Comparison

Chess Score Pad vs DGT Chess

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

Head to head
About

Chess Score Pad

This app provides a modern, distraction-free electronic scoresheet for over-the-board chess tournament play. Record moves effortlessly, review positions, and export games in PGN or PDF formats for post-game analysis. Designed by a tournament player, it streamlines the scoring process so you can focus on the game.

Highlights
  • Effortless move recording (tap or drag)
  • Automatic game saving
  • Easy move correction
  • Step-through and slider game review
  • PGN export for analysis
  • PDF scoresheet export with diagram
  • Optional legal-move and time tracking
Features
Read full description

Chess Score Pad A modern electronic scoresheet designed for over-the-board tournament play. Record moves effortlessly and export PGN for post-game analysis. Chess Score Pad replaces paper scoresheets with a clean, distraction-free way to record your games move by move — so you can focus on playing, not writing. Designed by a tournament player with hundreds of USCF-rated games, Chess Score Pad is built for over-the-board chess and post-game review. Record games naturally • Enter moves by tapping or dragging pieces • No coordinates to write, no notation to translate • All moves are saved automatically — no “Save” button required • Easy move correction if a mistake happens Review positions and games • Step through moves one at a time • Scrub through the game with a live position slider • On iPad, view the board and notation side by side • Quickly return to critical positions after the game Export and share • Export games as PGN for analysis in your chess database • Share via AirDrop, Mail, Messages, Files, Notes, Clipboard, and compatible chess apps • Export a professional PDF scoresheet with a position diagram Built for tournament play • Start recording immediately — game details are optional • “Next Game of Event” copies event info and increments the round • Automatically place your pieces at the bottom of the board • Optional legal-move and position checking • Optional move-time tracking Flexible notation • Long or short algebraic notation • Figurine or standard notation Important note Chess Score Pad is an electronic scoresheet and does not provide analysis or engine assistance. Chess Score Pad is not currently certified for tournament use. It may be permitted at the discretion of the tournament director. More screenshots and documentation are available at the Support URL.

About

DGT Chess

Connect your physical chess board to an online platform to play against real opponents worldwide. Enjoy a focused game experience with moves displayed on your board via LED rings. Save and share your games.

Highlights
  • Connect physical board to Lichess
  • Play against 100,000+ real opponents
  • Moves displayed via LED rings on board
  • Play against Lichess AI
  • Save and share games
  • Offline 2-player mode
Read full description

DGT Chess app connects your DGT Pegasus online Chess board to the global chess community Lichess, where you can find 100.000+ real opponents. After connecting with an opponent, you can put your phone away and concentrate fully on the board. You will see your opponent’s moves via pulsing LED rings on the board. Features • Play online against a random opponent • Play online against a friend • Play against the Lichess AI • Choose between rated or unrated games • Play over the board or on touchscreen • Play an offline and traditional 2-player game • PGN creator; save, share your favorite games DGT Pegasus The first dedicated board to play online connects also to the following chess apps • White pawn • Chessconnect ABOUT DGT DGT brings the best and most innovative chess products to players around the world. We are dedicated to creating unmatched chess experiences at tournaments, chess clubs and at home. DGT designs, develops, manufactures and distributes a wide range of chess-related products worldwide, such as digital chess clocks and game timers, as well as electronic chess boards, chess computers and chess accessories.

Screenshots

Chess Score Pad3 screens
DGT Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: DGT Chess at Free against Chess Score Pad's $9.99. DGT Chess also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). Chess Score Pad's advantage is review sentiment (65% vs 22%) and rating (4.6 vs 3.7). On ads, in-app purchases 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

DGT Chess is free to download; Chess Score Pad costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Score Pad holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Score Pad has 179 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Chess Score Pad's written reviews are positive against 22% of DGT Chess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Score Pad ships an update every 5 months, DGT Chess monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Chess Score Pad versus DGT Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Score PadDGT Chess
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (179 ratings) — better3.7 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews64.9% of reviews — better22.2% of reviews
Number of ratings179 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCalcFxC, LLCDigital Game Technology B.V.

Customer experience

Chess Score Pad

All ratings178 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral5.1%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive64.9%
Neutral13.5%
Negative21.6%

DGT Chess

All ratings6 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral13.9%
Negative63.9%

Bugs and requests

Chess Score Pad

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Board not accessible to voiceover users
  • Contact option on website is broken
  • Screen controls are flaky, requiring repeated attempts
  • Cost me a tournament game due to flaky controls
  • Cannot use 'Save to Files' in iPad if the result is draw (1/2)
Show 3 more
  • Shows own pieces checking own King
  • Does not show when checking opponent's King
  • App is 32bit and may not work in the future

Requested features

16 requests
  • Make board accessible to voiceover users or allow notation entry
  • Ability to enter ??, !!, !? and ?! notations
  • Cloud support (iCloud/Dropbox)
  • Option to load a game
  • Built-in player list
Show 11 more
  • Export multiple games at once
  • Different board colors or lighter dark green squares
  • Ability to save games in .pgn format automatically
  • Get app approved for USCF tournaments
  • iCloud capabilities for syncing games
  • Enhanced time controls for correspondence matches
  • Feature to make notes and annotate games
  • Review or journal mode for inputting variations and annotations
  • Standard algebraic notation
  • More tags for app store search (e.g., PGN)
  • Move notations with time

DGT Chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess Score Pad

No in-app purchases

None

DGT Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Score Pad free?
Chess Score Pad costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is DGT Chess free?
DGT Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess Score Pad or DGT Chess?
Chess Score Pad is rated higher. Chess Score Pad averages 4.6 out of 5 from 179 ratings, while DGT Chess averages 3.7 from 6 ratings.
Do Chess Score Pad or DGT Chess have ads?
Neither Chess Score Pad nor DGT Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Score Pad or DGT Chess?
Chess Score Pad ships an update every 5 months, and DGT Chess monthly. Most recently, Chess Score Pad was updated on October 24, 2026 and DGT Chess on October 16, 2026.

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