# Mastersoft Chess vs Chess

The clearest difference is price: Mastersoft Chess at Free against Chess's $3.99. Mastersoft Chess also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 116). Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On rating, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Mastersoft Chess is free to download; Chess costs $3.99 up front. Mastersoft Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Mastersoft Chess against 4.7 for Chess. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mastersoft Chess has 1.5K ratings behind it against 116, 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 92% of Chess's.

Mastersoft Chess ships an update every 5 days, Chess fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mastersoft Chess | Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastersoft-chess/id378161776/reviews) | [4.7 (116 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 116 |
| Positive reviews | 90.5% of reviews | **92.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 277 MB | 237 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Mastersoft](https://appshunter.io/developer/994180799) | [Giordano Vicoli](https://appshunter.io/developer/460922805) |

## 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545)

Manage and study chess databases and games in PGN format with advanced analysis tools. Supports game creation, modification, and import from various sources. Includes engine analysis, opening book management, and puzzle training.

**Highlights:** PGN database and game management, Create, modify, and import games, Advanced engine analysis with Stockfish, Opening book and ChessBase support, Chess 960 (Fischer Random) support, Diagram recognition for PGN conversion, Puzzle training and online play

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $8.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Powerful chess database features
- 👍 Comprehensive analysis tools
- 👍 Excellent PGN management
- 👍 Great value for price
- 👍 Frequent updates and improvements

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Steep learning curve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Unintuitive interface
- 🐛 Some users find it confusing
- 🐛 Missing dark mode

**Reported bugs**

- Problem saving updated game data
- Engine stopped working after 30 seconds
- App crashes when adding annotations without hitting 'edit mode' first
- Crash opening .pgn in landscape mode
- Crashes when selecting a cell with 0 games associated

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode
- Add board flip button
- Improve interface for screen reader users
- Add private game feature with code
- Add computer whole game analysis with annotations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mastersoft Chess free?

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

### Is Chess free?

Chess costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Mastersoft Chess or Chess?

Mastersoft Chess and Chess are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.5K and 116 ratings respectively.

### Do Mastersoft Chess or Chess have ads?

Mastersoft Chess shows ads; Chess does not.

### Which is updated more often, Mastersoft Chess or Chess?

Mastersoft Chess ships an update every 5 days, and Chess fortnightly. Most recently, Mastersoft Chess was updated on September 24, 2026 and Chess on September 22, 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.*