Comparison

Real Chess vs Lucid Chess

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

Head to head
About

Real Chess

Experience the classic two-player board game of strategy and tactics. Challenge opponents and aim to 'checkmate' their king. This digital version offers a familiar and engaging way to play.

Highlights
  • Two-player board game
  • Classic chess rules
  • Strategic gameplay
  • Checkmate objective
  • Multiple game phases
Features
Read full description

Game Center chess game. Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments. Each player begins the game with sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. Each of the six piece types moves differently. Pieces are used to attack and capture the opponent's pieces, with the object of the game being to 'checkmate' the opponent's king by placing it under an inescapable threat of capture. In addition to checkmate, the game can be won by the voluntary resignation of one's opponent, which typically occurs when too much material is lost, or if checkmate appears unavoidable. A game may also result in a draw in several ways, where neither player wins. The course of the game is divided into three phases: opening, middlegame and endgame.

About

Lucid Chess

Engage in a focused single-player chess experience with AI opponents. Analyze your games with move-quality feedback and compare candidate moves highlighted by color. Customize your play with various themes and helpful controls.

Highlights
  • AI opponent levels 1-9
  • Lucid Lens candidate move highlighting
  • Recent game review panel
  • Move-quality feedback
  • Multiple board themes
  • Undo and hint controls
  • Blunder alerts
Features
Read full description

Lucid Chess is a focused single-player chess game built for mobile play. Choose white or black, set the AI level from 1 to 9, and start a match on a clear 8x8 board. When you select a piece, Lucid Lens marks candidate moves with colors so you can compare good, stable, and risky options before moving. The recent game panel lets you replay the latest saved move record in a read-only review mode and check accuracy with move-quality feedback. The game also includes Classic, Ocean, Forest, and Mono board themes, plus new game, undo, hint, and blunder alert controls.

Screenshots

Real Chess1 screens
Lucid Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Lucid Chess at 100% against Real Chess's 36%. Lucid Chess also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Real Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (49 vs 1). On price 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. Real Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Lucid Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lucid Chess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Real Chess has 49 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Real Chess's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lucid Chess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Real Chess ships an update fortnightly, Lucid Chess every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Real Chess versus Lucid Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReal ChessLucid Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (49 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings49 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS4.3 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB82 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNO WOO KYOUNGSeori Labs

Customer experience

Real Chess

All ratings48 ratings
Positive52.1%
Neutral8.3%
Negative39.6%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive36.1%
Neutral16.4%
Negative47.5%

Lucid Chess

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Real Chess

One-time1
  • Chess Upgrade$2.99
None

Lucid Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Real Chess free?
Real Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lucid Chess free?
Lucid Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Real Chess or Lucid Chess?
Lucid Chess is rated higher. Real Chess averages 3.3 out of 5 from 49 ratings, while Lucid Chess averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Real Chess or Lucid Chess have ads?
Lucid Chess shows ads; Real Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, Real Chess or Lucid Chess?
Real Chess ships an update fortnightly, and Lucid Chess every 5 weeks. Most recently, Real Chess was updated on November 6, 2026 and Lucid Chess on November 6, 2026.

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