# SimpleChess vs Chess Online·

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SimpleChess at 53% against Chess Online·'s 4%. SimpleChess also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks). Chess Online·'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and ratings volume (328 vs 8). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SimpleChess sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Chess Online· asks for nothing beyond the download.

SimpleChess holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Online· has 328 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of SimpleChess's written reviews are positive against 4% of Chess Online·'s.

SimpleChess ships an update every 8 days, Chess Online· every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SimpleChess | Chess Online· |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplechess-chess-game/id394634657/reviews)** | [3.5 (328 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-online/id1424486657/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **328** |
| Positive reviews | **52.7% of reviews** | 3.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 82 MB | 141 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Europe Echecs](https://appshunter.io/developer/394634660) | [Solitaire Games Free](https://appshunter.io/developer/1411588969) |

## What reviewers say

### SimpleChess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplechess-chess-game/id394634657)

Engage in a straightforward and rapid chess experience. Compete globally, customize your board and pieces, and track your ELO ranking. Enhance your skills with tactical training and puzzle battles.

**Highlights:** Online multiplayer chess, Customizable chessboards and pieces, Tactical training modules, Puzzle battles, ELO ranking tracking, Chess960 variant

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Essential Pack (Monthly plan) | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium Pack (Monthly plan) | $3.99 | per month |
| Essential Pack (Annual Plan) | $24.99 | per year |
| Premium Pack (Annual Plan) | $34.99 | per year |
| 1 month extend | $0.99 | one-time |
| 3 months extend | $1.99 | one-time |
| 6 month extend | $3.99 | one-time |
| 1 year extend | $5.99 | one-time |


### Chess Online·

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-online/id1424486657)

Engage in classic chess matches against friends or a challenging AI. Save your progress and resume games later. Offers multiple AI difficulty levels for varied gameplay.

**Highlights:** Unlimited free games, Play against AI, Play against friends, Multiple AI difficulty levels, Save game progress, Pass-and-play mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 😊 Simple and clean visuals
- 🎮 Decent gameplay mechanics when functioning properly
- ⚖️ Reasonable difficulty levels available

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive ads interrupting gameplay every 1-3 moves
- 💰 No option to remove ads with payment
- 🐛 Illegal chess moves by AI (castling through check, moving into check)
- 🐛 Incorrect piece placement (queens on wrong color squares)
- 🐛 Game prevents legal moves (castling, en passant, pawn captures)

**Reported bugs**

- AI makes illegal moves (castling through check, moving into check)
- Queens placed on incorrect color squares
- Castling not recognized as legal move
- En passant not implemented
- Pawns cannot capture pieces correctly

**Requested features**

- Place ads only at game start/end, not during gameplay
- Add premium option to remove advertisements
- Improve AI to follow all chess rules correctly
- Better color scheme for board and pieces
- Add animation to piece movements


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SimpleChess free?

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

### Is Chess Online· free?

Chess Online· is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SimpleChess or Chess Online·?

SimpleChess is rated higher. SimpleChess averages 4.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Chess Online· averages 3.5 from 328 ratings.

### Do SimpleChess or Chess Online· have ads?

Neither SimpleChess nor Chess Online· shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SimpleChess or Chess Online·?

SimpleChess ships an update every 8 days, and Chess Online· every 3 weeks. Most recently, SimpleChess was updated on October 24, 2026 and Chess Online· on October 20, 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.*