Comparison

Chess Tactics and Lessons vs Chess puzzles!

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

Head to head
About

Chess Tactics and Lessons

Master chess strategy and openings with this app. Practice unlimited tactics, follow detailed lessons, and save your favorite openings. Create your own content and learn from a supportive community.

Highlights
  • Unlimited tactics practice
  • Detailed chess lessons
  • Opening practice and saving
  • Create custom tactics and lessons
  • Learn from mistakes with explanations
  • Community comments and discussion
  • Customizable board design
Features
Read full description

“Chess is 99% tactics” (R. Teichmann.) From beginner to expert, practicing tactics is hands-down the best way to master the game. Play 30,000+ tactics, lessons, and openings while the app adjusts to your ability as you play. Join thousands of users who improve their game with daily tactics. Beginner-friendly, even if you don't know the rules of chess yet. "This app is a must have for any chess player - student or master." -Tom Taylor, USA "This is easily the best purchase I've made since owning a smartphone." -Miles C. Samuels, USA "This app has improved my game tremendously!" - anonymous fandom on the App Store FEATURES - Tactics: Play as many tactics as you want, for free. - Lessons: Get deeper into strategy with detailed lessons including positions from Netflix's 'The Queen's Gambit' and the World Championship. - Openings: Practice makes perfect! Save and practice openings from the Grandmasters and more. - Create your own tactics, lessons, and openings for others to try. - Learn from your mistakes with solutions, explanations, and chess engine analysis. - Join the community: comment on tactics and learn from other users. New tactics are added every day, so you'll never run out. ------ Chess Tactics PRO subscriptions will be charged to your iTunes account upon purchase. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime with your iTunes account settings. See Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for more information. Privacy Policy: https://chesstacticsapp.com/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://chesstacticsapp.com/terms.html Acknowledgements: Chess Pieces by jurgenwesterhof on WikiCommons (adapted from work of Cburnett) Icons by bezier master, Cutiecon, and Shawn Wong from the Noun Project.

About

Chess puzzles!

Engage in mind-teasing chess challenges designed for all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned players. Test your strategic thinking with various puzzle difficulties and enjoy a fun variation of the classic board game.

Highlights
  • Tutorial levels for beginners
  • Simple tap and drag controls
  • Mate in 1 challenges
  • Mate in 2 challenges
  • Alternate chess challenges
  • Categorized difficulty levels
Features
Read full description

Do you love chess & puzzle challenges? Well, you’ll love Chess Puzzles! This fun variation of the chess game includes mind-teasing challenges categorized in levels that are sure to test your chess skills and problem-solving thinking. Can you pass all levels? Great for anyone! From beginner to seasoned chess player! WHY YOU’LL LOVE CHESS PUZZLES! - Tutorial levels included (great for beginners) - Simple tap & dragging controls - Mate in 1, mate in 2 challenges and some alternate challenges - Cool variation of the classic board game Now, it’s chess puzzle time! Download the app for free!

Screenshots

Chess Tactics and Lessons4 screens
Chess puzzles!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Chess Tactics and Lessons at 5K against Chess puzzles!'s 1.3K. Chess puzzles!'s advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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 Tactics and Lessons sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Chess puzzles! sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Chess Tactics and Lessons against 4.7 for Chess puzzles!. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5K and 1.3K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Chess Tactics and Lessons's written reviews are positive against 78% of Chess puzzles!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Tactics and Lessons ships an update every 5 weeks, Chess puzzles! every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Chess Tactics and Lessons versus Chess puzzles!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Tactics and LessonsChess puzzles!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5K ratings) — better4.7 (1.3K ratings)
Positive reviews85.2% of reviews — better78.0% of reviews
Number of ratings5K — better1.3K
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size114 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLockwood Productions, LLCErik Brandsma

Customer experience

Chess Tactics and Lessons

All ratings4,985 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews283 reviews
Positive85.2%
Neutral4.6%
Negative10.2%

Chess puzzles!

All ratings1,305 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral3.2%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive78.0%
Neutral7.3%
Negative14.6%

User reviews

Chess Tactics and Lessons

From 5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 😃 Great for learning tactics
  • 👍 Enjoyable and addictive
  • 🚀 Excellent training tool
  • 🤗 Helpful for improving chess skills
  • 💯 Best tactics app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy after updates
  • 💰 Subscription model too expensive
  • 🤔 Some tactics are questionable
  • 🙄 Too many queen sacrifices
  • 😣 Difficult to navigate

Chess puzzles!

From 1.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Challenging and engaging puzzles
  • 👍 No ads or in-app purchases
  • 👍 Helpful for improving chess skills
  • 👍 Fun and enjoyable experience
  • 👍 Realistic and creative puzzles

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Some puzzles have no solution or are buggy
  • 🔍 Lack of explanations or feedback on wrong moves
  • 🔍 Repetitive puzzle types (e.g., queen sacrifices)
  • 🔍 Inefficient navigation between puzzles

Bugs and requests

Chess Tactics and Lessons

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Server connection issues
  • White screen after updates
  • Inability to delete account
  • Incorrect move explanations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to save tactics
  • Offline mode
  • Difficulty filtering
  • Improved user interface
  • More comprehensive lessons

Chess puzzles!

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Puzzle with no solution ("Mate in 3 - Queen pack - AAAAAAAY-OH")
  • Puzzle solution not recognized ("you have one move only ;)")

Requested features

4 requests
  • Reset puzzle option
  • Next puzzle button
  • Ability to make wrong moves in puzzles
  • Puzzle solution hints or explanations

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Chess Tactics and Lessons

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly PRO Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Annual Pro Subscription$29.991 Year
One-time5
  • Marble Chess Board$0.99
  • Orange Chess Board$0.99
  • Remove ads$0.99
Show 2 more
  • Green Chess Board$0.99
  • Enable Saved Puzzles$1.99
4 purchases

Chess puzzles!

One-time4
  • Fun pack!$0.99
  • Human vs machine$0.99
  • Funky moves$1.99
Show 1 more
  • Remove all ads$1.99

Questions

Is Chess Tactics and Lessons free?
Chess Tactics and Lessons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess puzzles! free?
Chess puzzles! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Tactics and Lessons or Chess puzzles!?
Chess Tactics and Lessons is rated higher. Chess Tactics and Lessons averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5K ratings, while Chess puzzles! averages 4.7 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Chess Tactics and Lessons or Chess puzzles! have ads?
Neither Chess Tactics and Lessons nor Chess puzzles! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Tactics and Lessons or Chess puzzles!?
Chess Tactics and Lessons ships an update every 5 weeks, and Chess puzzles! every 6 weeks. Most recently, Chess Tactics and Lessons was updated on October 19, 2026 and Chess puzzles! on October 19, 2026.

Other comparisons