Comparison

Chess & Variants vs Mini Chess 5x5

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

Head to head
About

Chess & Variants

Explore a vast collection of chess variations beyond the classic game. Play against AI offline or challenge real players online with features like saved games and leaderboards.

Highlights
  • 45 chess variations
  • Play against AI offline
  • Online multiplayer
  • Create/join tables
  • Invite friends
  • Full rules description
  • Replay saved games
Features
Read full description

* Open up your Chess horizon * Jocly's Chess Variants is by far the most complete mobile application for playing Chess variations. In addition to regular Chess, it offers 45 variants, all of them featuring: - artificial intelligence to play alone / offline - server connectivity to play real people, create or join tables, invite friends - full rules description - live games are saved and can be replayed - ELO based leaderboard - and many more ... Supported variants: - Classic Chess - XiangQi (Chinese Chess) - Gardner Chess - MiniChess4x4 - MiniChess4x5 - MicroChess - Baby Chess - Malett Chess - Los Alamos - Chess Attack - Courier (Middle-Age Chess) - Makruk (Thai Chess) - Shako (10x10 board with elephants and cannons) - Shatranj - Raumschach (5x5x5) - Glinski Chess (hexagonal) - Brusky Chess (hexagonal) - DeVasa Chess (hexagonal) - McCooey Chess (hexagonal) - Shafran (hexagonal) - Modern circular Chess (on a round board) - Byzantine Chess (on a round board, as played in the Xth century) - 3D Chess (6x8x3) - Cylinder Chess - RollerBall (Chess on an unusual board) - Chess960 (randomized start position) - Metamachy (big board) - Capablanca Chess - Carrera Chess - Gothic Chess - Janus Chess - Grand Chess - Modern Chess - Chancellor Chess - Wildebeest Chess - Smess (give it a try) - Demi Chess (half a regular board) - Romanchenko Chess - Amazon Chess - Duke of Rutland Chess - Gustav III Chess - Hyderabad Chess - Kaiser Chess - SultanGame Chess - Reformed Courier Chess - Tutti-Frutti Chess

About

Mini Chess 5x5

Experience a unique chess variant on a 5x5 board. Play against AI with adjustable difficulty or use it as a physical board for two players. Enjoy a streamlined chess experience with simplified rules.

Highlights
  • 5x5 chess board variant
  • Play against computer AI
  • Multiple AI difficulty levels
  • Two-player mode
  • Simplified chess rules
Features
Read full description

A chess variant on 5×5 board, the simplified version of the classic chess. You can play against the computer (several levels of difficulty) or use the app as a chess board when playing with a partner. Exceptions from the standard chess rules: the pawn double-move and castling are not allowed.

Screenshots

Chess & Variants4 screens
Mini Chess 5x54 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chess & Variants at 4.1 against Mini Chess 5x5's 3.5. Chess & Variants also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (56% vs 43%). Mini Chess 5x5's advantage is ratings volume (79 vs 14). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Chess & Variants sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Mini Chess 5x5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess & Variants holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mini Chess 5x5 has 79 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Chess & Variants's written reviews are positive against 43% of Mini Chess 5x5's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess & Variants ships an update every 17 months, Mini Chess 5x5 every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Chess & Variants versus Mini Chess 5x5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess & VariantsMini Chess 5x5
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (14 ratings) — better3.5 (79 ratings)
Positive reviews55.6% of reviews — better43.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1479 — better
Update frequencyEvery 17 monthsEvery 12 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS6.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperACLAPGolmium

Customer experience

Chess & Variants

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative33.3%

Mini Chess 5x5

All ratings79 ratings
Positive59.5%
Neutral5.1%
Negative35.4%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive43.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative40.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess & Variants

One-time1
  • Remove ads$0.99
1 purchases

Mini Chess 5x5

One-time1
  • Mini Chess 5x5 full version$0.99

Questions

Is Chess & Variants free?
Chess & Variants is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mini Chess 5x5 free?
Mini Chess 5x5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess & Variants or Mini Chess 5x5?
Chess & Variants is rated higher. Chess & Variants averages 4.1 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Mini Chess 5x5 averages 3.5 from 79 ratings.
Do Chess & Variants or Mini Chess 5x5 have ads?
Neither Chess & Variants nor Mini Chess 5x5 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess & Variants or Mini Chess 5x5?
Chess & Variants ships an update every 17 months, and Mini Chess 5x5 every 12 months. Most recently, Chess & Variants was updated on October 23, 2026 and Mini Chess 5x5 on October 24, 2026.

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