# Chess Deluxe vs Chess

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chess at 83% against Chess Deluxe's 33%. Chess also leads on price (Free vs $2.99) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17). Chess Deluxe's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (4.6 vs 4.2). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Chess is free to download; Chess Deluxe costs $2.99 up front. Chess sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Chess Deluxe asks for nothing beyond the download.

Chess Deluxe holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Deluxe has 190 ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Chess Deluxe's written reviews are positive against 83% of Chess's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Chess Deluxe ships an update every 2 months, Chess monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess Deluxe | Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (190 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-deluxe/id500880061/reviews)** | [4.2 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-play-vs-computer/id1527039027/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **190** | 33 |
| Positive reviews | 32.7% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 18 MB | 178 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nicholas Cooke](https://appshunter.io/developer/363977390) | [Van Kien Bui](https://appshunter.io/developer/1328384575) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess Deluxe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-deluxe/id500880061)

Enjoy a classic chess experience with a beautiful interface and adaptive AI. Play against smart opponents, challenge friends locally or online, and track your progress with detailed game history. This app offers a distraction-free environment for pure chess enjoyment across multiple devices.

**Highlights:** Smart AI opponents (Easy, Medium, Hard), Local multiplayer (same device), Online matches via Game Center, Unlimited undo/redo, Move history in Standard Algebraic Notation, Light and dark themes, iCloud settings sync

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and clean interface
- 👍 Nice and simple to use
- 👍 Great Chess program
- 👍 Fun Chess app
- 👍 Good basic version of a chess app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Computer difficulty inconsistent
- 🐛 Computer too easy or too hard
- 🐛 App crashes or doesn't work
- 🐛 Poor computer competition
- 🐛 Game rules not implemented correctly

**Reported bugs**

- Computer won't let you win
- Computer moves king to white king
- Game says won when losing
- All pieces are black
- Cannot castle king and rook

**Requested features**

- How to record a game
- Intermediate difficulty level
- Option to turn off timer
- See board labels (g column cut off)
- Board labels visible with pieces


### Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-play-vs-computer/id1527039027)

Practice chess and enhance your strategic thinking with this classic board game app. It offers multiple difficulty levels to play against the computer, a two-player offline mode, and over 1,000 tactical puzzles to solve. Review your games to learn from mistakes and improve your skills.

**Highlights:** Play against computer with 10 difficulty levels, Two-player offline mode, Over 1,000 chess puzzles, Create custom puzzles, Game review and analysis, 2D and 3D board styles

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 Hints Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| 50 Hints Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| 150 Hints Pack | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess Deluxe free?

Chess Deluxe costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Chess free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Chess Deluxe or Chess?

Chess Deluxe is rated higher. Chess Deluxe averages 4.6 out of 5 from 190 ratings, while Chess averages 4.2 from 33 ratings.

### Do Chess Deluxe or Chess have ads?

Neither Chess Deluxe nor Chess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess Deluxe or Chess?

Chess Deluxe ships an update every 2 months, and Chess monthly. Most recently, Chess Deluxe was updated on November 1, 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.*