# Chess Time vs SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

The clearest difference is price: Chess Time at Free against SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's $4.99. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Chess Time is free to download; SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99 up front. Chess Time sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess Time against 4.8 for SmallFish Chess for Stockfish. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.7K and 4.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Chess Time's written reviews are positive against 79% of SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's.

Chess Time ships an update every 10 days, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess Time | SmallFish Chess for Stockfish |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-time-multiplayer-chess/id455602152/reviews) | **[4.8 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallfish-chess-for-stockfish/id675049147/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.7K | **4.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **86.2% of reviews** | 79.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#12** |
| Size | 42 MB | 195 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Haptic Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/421590139) | [Ted Wong](https://appshunter.io/developer/570426131) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess Time

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-time-multiplayer-chess/id455602152)

Engage in online chess matches with friends or players worldwide. This app supports correspondence play with extended move times and offers features like in-game chat and customizable themes. Track your progress with an auto-calculated ELO rating.

**Highlights:** Online correspondence chess, Play with friends, Global player matchmaking, In-game chat, Customizable chess sets and themes, Auto-calculated ELO rating, PGN export

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chess Time Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| Chess Time Premium - Annual | $17.99 | per year |
| IOS Chess Time Pro | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🌍 Cross-platform play
- 📊 Detailed player stats and rankings
- 💬 In-game chat functionality
- 🕰️ Flexible time controls for games

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 💰 Ads can be intrusive
- 🔒 Lack of robust anti-cheat measures
- 🖥️ Outdated or basic user interface

**Reported bugs**

- Game incorrectly declaring draws on checkmate
- Inability to castle or move pieces in certain situations
- Notification issues across different devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to invite friends to watch ongoing games
- Option to disable move analysis for rated games
- Faster move processing and real-time gameplay
- More diverse chess piece and board designs
- In-app purchase to remove ads permanently


### SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallfish-chess-for-stockfish/id675049147)

**Currently charting:** #12 Top Paid · Board, #49 Top Paid · Strategy, #137 Top Paid · Games (US App Store)

This app leverages the powerful Stockfish chess engine to help you improve your game. Analyze your matches with detailed comments, study the engine's thought process, and track your progress. It offers advanced features like blunder checking and graphical evaluations without any ads or in-app purchases.

**Highlights:** Blunder checking, Multiple line analysis, Graphical game evaluation, Game previews, Dark mode support, Endgame tablebase, Opening books

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful chess engine
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 💡 Customizable board and piece styles
- 🚀 Fast move calculations
- 👍 Helpful analysis and suggestions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Issues with board and coordinate display
- 🐛 Inconsistencies in engine difficulty levels
- 🐛 Problems with PGN file handling
- 👎 Complicated user interface

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when setting up positions
- Incorrect move suggestions and engine evaluations
- Freezing and unresponsiveness during gameplay
- Issues with board and coordinate display alignment

**Requested features**

- Add support for variations and multiple analysis lines
- Implement a two-player mode with piece flipping
- Add PGN file sorting, searching, and folder support
- Provide an option to hide the board and show captured pieces
- Integrate with chess.com and other platforms


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess Time free?

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

### Is SmallFish Chess for Stockfish free?

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chess Time or SmallFish Chess for Stockfish?

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish is rated higher. Chess Time averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while SmallFish Chess for Stockfish averages 4.8 from 4.5K ratings.

### Do Chess Time or SmallFish Chess for Stockfish have ads?

Chess Time shows ads; SmallFish Chess for Stockfish does not.

### Which is updated more often, Chess Time or SmallFish Chess for Stockfish?

Chess Time ships an update every 10 days, and SmallFish Chess for Stockfish every 8 days. Most recently, Chess Time was updated on October 21, 2026 and SmallFish Chess for Stockfish on October 26, 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.*