# SocialChess vs Chess ⁺

The clearest difference is update cadence: SocialChess at weekly against Chess ⁺'s every 2 months. Chess ⁺'s advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SocialChess sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year and Chess ⁺ sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for SocialChess against 4.7 for Chess ⁺. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.3K and 2.9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of SocialChess's written reviews are positive against 85% of Chess ⁺'s.

SocialChess ships an update weekly, Chess ⁺ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SocialChess | Chess ⁺ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (7.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/socialchess-online-chess/id442239737/reviews)** | [4.7 (2.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess/id1217007613/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.3K** | 2.9K |
| Positive reviews | 82.2% of reviews | **85.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 104 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Woodchop Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/442239740) | [Entertainment 4Media AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1438411916) |

## What reviewers say

### SocialChess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/socialchess-online-chess/id442239737)

Engage in online chess matches with friends or strangers, featuring both timed and correspondence game modes. Enjoy a clean interface with no ads, advanced features, and detailed game statistics. Play offline and sync later, with options to expand game limits via in-app purchase.

**Highlights:** Online chess matches, Timed and correspondence games, No advertisements, Detailed statistics (ELO, wins, losses), Conditional moves and premoves, Offline play with later sync, User profiles and chat

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual Membership | $14.99 | per year |
| 1 Year Membership | $14.99 | one-time |
| 1 Year Gift Membership | $14.99 | one-time |
| DecodeChess 1 Year | $41.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent app for playing chess
- 👍 Clean, user-friendly interface
- 👍 Large player base and easy to find opponents
- 👍 Ability to play slow or fast games
- 👍 No ads or distractions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
- 🔋 Potential battery drain issues
- 💰 Subscription fees for some features
- 🤖 Concerns about cheating and bots
- 🤬 Issues with toxic/abusive players

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing or crashing during gameplay
- Inaccurate game statistics and ratings
- Delayed or unresponsive move registrations
- Inability to cancel or delete games

**Requested features**

- Add chess analysis and training tools
- Implement anti-cheat measures
- Improve game history and statistics tracking
- Allow customization of board and piece designs
- Add tournament and team play modes


### Chess ⁺

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess/id1217007613)

Enhance your chess abilities with this comprehensive training application. It offers a vast array of puzzles, tactical exercises, and learning modes for players of all levels. Track your progress with live statistics and enjoy a visually engaging experience.

**Highlights:** 2D & 3D chess pieces, Hundreds of levels, Thousands of exercises, Tactics training, Opening and endgame practice, Checkmate puzzles, Learning mode with hints

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 Gem Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| 50 Gem Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| 100 Gem Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| 250 Gem Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| 500 Gem Pack | $36.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Gem Pack | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great gameplay
- 👍 Visually appealing
- 💡 Helpful for learning chess
- 🎓 Effective teaching of tactics and strategies

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 💰 Limited free content, requires in-app purchases
- ⏱️ AI can take too long to make moves

**Reported bugs**

- AI freezing and not making moves
- Game progress and achievements being reset
- Connectivity issues with login and cloud sync

**Requested features**

- Ability to analyze and save past games
- Option to play against other users online
- More advanced training modes and challenges


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SocialChess free?

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

### Is Chess ⁺ free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SocialChess or Chess ⁺?

SocialChess is rated higher. SocialChess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while Chess ⁺ averages 4.7 from 2.9K ratings.

### Do SocialChess or Chess ⁺ have ads?

Neither SocialChess nor Chess ⁺ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SocialChess or Chess ⁺?

SocialChess ships an update weekly, and Chess ⁺ every 2 months. Most recently, SocialChess was updated on October 31, 2026 and Chess ⁺ on October 29, 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.*