Comparison

joygo vs Go Master 2017

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

Head to head
About

joygo

Play Go and Chinese Chess with AI opponents, solve puzzles, and analyze games. Features include online matches, AI reviews with win-rate graphs, and photo recognition to convert board images into playable positions. Suitable for all skill levels, from beginners to experienced players.

Highlights
  • Online Go matches
  • AI opponents and analysis
  • Life-and-death puzzles (tsumego)
  • Chinese Chess (Xiangqi)
  • Game record study
  • Photo recognition for board positions
Features
Read full description

忘忧围棋 — Go, Chinese Chess & AI Analysis Play Go, challenge AI, solve life-and-death puzzles, study game records, and enjoy Chinese Chess—all in one app! Founded in 2012, GoBuddy (Wangyou Go) brings together online Go matches, AI opponents, AI game reviews, tsumego puzzles, professional game records, live matches, and Chinese Chess. Whether you're a beginner, a young learner, or an experienced player, find your own way to enjoy the game. 【PLAY GO | Online Matches & AI Opponents】 • Play Go online against real players and friends. • Challenge AI opponents at different skill levels. • Review opening, middle-game battles, and endgame decisions. • Explore alternative moves and tactical variations. From 9×9 practice boards to full games, learn through play. 【GO AI ANALYSIS | Smart Review & Win Rates】 • AI move suggestions help you compare candidate moves. • Win-rate graphs highlight turning points and mistakes. • AI variations let you examine possible continuations. • Position analysis helps assess territory and the balance of play. • Use AI tools while playing, watching, or studying game records. Review not only the result, but also the decisions behind each move. 【GO PUZZLES | Tsumego, Tesuji & Endgame】 • Life-and-death puzzles (tsumego): practice living, killing, and reading. • Tesuji problems: discover clever moves, connections, and cuts. • Endgame (yose) exercises: compare points and move order. • Choose exercises that match your experience and practice daily. Build your reading skills one problem at a time. 【GO EDUCATION | Logic, Focus & Reasoning】 Go is a strategy game that invites careful observation, prediction, and decision-making. • Logical reasoning: understand liberties, connections, and cause and effect. • Forward thinking: anticipate responses and compare variations. • Calculation: read several moves ahead in local fights. • Concentration: focus on shapes, threats, and key points. • Spatial thinking: consider groups, territory, and whole-board balance. • Planning: adjust strategies as a position develops. • Independent thinking: make your own judgment before checking AI. • Patience and sportsmanship: respect rules, opponents, and results. Go is not a substitute for formal education, but it offers a fun setting for practicing these habits. 【GO FOR KIDS | Beginner & Family Learning】 Start with the board, liberties, captures, and basic life-and-death shapes. Practice against beginner-level AI, try simple puzzles, study game records, and review decisions together. Parents and children can discuss moves, test ideas, and learn from mistakes at a comfortable pace. Go can be a shared activity for children, teens, and adults alike. 【PHOTO RECOGNITION | Turn Images into Go Positions】 Photograph a board or import a saved diagram, including puzzles from books. Convert recognized positions into an interactive board for further study and AI analysis. 【CHINESE CHESS | Xiangqi & Endgame Challenges】 • Play Xiangqi against computer opponents at different levels. • Compete with other players online. • Invite friends through shared WeChat game links. • Solve daily Chinese Chess endgame challenges. • Progress through endgame puzzle levels. • Review match records and rankings. Enjoy both Go and Chinese Chess in one app. 【PRO GAME RECORDS | Replay & Live Go】 • Browse professional Go game records and classic matches. • Replay moves, study branches, and examine key decisions. • Save and manage your personal game records. • Follow live professional Go games. • Use AI analysis to investigate important moments. 【GO COMMUNITY | Friends & Conversation】 Chat during games, message friends, and share images or Go variation diagrams. Invite players for another match and manage your friends and blocked users. 【WITH GO PLAYERS SINCE 2012】 From online Go and AI reviews to tsumego, game records, live matches, and Xiangqi, Wangyou Go offers tools to play, practice, and explore. Learn every move. Website: https://www.gog361.com Weibo: @忘忧围棋

About

Go Master 2017

This app offers a free library of Go problems for learners of all levels, from beginner to advanced. It provides detailed explanations, solutions, and variations for each problem, encouraging proactive learning with note-taking tools.

Highlights
  • Free Go problem library
  • Problems for all levels (40k to 9d)
  • Covers all game stages
  • Proactive learning encouragement
  • Detailed explanations and solutions
  • Note-taking tools
Features
Read full description

A joint product for learning board game go, by Go Eye author and BestGo Institute. A free, simple, and elegant go problem library app targeting at each level of go learners, with problems ranging from 40k to 9d. The problems include all stages of a go game, including opening, middle game, and end games. It is the first go learning app that encourages proactive learning. It provides comprehensive explanations to each problem with correct solution, wrong solution, variations, as well as comments. With handy note taking tools, you can document your thoughts in each problem. The problems are shared from BestGo's yearly accumulated teaching materials and the library is growing continuously.

Screenshots

joygo4 screens
Go Master 20174 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Go Master 2017 at none against joygo's 10. Go Master 2017 also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). joygo's advantage is ratings volume (105 vs 8). On price, update cadence 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. joygo sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Go Master 2017 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Go Master 2017 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: joygo has 105 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of joygo's written reviews are positive against 96% of Go Master 2017's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

joygo ships an update monthly, Go Master 2017 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
joygo versus Go Master 2017: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterjoygoGo Master 2017
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (105 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.0% of reviews95.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings105 — better8
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.09.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size185 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer延正 王Wenzhang Zhu

Customer experience

joygo

All ratings105 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews272 reviews
Positive71.0%
Neutral9.2%
Negative19.9%

Go Master 2017

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive95.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.3%

Bugs and requests

joygo

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Registration process not working for some users
  • Freezing issues when trying to pass during gameplay
  • Inconsistent scoring and result display
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for multiple board sizes
  • Improve online multiplayer functionality
  • Provide more detailed gameplay instructions
  • Implement undo/redo feature

Go Master 2017

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

joygo

One-time10
  • one month VIP right$0.99
  • Purchase 100 diamonds$1.99
  • VIP 3 month$2.99
Show 7 more
  • To close advertisement.$8.99
  • VIP 6 month$11.99
  • VIP one year$20.99
  • Purchase 2000 diamonds$29.99
  • Unlimited playing with AI$49.99
  • Purchase 5000 diamonds$69.99
  • Purchase 10000 diamonds$159.99
None

Go Master 2017

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is joygo free?
joygo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Go Master 2017 free?
Go Master 2017 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, joygo or Go Master 2017?
Go Master 2017 is rated higher. joygo averages 4.6 out of 5 from 105 ratings, while Go Master 2017 averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do joygo or Go Master 2017 have ads?
joygo shows ads; Go Master 2017 does not.
Which is updated more often, joygo or Go Master 2017?
joygo ships an update monthly, and Go Master 2017 every 3 weeks. Most recently, joygo was updated on November 10, 2026 and Go Master 2017 on November 6, 2026.

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