SimpleChess vs Chess Hotel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SimpleChess
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.
- Online multiplayer chess
- Customizable chessboards and pieces
- Tactical training modules
- Puzzle battles
- ELO ranking tracking
- Chess960 variant
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Play chess online - it's that simple! Simple, practical and fast, SimpleChess makes playing chess as easy as child's play! • It's free! • Compete against opponents from all over the world • Customize your chessboard, with 20 piece types and 40 chessboard designs • 10 different themes (5 dark, 5 light) • Choose your game rating: fast, blitz, bullet, or create the rating of your choice • Track your progress with your ELO ranking • Make progress with our tactical training modules • Challenge other players to a puzzle battle • Play Chess960, a variant of the chess game • Earn XP experience points with every game Become a member and enjoy additional features: • Analyze your games by computer • Find your friends easily • And enjoy full access to our training modules!
Chess Hotel
Engage in live chess matches with players globally. Track your progress with a personal account, rating, and game statistics. Features include timed games, a chat function, and league play for competitive engagement.
- Live games with time controls
- Personal account with rating and statistics
- In-game chat function
- Fast opponent matching
- League games
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Play chess online with players around the world. Join a live game, take your time with daily chess, or sharpen your skills with puzzles. PLAY YOUR WAY • Play live chess with your preferred time control. • Make moves at your own pace in daily games. • Challenge a friend or share an invite. • Join Chess Hotel league games. LEARN AND IMPROVE • Solve chess puzzles and the daily puzzle. • Review your games and track your rating and results. • Choose your favorite board and chess pieces. STAY CONNECTED • Use your existing ChessHotel account on iPhone, iPad, and the web. • Get notifications for daily moves and challenges. • Chat with your opponents during games. Optional memberships unlock more league games, game reviews, and game history. Subscription details and prices are shown in the app before purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.chesshotel.com/termsofservice Privacy Policy: https://www.chesshotel.com/privacypolicy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Chess Hotel at 5.0 against SimpleChess's 4.0. SimpleChess's advantage is review sentiment (53% vs 13%) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 7 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. SimpleChess sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Chess Hotel sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Chess Hotel holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SimpleChess has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 53% of SimpleChess's written reviews are positive against 13% of Chess Hotel's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SimpleChess ships an update every 8 days, Chess Hotel every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SimpleChess | Chess Hotel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (8 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.7% of reviews — better | 12.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 82 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Europe Echecs | Foggy Media |
Customer experience
SimpleChess
Chess Hotel
In-app purchases
SimpleChess
- Essential Pack (Monthly plan)$2.991 Month
- Premium Pack (Monthly plan)$3.991 Month
- Essential Pack (Annual Plan)$24.991 Year
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- Premium Pack (Annual Plan)$34.991 Year
- 1 month extend$0.99
- 3 months extend$1.99
- 6 month extend$3.99
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- 1 year extend$5.99
Chess Hotel
- Chess Hotel Basic$2.991 Month
- Chess Hotel Regular$3.991 Month
- Chess Hotel Unlimited$7.991 Month
- Premium$2.99
- Premium Membership - 1 Year$6.99
Questions
Is SimpleChess free?
Is Chess Hotel free?
Which has better reviews, SimpleChess or Chess Hotel?
Do SimpleChess or Chess Hotel have ads?
Which is updated more often, SimpleChess or Chess Hotel?
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