# Chess By Post vs Openings Mastermind

The clearest difference is ads: Openings Mastermind at none against Chess By Post's shown. Openings Mastermind also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Chess By Post's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 50%) and ratings volume (255 vs 6). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Chess By Post against 4.3 for Openings Mastermind. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess By Post has 255 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Chess By Post's written reviews are positive against 50% of Openings Mastermind's.

Chess By Post ships an update every 6 months, Openings Mastermind fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess By Post | Openings Mastermind |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (255 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-by-post/id509928358/reviews) | [4.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openings-mastermind/id6448386251/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **255** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | **80.4% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 38 MB | 88 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Games By Post LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/449504484) | [Christian Heise](https://appshunter.io/developer/1632898424) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess By Post

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-by-post/id509928358)

Engage in correspondence chess with others worldwide. Challenge friends or compete in ranked matches against similarly skilled players. The app offers automatic notifications for pending moves and tracks your progress with an Elo rating system.

**Highlights:** Correspondence chess, Ranked matches, Skill-based matchmaking, Chess puzzles, End game analysis, Move history explorer, Local hand-off games

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💡 Helpful planning mode
- 🌐 Cross-platform compatibility
- ⏱️ Leisurely pace of play

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏳ Long wait times between moves
- 🐛 Glitches and bugs
- 🤖 Concerns about cheating/engine use
- 🔇 Lack of notifications/push updates
- 📊 Inaccurate/inflated ranking system

**Reported bugs**

- Moves not registering correctly
- Game freezes/crashes
- Notification issues
- Rating/scoring problems

**Requested features**

- Shorter move time limits
- Friends/social features
- Ability to report/block abusive players
- Board orientation/view options
- Customizable game settings


### Openings Mastermind

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openings-mastermind/id6448386251)

Master chess openings with this app. Import studies, explore with advanced engines, and practice specific lines through repetition. Track your progress and improve your game.

**Highlights:** Import Lichess Studies or PGNs, Explore openings with Stockfish 15, Practice openings by repetition, Smart practice queue, Track learning progress

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess By Post free?

Chess By Post is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Openings Mastermind free?

Openings Mastermind is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chess By Post or Openings Mastermind?

Chess By Post and Openings Mastermind are both rated 4.3 out of 5 on the App Store, from 255 and 6 ratings respectively.

### Do Chess By Post or Openings Mastermind have ads?

Chess By Post shows ads; Openings Mastermind does not.

### Which is updated more often, Chess By Post or Openings Mastermind?

Chess By Post ships an update every 6 months, and Openings Mastermind fortnightly. Most recently, Chess By Post was updated on October 15, 2026 and Openings Mastermind on October 7, 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.*