# Little Go vs Smart Othello

The clearest difference is rating: Smart Othello at 4.5 against Little Go's 3.3. Smart Othello also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). Little Go's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Smart Othello sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Little Go asks for nothing beyond the download.

Smart Othello holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 121 and 552 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Little Go's written reviews are positive against 65% of Smart Othello's.

Little Go ships an update every 4 months, Smart Othello every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Little Go | Smart Othello |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (121 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/little-go/id490753989/reviews) | **[4.5 (552 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-othello/id1056367184/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 121 | **552** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **65.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 51 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Patrick Naf Moser](https://appshunter.io/developer/490753992) | [Smart Go, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/290948289) |

## What reviewers say

### Little Go

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/little-go/id490753989)

Play the strategic game of Go on your iPhone or iPad. Challenge a human opponent or test your skills against a powerful AI. Customize game settings, analyze moves, and save your progress.

**Highlights:** Multiple board sizes (7x7 to 19x19), Play against AI or human opponent, Adjustable AI strength, Score calculation (area/territory), Handicap stone placement, Customizable rulesets, Save and load games

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Free and open source
- 🎮 Excellent AI engine
- 🎛️ Highly customizable settings
- 🆓 No ads or in-app purchases
- 🎨 Pleasant graphics

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❓ Unclear interface
- 🕹️ Difficult to place stones
- 📈 Very difficult for beginners
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🤔 AI can be too strong

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot pass to end the game
- Human player cannot place stones (sometimes)
- AI makes illegal moves
- AI resigns too early
- Undo button glitches

**Requested features**

- Add a tutorial for beginners
- Improve UI clarity and intuitiveness
- Add a demo board for teaching
- Add a rematch option
- Add Game Center support for turn-based matches


### Smart Othello

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-othello/id1056367184)

Experience the classic strategy board game with this app. Play against friends or a computer with five difficulty levels. Improve your skills with a tutorial and helpful aids, making it easy to learn but challenging to master.

**Highlights:** Five computer play levels, Real-time matches via Game Center, Achievements and leaderboards, Blunder Guard, Hint, undo, and replay functions, Collection of top player games

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Pack | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🧠 Excellent AI with challenging difficulty levels
- 💡 Helpful hints and tips for learning
- ↩️ Undo button for reviewing mistakes
- 🎨 Clean, elegant, and intuitive interface
- 📚 Extensive expert database (126,000 matches)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
- 🔋 Excessive battery consumption
- 🌐 Online multiplayer doesn't work reliably
- 📧 Support email feature non-functional
- 🎮 Inconsistent difficulty scaling (too easy or too hard)

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes on launch when Game Center is enabled
- Game crashes mid-play on certain difficulty levels
- Online play fails to find opponents or pair players
- App locks up when switching to other applications
- Game Center notifications excessive and intrusive

**Requested features**

- Fix online multiplayer functionality
- Add local 2-player head-to-head mode
- Implement time limits for online moves
- Add option to remove/customize player avatars
- Improve Game Center integration and sync


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Little Go free?

Little Go is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Smart Othello free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Little Go or Smart Othello?

Smart Othello is rated higher. Little Go averages 3.3 out of 5 from 121 ratings, while Smart Othello averages 4.5 from 552 ratings.

### Do Little Go or Smart Othello have ads?

Neither Little Go nor Smart Othello shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Little Go or Smart Othello?

Little Go ships an update every 4 months, and Smart Othello every 2 months. Most recently, Little Go was updated on October 22, 2026 and Smart Othello on October 22, 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.*