Ted Wong](https://appshunter.io/developer/570426131) |

## 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


### SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallfish-chess-for-stockfish/id675049147)

**Currently charting:** #22 Top Paid · Board, #72 Top Paid · Strategy (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*