Comparison

Chess Score Pad vs ChessScan

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
Currently charting
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

ChessScan

Instantly digitize handwritten chess scoresheets using AI-powered OCR. Photograph your scoresheet after a game to convert it into PGN notation for review, analysis, and sharing. Includes interactive board review and Stockfish engine analysis.

Highlights
  • AI-powered OCR for handwritten moves
  • Multi-page scoresheet support
  • Interactive board with move-by-move review
  • Stockfish engine analysis
  • PGN export and import
  • Cloud sync across devices
  • Game sharing via link or QR code
Read full description

ChessScan instantly digitizes your handwritten chess scoresheets using AI-powered OCR. Simply photograph your scoresheet after a tournament game and ChessScan converts it into standard PGN notation — ready to review, analyze, and share. How It Works Scan your scoresheet with your iPhone camera AI reads your handwriting and extracts every move Review moves on an interactive chess board Get Stockfish engine analysis for every position Save, export, or share your game Powerful Features • AI-Powered OCR — Accurately reads handwritten moves from all standard scoresheet formats • Multi-Page Support — Scan scoresheets that span multiple pages and combine them into a single game • Interactive Board — Step through your game move by move on a full chess board with piece animations • Stockfish Analysis — See the best move for every position with real-time engine evaluation • Move Validation — Automatic detection of illegal or ambiguous moves with easy correction tools • Game Annotations — Add voice or text commentary to any move for coaching or personal review • PGN Export — Copy or share your game in standard PGN format compatible with Lichess, Chess.com, and all major platforms • Cloud Sync — Your games are saved securely and accessible across devices • Game Sharing — Share games with friends, students, or coaches via link or QR code • PGN Import — Import existing PGN files to review and analyze Subscription Plans • Free — 10 scans per year, 2 saved games • Standard — 100 scans per year, 50 saved games, cloud sync • Premium — Unlimited scans, unlimited storage, all features ChessScan is built for tournament players, chess coaches, and anyone who plays over-the-board chess. Stop losing your game history — digitize every scoresheet and build your personal chess library. Get instant analysis of your tournament game without need to export to Chess.com or Lichess. Share your analysis and annotations with easily with your opponent, coach, or mentor. Privacy: Your games are stored securely using Firebase. We do not sell or share your personal data. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://chessscan.app/privacy.html

Screenshots

Chess Score Pad3 screens
ChessScan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ChessScan at Free against Chess Score Pad's $9.99. ChessScan also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Chess Score Pad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (178 vs 2). On ads 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

ChessScan is free to download; Chess Score Pad costs $9.99 up front. ChessScan sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Chess Score Pad asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ChessScan holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Score Pad has 178 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Chess Score Pad versus ChessScan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Score PadChessScan
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (178 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings178 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank#197 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCalcFxC, LLCEugene Chan

Customer experience

Chess Score Pad

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

ChessScan

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

ChessScan

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess Score Pad

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

ChessScan

Subscriptions4
  • ChessScan Standard$4.991 Month
  • ChessScan Premium$7.991 Month
  • ChessScan Standard (Annual)$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • ChessScan Premium (Annual)$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Chess Score Pad free?
Chess Score Pad costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ChessScan free?
ChessScan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Score Pad or ChessScan?
ChessScan is rated higher. Chess Score Pad averages 4.7 out of 5 from 178 ratings, while ChessScan averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Chess Score Pad or ChessScan have ads?
Neither Chess Score Pad nor ChessScan shows ads.

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