Comparison

Classic Nim vs SmartGo One

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

Head to head
About

Classic Nim

Experience the classic strategy game of Nim. Challenge yourself or a friend by taking turns removing stones from piles. The goal is to avoid being the last player to take a stone.

Highlights
  • Configurable board
  • One player mode
  • Two player mode
  • Leveled AI opponent
  • Classic Nim gameplay
Features
Read full description

The classic board game Nim. Players take turns removing stones from piles and try not to be the last one to remove a stone. Features a configurable board, one and two player modes, as well as a leveled AI.

About

SmartGo One

Learn, play, and improve at the ancient game of Go. This app offers adjustable board sizes, a strong AI opponent, and tools to study professional games and solve Go problems. It's designed for players of all skill levels, from beginners to masters.

Highlights
  • Adjustable board sizes (9x9 to 19x19)
  • Strong KataGo game engine
  • Study professional game records
  • Solve Go problems and tutorials
  • Pattern matching for move suggestions
  • Territory estimator
  • Game recording and annotation
Features
Read full description

SmartGo One is the only Go app you’ll need, whether you’re just getting started or already a seasoned player. Learn, play, study, and improve with SmartGo One. Experience the ancient game of Go on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac in a whole new way. Also known as igo (囲碁), wéiqí (围棋), or baduk (바둑), Go begins with an empty board that gradually fills as players surround territory and capture stones. Start with a 9x9 board and move up to 13x13 and 19x19 as your skills grow. SmartGo One adapts to your strength, automatically adjusting handicaps so games remain competitive and enjoyable. And when you’re ready for a serious challenge, the powerful KataGo-based engine delivers strong, rewarding play. But SmartGo One is far more than a way to play Go. Read interactive Go books while replaying the moves they describe to deepen your understanding. Explore a collection of more than 138,000 professional game records spanning both modern and historical masters. Improve your reading and decision-making skills with a growing library of Go problems and tutorials. Want to know how a master would handle a position on your board? SmartGo’s pattern matching technology compares your game with historical pro games and shows how strong players approached similar situations. No matter your level, SmartGo One helps you continue improving. Features include: • 9x9, 11x11, 13x13, and 19x19 board sizes • Powerful KataGo-based engine • Fast and responsive gameplay • Manual or automatic handicap adjustment • Record, annotate, and edit your games • Territory estimator • Hints and move analysis • Undo and replay controls • Tutorial with over 100 problems • Extensive user manual We value your privacy and only collect the minimum information necessary to make our apps work well for you. Learn more at https://smartgo.com/privacy.html. This app is licensed under Apple’s standard Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Classic Nim4 screens
SmartGo One4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Classic Nim at none against SmartGo One's 47. Classic Nim also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). SmartGo One's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (2K vs 98). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. SmartGo One sells 47 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Classic Nim asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Classic Nim against 4.8 for SmartGo One. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartGo One has 2K ratings behind it against 98, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of Classic Nim's written reviews are positive against 77% of SmartGo One's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Classic Nim ships an update every 9 months, SmartGo One every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Classic Nim versus SmartGo One: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClassic NimSmartGo One
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (98 ratings)4.8 (2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.3% of reviews76.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings982K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB154 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDrew BratcherSmart Go, Inc.

Customer experience

Classic Nim

All ratings98 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral13.3%
Negative13.3%

SmartGo One

All ratings1,955 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews167 reviews
Positive76.6%
Neutral8.4%
Negative15.0%

Bugs and requests

Classic Nim

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

SmartGo One

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Illegal move detection issues on certain board positions
  • Problems with missing variations or incorrect answers
  • Inconsistent behavior when passing moves

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add read-only mode
  • Improve move suggestion explanations
  • Introduce difficulty settings for AI
  • Integrate online play functionality
  • Provide more randomness in AI moves

In-app purchases

None

Classic Nim

No in-app purchases

47 purchases

SmartGo One

Subscriptions2
  • SmartGo One Pro – Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Games and Features14 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time45
  • Just Enough Japanese 1Free
  • Key Concepts in Life and Death$2.99
  • Go Problems Master Collection$3.99
Show 42 more
  • Go Problems Add-on 2: Medium$3.99
  • Go Problems Add-on 1: Easy$3.99
  • Go Problems Add-on 3: Hard$3.99
  • Counting Liberties$4.99
  • The Monkey Jump$4.99
  • Double Digit Kyu Games$5.99
  • Go: A Complete Introduction$5.99
  • How Not to Play Go$5.99
  • Encyclopedia of Go Principles$5.99
  • Want to Play Go? Level 1$5.99
  • Black to Play 30-25 Kyu$5.99
  • The Workshop Lectures 1$5.99
  • Rethinking Opening Strategy$6.99
  • Learn to Play Go 1$7.99
  • Learn to Play Go 2$7.99
  • Learn to Play Go 3$7.99
  • Correct Joseki$7.99
  • “The Theory of Go”$7.99
  • Learn to Play Go 4$7.99
  • Buddhist Philosophy Game of Go$8.99
  • Graded Go Problems 1$9.99
  • Graded Go Problems 2$9.99
  • Want to Play Go? Level 2$9.99
  • Basic Techniques of Go$9.99
  • Graded Go Problems 3$9.99
  • Get Strong at Life and Death$9.99
  • Mastering Mini Go by Mark Tomlinson$11.99
  • Fuseki Revolution$11.99
  • Fundamental Principles of Go$11.99
  • The Basics of Life and Death$11.99
  • Joseki Revolution$11.99
  • Life and Death$11.99
  • A Survey of the Basic Tesujis$11.99
  • Tesuji$11.99
  • Tesuji for Beginners$14.99
  • AlphaGo to Zero, vol. 4$14.99
  • Trouble Master, volume 2$14.99
  • Trouble Master, volume 1$14.99
  • AlphaGo to Zero, Vol. 2$14.99
  • Invincible$24.99
  • Essential Go Proverbs$24.99
  • Pro – Lifetime Unlock$99.00

Questions

Is Classic Nim free?
Classic Nim is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SmartGo One free?
SmartGo One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Classic Nim or SmartGo One?
SmartGo One is rated higher. Classic Nim averages 4.7 out of 5 from 98 ratings, while SmartGo One averages 4.8 from 2K ratings.
Do Classic Nim or SmartGo One have ads?
Neither Classic Nim nor SmartGo One shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Classic Nim or SmartGo One?
Classic Nim ships an update every 9 months, and SmartGo One every 10 days. Most recently, Classic Nim was updated on October 14, 2026 and SmartGo One on October 19, 2026.

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