Comparison

Digital Chess Clock vs Chess Clock by Chess.com

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

Head to head
About

Digital Chess Clock

This application transforms your iPhone into a digital chess clock. It displays move counts and remaining time, with customizable settings for delays and sound. Easily adjust clock times and manage game flow with intuitive pause and reset functions.

Highlights
  • Digital chess clock functionality
  • Displays move counts and remaining time
  • Customizable delay types (None, Bronstein, Fisher)
  • Adjustable clock times
  • Sound volume control
  • Pause and reset functions
Features
Read full description

This iPhone application allows the phone to act as a chess clock. The phone is placed to the side of the board with white being at the bottom of the phone, black at the top. The number of moves made is displayed, with the remaining number of moves left to make displayed in brackets. Pressing the start button causes the clock to start depending on whose turn it is to move. Once the clock is started the clock for the person to move starts counting down and the Clock text color changes to Black. The reset button, settings button and clock adjustment buttons are not available whilst the clock is running. Pressing the pause button whilst the clock is running will stop the clock and re-enable the settings, reset & clock adjust buttons (see the initial clock above). There are a number of setting to control the sound, the clock delay type and the initial clock settings. Pressing the settings button (the small letter i to the right of the start button) whilst paused brings up the setting display. The volume of the ticking is controlled by the slider on the settings page, moving it to the left reduces the volume of the clock. There are 3 settings for the delay type None - the clock will count down from the time the player makes a move. Bronstein - the clock will count down until the player makes a move at which point the delay time is added to the display. If the player takes less than the delay amount to make a move then only the amount of time taken to make the move is added. Fisher - the Delay amount is added to the time left and then the clock starts counting down. Each clock can be adjusted separately by pressing the adjust clock button (the small blue chevron at the bottom right of each clock). The clock time can be adjusted by pressing the appropriate amount of time to add or subtract (scroll down to see the times to subtract).

About

Chess Clock by Chess.com

This free app functions as a digital chess clock, offering customizable time controls for any game. It supports various increment and delay types, multiple stages, and handicapping, making it ideal for casual play and tournaments. Adjust time on the fly and enjoy clear displays and audio alerts.

Highlights
  • Customizable time controls
  • Fischer and Bronstein increments
  • Multiple-stage time controls
  • Handicapping support
  • On-the-fly time adjustments
  • Pause and interruption support
  • Audio alerts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Replace your chess clock with this free game timer! It's easy to use, yet fully featured to handle any time control. 100% free: no in-app purchases, no ads! Choose your time control and you're ready to play. The 2nd player presses her button to start the 1st player's clock - and the game is on! FEATURES - Large, easy-to-read buttons - Works in landscape and portrait on all devices - Quickly customize the app for one-tap access to all your favorite time controls - Time controls include base minutes per player and optional per-move delays or bonus time. The app supports both Fischer and Bronstein increments, as well as simple delays. The duration is up to you! - Supports multiple-stage time controls commonly seen in tournaments, such as "40 moves in 2 hours + game in 60 minutes." A glance at the clock shows your current stage! - Support for handicapping lets you set different time controls for each player! - You can adjust the time remaining on the fly, in the middle of your game, for either or both players! - Clock pauses automatically if the app is interrupted; manually pause the clock at any time - Pleasant sounds for buttons and "time's up" alert At Chess.com, we really do love chess, and *sometimes* we even play it offline! For times like that, we created this clock - and we hope you love it as much as we do.

Screenshots

Digital Chess Clock4 screens
Chess Clock by Chess.com4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Digital Chess Clock at 5.0 against Chess Clock by Chess.com's 4.6. Digital Chess Clock also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). Chess Clock by Chess.com's advantage is ratings volume (338 vs 2) and chart position (#180 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Digital Chess Clock holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Clock by Chess.com has 338 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 89% of Digital Chess Clock's written reviews are positive against 91% of Chess Clock by Chess.com's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Digital Chess Clock ships an update every 4 months, Chess Clock by Chess.com every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Digital Chess Clock versus Chess Clock by Chess.com: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDigital Chess ClockChess Clock by Chess.com
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.6 (338 ratings)
Positive reviews88.9% of reviews90.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2338 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#180 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhilip BevanChess.com

Customer experience

Digital Chess Clock

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

Chess Clock by Chess.com

All ratings338 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews212 reviews
Positive90.6%
Neutral5.7%
Negative3.8%

Bugs and requests

Digital Chess Clock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Chess Clock by Chess.com

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Time not always reduced when pressing the clock quickly
  • Custom time settings not always saved properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add warning/countdown alerts for time running out
  • Allow setting different times for each player
  • Provide more theme/color options
  • Add vibration feedback when pressing the clock

In-app purchases

None

Digital Chess Clock

No in-app purchases

None

Chess Clock by Chess.com

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Digital Chess Clock free?
Digital Chess Clock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Clock by Chess.com free?
Chess Clock by Chess.com is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Digital Chess Clock or Chess Clock by Chess.com?
Digital Chess Clock is rated higher. Digital Chess Clock averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Chess Clock by Chess.com averages 4.6 from 338 ratings.
Do Digital Chess Clock or Chess Clock by Chess.com have ads?
Neither Digital Chess Clock nor Chess Clock by Chess.com shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Digital Chess Clock or Chess Clock by Chess.com?
Digital Chess Clock ships an update every 4 months, and Chess Clock by Chess.com every 3 months. Most recently, Digital Chess Clock was updated on October 1, 2026 and Chess Clock by Chess.com on October 12, 2026.

Other comparisons