# Chess without ads vs Pocket Chess

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chess without ads at 91% against Pocket Chess's 24%. Chess without ads also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 10 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chess without ads sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per 7 days and Pocket Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Chess without ads holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess without ads has 39K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Chess without ads's written reviews are positive against 24% of Pocket Chess's.

Chess without ads ships an update fortnightly, Pocket Chess every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess without ads | Pocket Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (39K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-without-ads/id522314512/reviews)** | [2.5 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-chess/id699609579/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **39K** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | **90.5% of reviews** | 24.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 44 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Christophe Théron](https://appshunter.io/developer/423198262) | [Steven Barnegren](https://appshunter.io/developer/632311869) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess without ads

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-without-ads/id522314512)

Learn and play chess without distractions. This app offers guided lessons for beginners and advanced analysis for experts, helping you improve your game with intelligent suggestions and post-game reviews. Play offline and enjoy a seamless, ad-free experience.

**Highlights:** Ad-free learning and play, Introductory lessons for beginners, Grandmaster move suggestions, Game analysis with good/bad moves, Supports USCF and FIDE rating scales, Strong mobile chess engine, Offline play

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PRO, 1 week | $0.49 | per 7 days |
| PRO, 1 month | $0.99 | per month |
| PRO, 3 months | $1.99 | per 3 months |
| Learn chess | $4.99 | one-time |
| PRO, for life (SALE!) | $9.99 | one-time |
| PRO, for life (regular price) | $12.99 | one-time |
| PRO FOR LIFE - TODAY ONLY | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent chess training tool
- 🚀 Customizable difficulty levels
- 💡 Helpful move suggestions
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🚀 No ads or distractions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free version with paid upgrade
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 💡 Desire for more chess variants and modes
- 🔒 Aggressive prompts to upgrade to paid version

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing on the login screen
- Incompatibility with older devices
- Inconsistent behavior when running out of free credits

**Requested features**

- Add more chess variants (3-check, king of the hill, etc.)
- Provide more detailed game analysis and feedback
- Improve the en passant move functionality
- Add online/multiplayer capabilities


### Pocket Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-chess/id699609579)

Engage in classic chess battles anywhere, anytime. Challenge a sophisticated AI with adjustable difficulty or play against a friend. The app offers helpful features like move highlighting and board rotation for an enhanced experience.

**Highlights:** Challenging AI engine, Three difficulty levels, Play as White or Black, Show legal moves, Special move support, Board rotation, Save game state

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess without ads free?

Chess without ads is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pocket Chess free?

Pocket Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Chess without ads or Pocket Chess?

Chess without ads is rated higher. Chess without ads averages 4.7 out of 5 from 39K ratings, while Pocket Chess averages 2.5 from 22 ratings.

### Do Chess without ads or Pocket Chess have ads?

Neither Chess without ads nor Pocket Chess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess without ads or Pocket Chess?

Chess without ads ships an update fortnightly, and Pocket Chess every 10 months. Most recently, Chess without ads was updated on October 21, 2026 and Pocket Chess on October 6, 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.*