# SocialChess vs Chess

The clearest difference is price: SocialChess at Free against Chess's $3.99. SocialChess also leads on ratings volume (7.3K vs 118). Chess's advantage is review sentiment (92% vs 82%). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

SocialChess is free to download; Chess costs $3.99 up front. SocialChess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year and Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. 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. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SocialChess has 7.3K ratings behind it against 118, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of SocialChess's written reviews are positive against 92% of Chess's.

SocialChess ships an update weekly, Chess every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | SocialChess | Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (7.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/socialchess-online-chess/id442239737/reviews)** | [4.7 (118 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.3K** | 118 |
| Positive reviews | 82.1% of reviews | **92.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 106 MB | 237 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Woodchop Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/442239740) | [Giordano Vicoli](https://appshunter.io/developer/460922805) |

## What reviewers say

### SocialChess

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

Play chess online with friends or random opponents, with options for fast-paced live games or relaxed daily matches. Improve your skills with game reviews, insights, and strategy tools. Enjoy a clean, ad-free experience with social features like chat and profiles.

**Highlights:** Live and daily chess games, Play with friends via invite link, Random opponent matching, Game reviews and insights, Chess960 and premoves, Chat and group chat, Cross-device syncing

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual Membership | $14.99 | per year |
| 1 Year Membership | $14.99 | one-time |
| 1 Year Gift Membership | $14.99 | 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-studio/id684224545)

Manage and study chess databases and games in PGN format with advanced analysis tools. Supports game creation, modification, and import from various sources. Includes engine analysis, opening book management, and puzzle training.

**Highlights:** PGN database and game management, Create, modify, and import games, Advanced engine analysis with Stockfish, Opening book and ChessBase support, Chess 960 (Fischer Random) support, Diagram recognition for PGN conversion, Puzzle training and online play

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $8.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Powerful chess database features
- 👍 Comprehensive analysis tools
- 👍 Excellent PGN management
- 👍 Great value for price
- 👍 Frequent updates and improvements

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Steep learning curve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Unintuitive interface
- 🐛 Some users find it confusing
- 🐛 Missing dark mode

**Reported bugs**

- Problem saving updated game data
- Engine stopped working after 30 seconds
- App crashes when adding annotations without hitting 'edit mode' first
- Crash opening .pgn in landscape mode
- Crashes when selecting a cell with 0 games associated

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode
- Add board flip button
- Improve interface for screen reader users
- Add private game feature with code
- Add computer whole game analysis with annotations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SocialChess free?

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

### Is Chess free?

Chess costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### 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 118 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 weeks. Most recently, SocialChess was updated on November 6, 2026 and Chess on November 6, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*