Comparison

Go Books vs Tertulia

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

Head to head
About

Go Books

Access a vast library of high-quality digital books on the game of Go. Enhance your learning with interactive diagrams, note-taking, and adjustable layouts. Enjoy a superior reading experience compared to print, at a fraction of the cost.

Highlights
  • Interactive diagrams for move replay
  • Solve problems within diagrams
  • Inline diagrams in text
  • Add personal notes
  • Adjustable font and layout
  • Free chapter for each book
Features
Read full description

Enjoy high-quality books about the game of Go on your iPad and iPhone. Replay moves and solve problems directly within diagrams. A better experience than printed books, at half the price. Features: - Free chapter for each book. - Play and replay moves in diagrams. - Interactive problem diagrams. - Text enhanced with inline diagrams. - Links to pro games in SmartGo Kifu. - Add your own notes anywhere in a book. - Adjustable font and layout. - Some multi-lingual books (Japanese, German, French & Spanish). - Buy once, read on iPad, iPhone, and Mac. SmartGo Books currently offers more than 130 Go books that you can buy using in-app purchase; more books are in the works. To help you choose, the free “Guide to Go Books” provides clues as to which books might be appropriate for your level. Getting started: - “Learn to Play Go” (vol. 1-5) by Janice Kim 3 dan & Jeong Soo-hyun 9 dan - “Go: A Complete Introduction to the Game” by Cho Chikun 9 dan - “So You Want to Play Go?” (levels 1-4) by Jonathan Hop For more than 20 years, the Elementary Go Series books have been the standard texts for Go players who want to get a firm grasp of the fundamentals. Not only is the theory of Go explained clearly and simply, the reader is also given problems to show how these theoretical concepts are applied in actual games. - “In the Beginning” - “38 Basic Joseki” - “Tesuji” - “Life and Death” - “Attack and Defense” - “The Endgame” - “Handicap Go” Improving your technique: - “How Not to Play Go” (Spanish & French & English) - “Double Digit Kyu Games” - “Single Digit Kyu Game Commentaries” (vol. 1 & 2) - “More Go by example” - “Basic Techniques of Go” - “Fundamental Principles of Go” - “The Workshop Lectures” (vol. 1-5) - “Cho Hun-hyeon’s Lectures on Go Techniques” (vol. 1 & 2) – “Counting Liberties and Winning Capturing Races” - “Tesuji and Anti-Suji of Go” (out-of-print) - “Making Good Shape” - “All About Ko” - “Key Concepts in Life and Death” - “How to Destroy and Preserve” (out-of-print) - “Sabaki – How to Manage Weak Stones” (out-of-print) - “Punishing and Correcting Joseki Mistakes” (out-of-print) - “Correct Joseki” - “Vital Points and Skillful Finesse for Sabaki” Problem books: - “Black to Play! Train the Basics of Go” (German & French & Spanish & English) - “Graded Go Problems for Beginners” (vol. 1-4) - “501 Opening Problems” & “501 Tesuji Problems” - “Rescue and Capture” & “Tricks in Joseki” - “Get Strong at Life and Death” & “Get Strong at the Endgame” - “Shuko: The Only Move” (vol. 1 & 2) – “Gateway to All Marvels: The Xuanxuan Qijing of 1347” - “The most difficult problem ever: Igo Hatsuyôron 120” (German & English) “Invincible: The Games of Shusaku” by John Power has been widely acclaimed as a masterpiece on one of the greatest Go players who ever lived. Enhanced with in-diagram replay, inline diagrams, and links to referenced games, be prepared to experience this classic in a whole new way. “The Life, Games and Commentaries of Honinbo Shuei” by John Fairbairn provides a full-length biography, detailed commentaries on 79 of Shuei's games tracing the development of Shuei's elusive style, and a collection of Shuei's commentaries. A must-read for every serious Go player and student of Go history. Pro game analysis: - “Master Play: The Style of Lee Changho / Go Seigen / Takemiya / Kitani Minoru & Cho Chikun” - “The Games of Fujisawa Shuko” - “Modern Master Games: The Dawn of Tournament Go” - “The Go Consultants” - “Patterns of the Sanrensei” (Japanese & English) - “Understanding Pro Games” & “Deep Thought” (vol. 1 & 2) - Books on games by O Rissei, Naoki Hane, Keigo Yamashita, Go Seigen, Takemiya Masaki, and Sakata Go is a 4000-year-old board game that originated in China. The two players take turns placing stones in an effort to surround territory. The rules can be learned in minutes, yet the complexity of the game provides lifetime enjoyment. Also known as baduk, wéiqí, and igo, it is played by millions of people worldwide.

About

Tertulia

Discover your next favorite book with curated recommendations from across the web. Organize your reading lists and purchase books seamlessly. Enjoy the best bookstore membership for passionate readers.

Highlights
  • Book recommendations from social media, podcasts, and web
  • Reading list tracking
  • Seamless book purchasing (US only)
  • Bookstore membership benefits
  • Discover trending books
Features
Read full description

Welcome booklovers! Tertulia is a one-stop shop for finding your next great read, keeping track of your reading lists and purchasing books with the best bookstore membership for avid readers. Tertulia serves up book recommendations from across social media, podcasts, and the web — all in one app which incorporates seamless book purchasing (US only). If a book has moved someone enough to get them talking, you can find it, buy it, and share it on Tertulia.

Screenshots

Go Books4 screens
Tertulia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tertulia at none against Go Books's 12. Tertulia also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (509 vs 35). Go Books's advantage is review sentiment (81% vs 67%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, ads 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. Go Books sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Tertulia asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Go Books against 4.7 for Tertulia. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tertulia has 509 ratings behind it against 35, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Go Books's written reviews are positive against 67% of Tertulia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Go Books ships an update every 2 months, Tertulia weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Go Books versus Tertulia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGo BooksTertulia
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (35 ratings) — better4.7 (509 ratings)
Positive reviews80.6% of reviews — better67.2% of reviews
Number of ratings35509 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB14 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperSmart Go, Inc.Tertulia, Inc.

Customer experience

Go Books

All ratings35 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral2.9%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews124 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral7.3%
Negative12.1%

Tertulia

All ratings507 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral8.2%
Negative24.6%

Bugs and requests

Go Books

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tertulia

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Login and account issues
  • Disappearing user book lists
  • Inconsistent pricing and shipping information

Requested features

4 requests
  • iPad app version
  • Ability to rate and review books read
  • Improved personalized recommendations
  • Smoother scrolling and list management

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Go Books

One-time12
  • "Double Digit Kyu Games" by Neil Moffatt$5.99
  • "Go: A Complete Introduction to the Game" by Cho Chikun$5.99
  • "How Not to Play Go" by Yuan Zhou$5.99
Show 9 more
  • "So You Want to Play Go? - Level 1" by Jonathan Hop$5.99
  • "Learn to Play Go: A Step-By-Step Guide to the Game" by Janice Kim$7.99
  • "Learn to Play Go II: The Way of the Moving Horse" by Janice Kim$7.99
  • "Learn to Play Go III: The Dragon Style" by Janice Kim$7.99
  • "Basic Techniques of Go" by Haruyama & Nagahara$9.99
  • "Graded Go Problems for Beginners 1" by Kano Yoshinori$9.99
  • "Graded Go Problems 2" by Kano Yoshinori$9.99
  • "Fundamental Principles of Go" by Yilun Yang 7 dan$11.99
  • "Tesuji" by James Davies$11.99
None

Tertulia

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Go Books free?
Go Books is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tertulia free?
Tertulia is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Go Books or Tertulia?
Go Books is rated higher. Go Books averages 4.9 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Tertulia averages 4.7 from 509 ratings.
Do Go Books or Tertulia have ads?
Neither Go Books nor Tertulia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Go Books or Tertulia?
Go Books ships an update every 2 months, and Tertulia weekly. Most recently, Go Books was updated on October 21, 2026 and Tertulia on October 24, 2026.

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