Comparison

Chess vs Pocket Chess

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

Head to head
About

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

Play Chess – Learn, Train & Challenge with the Ultimate Chess App Take your chess to the next level with the ultimate chess app for iPhone and iPad. Whether you’re a beginner learning chess, an intermediate player looking to improve, or an advanced competitor training like a grandmaster, our app has everything you need. Powered by an award-winning chess engine, it feels like you’re playing against a real opponent – not just a computer. With 100 skill levels, automatic ELO rating tracking, and personalized difficulty that adapts to your style, you’ll always find the perfect challenge. No accounts. No fuss. Just download and start playing chess instantly. Key Features World Chess Champion Software 2026 Award Winner using Ginkgo 150 difficulty levels – from beginner to grandmaster strength Adaptive chess engine – plays like a human and adjusts to your skill ELO rating calculator – track your progress and growth Powerful AI – ranked 4th in the World Microcomputer Chess Championship Learn chess with a built-in coach – highlights best moves and alternatives Solve 1000s of chess puzzles – improve tactics, strategy, and endgame skills Huge book of chess openings Database of famous chess games – study, replay, and analyze the masters Multiple modes – Classic, Blitz, Training, Two-Player, and Analysis Mode Custom boards and sets – from traditional chess book style to modern themes Full chess rules supported – castling, en passant, pawn promotion, and more Minimal ads, no login required – play chess instantly without interruptions Whether you enjoy casual games, serious training, or fast-paced blitz chess, this app has you covered. Always challenging, sometimes aggressive, and never boring – just like real chess should be. Perfect for: Beginners who want to learn chess step by step Casual players who enjoy fun, relaxing games Competitive players who want to train like a grandmaster Puzzle lovers who want to sharpen their tactics End User License Agreement ("Agreement") (EULA) https://www.mastersoft.biz/eula.htm Privacy policy https://www.mastersoft.biz/privacy.htm

About

Pocket Chess

Engage in classic chess battles anywhere, anytime. Challenge a sophisticated AI with adjustable difficulty or play against a friend. The app offers helpful features like move highlighting and board rotation for an enhanced experience.

Highlights
  • Challenging AI engine
  • Three difficulty levels
  • Play as White or Black
  • Show legal moves
  • Special move support
  • Board rotation
  • Save game state
Features
Read full description

Play chess on the go against the computer or a friend with Pocket Chess. - Challenging A.I. engine with three levels of difficulty - Quick A.I. response time - Play as White or Black - Option to show legal moves - Perform special moves such as castling and pawn promotion - Board rotation for two player games - Game state is saved if you quit the app

Screenshots

Chess4 screens
Pocket Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chess at 90% against Pocket Chess's 24%. Chess also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.5) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 10 months). Pocket Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Chess sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Pocket Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess has 1.6K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 24% of Pocket Chess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update every 5 days, Pocket Chess every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Chess versus Pocket Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessPocket Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.6K ratings) — better2.5 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews90.5% of reviews — better24.5% of reviews
Number of ratings1.6K — better22
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 10 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.114.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size276 MB10 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMastersoftSteven Barnegren

Customer experience

Chess

All ratings1,556 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews2,036 reviews
Positive90.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative5.5%

Pocket Chess

All ratings22 ratings
Positive27.3%
Neutral18.2%
Negative54.5%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive24.5%
Neutral12.2%
Negative63.3%

User reviews

Chess

From 1.6K 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

Pocket Chess

From 22 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Clean aesthetics
  • 👍 Simple and good
  • 🎮 Realistic graphics
  • 😊 Great game

Room to improve

  • 👎 Computer cheats
  • 👎 Bots are atrocious
  • 👎 Too hard
  • 👎 Too easy
  • 👎 Little to do

Bugs and requests

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

Pocket Chess

Reported bugs

24 issues
  • Computer makes wrong moves
  • Computer cheats by moving pieces
  • Board flips for no reason
  • Hard mode is too easy
  • Option to castle is hard to find
Show 19 more
  • Computer says stalemate instead of win
  • Computer AI is odd
  • Cannot move where I want
  • Computer makes ridiculous mistakes
  • Board is set up wrong
  • Queen and king are reversed
  • En passant doesn't work
  • Cannot win in 2 player mode
  • Black queen on white space, white queen on black space
  • Pawn promotion only gives Queen
  • Squares are mixed up
  • Bottom right corner should be white
  • Queen goes on her own color
  • En passant move missing
  • Board setup backwards
  • No undo button in 2 player mode
  • No submit button in 2 player mode
  • App charged without prompting
  • Pieces are reversed

Requested features

9 requests
  • Make medium difficulty easier
  • Add undo button
  • Add submit button
  • Option to fix board orientation in 2 player mode
  • More variety in AI moves
Show 4 more
  • Make computer mode easier
  • Make game harder
  • Add more colors
  • Level for kids

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Chess

One-time2
  • Buy Chess Pro.$2.99
  • Upgrade to Ginkgo. 10% Off.$9.95
1 purchases

Pocket Chess

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pocket Chess free?
Pocket Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess or Pocket Chess?
Chess is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Pocket Chess averages 2.5 from 22 ratings.
Do Chess or Pocket Chess have ads?
Chess shows ads; Pocket Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess or Pocket Chess?
Chess ships an update every 5 days, and Pocket Chess every 10 months. Most recently, Chess was updated on November 3, 2026 and Pocket Chess on October 26, 2026.

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