Comparison

Chess By Post Premium vs MindChess

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

Head to head
About

Chess By Post Premium

Engage in correspondence chess with friends or random opponents. Improve your skills with rated matches, chess puzzles, and detailed game analysis. Enjoy features like push notifications, head-to-head stats, and an interactive move history explorer.

Highlights
  • Correspondence chess
  • Rated matches
  • Chess puzzles
  • Skill-based matchmaking
  • Game analysis
  • Move history explorer
  • Local hand-off games
Features
Read full description

*** Note there is also a free version of Chess By Post that is ad-supported. This paid version has no advertisements *** Play correspondence chess with real people! Challenge your friends to friendly games or play ranked matches against random opponents of similar skill levels. Play as many simultaneous games as your want! Automatic push notifications will let you know when you have moves waiting! Improve your ranking by playing ranked games against comparable opponents. Skill ranking updates using the classic Elo rating system to adjust your rank when you win or lose. A leader board view shows you how you compare to the top players. Chess By Post is perfect for players of all skill levels because your matched opponent's skill level will be adapted based on your own skill level. Create a local hand-off game and play your friend by passing the phone back and forth. Play against a computer opponent that adjusts difficulty to match your skill level. Improve your skills by playing a practically endless set of rated chess puzzles. Features: --------- -Tracks your skill level over time -Matches you with similar skilled opponents -Practice chess puzzles to improve your game -End game analysis shows you the critical mistakes made by each player -Head to head stats -Move History Statistics - Explore the moves of every game you ever played with an interactive board explorer -Freely move pieces to plan strategies -Take notes on games to remember strategies -In-game chat message board -In-game move histories for easy review -Ratings leader board -Local hand-off games can be played offline -Play games against a computer opponent with varied skill levels

About

MindChess

This app offers daily chess training designed to enhance mental visualization and blindfold play. It features mini-games that improve calculation, memory, and concentration, inspired by grandmaster training methods. Practice exercises focus on board elements without needing a physical board.

Highlights
  • Mental visualization training
  • Blindfold chess practice
  • Calculation and memory improvement
  • Concentration exercises
  • Mini-games inspired by grandmasters
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

MindChess is a daily chess gym and a study companion. Train board vision, memory and calculation in 60-second sessions, then take what you learn to your own games. THE GYM • Thirteen short drills: Square Color, Coordinates, Same Color, Same Diagonal, Bishop Captures, Two Knights, Collision, Memory, Mate in 1, Fork Finder, Piece Snapshot, Knight Distance and Opening Flash. • Timed mode (60 seconds, Game Center leaderboards) and Training mode (3 lives). • A daily challenge and a daily streak, with streak freezes and an optional reminder. • 39 achievements: badges at 10, 50 and 100 games of every drill, also in Game Center. THE STUDY TOOLS • Repertoire: play through your opening lines and the app brings each one back right before you'd forget it. • My games: game databases, PGN import and a viewer with variations, notes and marks. • Analysis: Stockfish 19 on your device, offline, with an evaluation bar and the top 3 lines. With Pro, the game report marks your mistakes. • Diagram scanner: snap a diagram and get the position ready to edit. Free. • Chess clock: increments, stages and time odds, for games with your phone on the table. • Notation your way: English, Spanish or figurines. The same board, with your look, across the app. • Public roadmap: see what's coming and vote for ideas. ON EVERY SCREEN MindChess works on iPhone, iPad, iPhone Duo and Mac. MINDCHESS PRO Pro unlocks Stockfish analysis and the game report, unlimited repertoires, lines and PGN imports, full statistics, unlimited game databases and clock controls, every drill every day and 11 Pro piece sets. Free stays useful: the scanner, the PGN viewer and the basic drills. MindChess is not an app for playing online games. It is the place where you train between them. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Chess By Post Premium4 screens
MindChess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MindChess at Free against Chess By Post Premium's $2.99. MindChess also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Chess By Post Premium's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (41 vs 1). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

MindChess is free to download; Chess By Post Premium costs $2.99 up front. MindChess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Chess By Post Premium asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MindChess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess By Post Premium has 41 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess By Post Premium ships an update every 2 months, MindChess every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Chess By Post Premium versus MindChess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess By Post PremiumMindChess
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (41 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings41 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB140 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperGames By Post LLComar megdadi

Customer experience

Chess By Post Premium

All ratings41 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative10.9%

MindChess

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Chess By Post Premium

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • Can't log in after phone update
  • Games don't update for days
  • Chat deletes apostrophes
  • Post-game analysis misses obvious blunders
  • Windows version exports non-English PGN
Show 11 more
  • Material advantage display is inconsistent
  • Puzzle ratings don't sync between devices
  • Accidental move commits due to button placement
  • Notifications stopped coming (iPhone SE, iOS 13.6)
  • No notification after opponent's move (banner, sticker, sound)
  • No notification when it's opponent's turn
  • App crashes since iOS 7
  • Stalemate rule is automatic, not player's choice
  • No way to report or block offensive players
  • No way to leave feedback about other players
  • Cheaters are increasing, no reporting option

Requested features

16 requests
  • Option to choose time controls (1-5 days per move)
  • Display next position when it's my turn
  • View opponent's completed games
  • Search games by ECO
  • Start rated games against friends
Show 11 more
  • Swipe left to go to the next game
  • Block function for offensive players
  • Option to disable vibrate when another player makes a move on a different game
  • Ability to view games of better players
  • More customization for board and pieces
  • Ability to swipe left and right between other open games
  • Make app universal for iPad
  • Add email functionality for PGN files
  • Allow players to choose sides when rematching
  • More board and piece customization options
  • Ability to save lines tried on the demonstration board

MindChess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess By Post Premium

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

MindChess

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription$0.991 Month
  • Yearly subscription$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Chess By Post Premium free?
Chess By Post Premium costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is MindChess free?
MindChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess By Post Premium or MindChess?
MindChess is rated higher. Chess By Post Premium averages 4.7 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while MindChess averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Chess By Post Premium or MindChess have ads?
Neither Chess By Post Premium nor MindChess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess By Post Premium or MindChess?
Chess By Post Premium ships an update every 2 months, and MindChess every 3 months. Most recently, Chess By Post Premium was updated on October 29, 2026 and MindChess on October 24, 2026.

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