# Chess vs Pocket Chess

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chess at 90% against Pocket Chess's 24%. Chess also leads on rating (4.6 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.

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.

Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.6 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.

Chess ships an update every 5 days, Pocket Chess every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess | Pocket Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-learn-play-and-trainer/id378161776/reviews)** | [2.5 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-chess/id699609579/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.6K** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | **90.5% of reviews** | 24.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 276 MB | 10 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) | [Steven Barnegren](https://appshunter.io/developer/632311869) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-learn-play-and-trainer/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 (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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


### Pocket Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-chess/id699609579)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Make medium difficulty easier
- Add undo button
- Add submit button
- Option to fix board orientation in 2 player mode
- More variety in AI moves


## Frequently asked 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 4.6 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 4, 2026 and Pocket Chess on November 1, 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.*