# Chess Tactics and Lessons vs ChessUp

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ChessUp at none against Chess Tactics and Lessons's 7. ChessUp also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (16 vs 26.0). Chess Tactics and Lessons's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 54%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chess Tactics and Lessons sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. ChessUp asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Chess Tactics and Lessons against 4.8 for ChessUp. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.1K and 2.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Chess Tactics and Lessons's written reviews are positive against 54% of ChessUp's.

Chess Tactics and Lessons ships an update every 5 weeks, ChessUp every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess Tactics and Lessons | ChessUp |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (5.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-tactics-and-lessons/id531275673/reviews) | **[4.8 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessup/id1588782312/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.1K** | 2.7K |
| Positive reviews | **85.2% of reviews** | 54.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 114 MB | 218 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lockwood Productions, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/466891332) | [Bryght Labs Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1588782314) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess Tactics and Lessons

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-tactics-and-lessons/id531275673)

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly PRO Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Annual Pro Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Marble Chess Board | $0.99 | one-time |
| Orange Chess Board | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Green Chess Board | $0.99 | one-time |
| Enable Saved Puzzles | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Ability to save tactics
- Offline mode
- Difficulty filtering
- Improved user interface
- More comprehensive lessons


### ChessUp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessup/id1588782312)

This app enhances your chess experience with a smart chessboard. It offers game archives, analysis, and live AI assistance. Connect to play remote opponents on various platforms.

**Highlights:** Chess game archives, Game analysis, Live AI assistance, Remote opponent play, BLE connectivity

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app and board
- 👍 Fantastic board to learn and improve game
- 🚀 Awesome chess experience
- 👍 Wonderful app
- 👍 Incredible learning tool

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Lots of bugs and glitches
- 🐛 Crashes and connectivity issues
- 🐛 Misleading marketing and unfinished product
- 🐛 Haptics issues and unresponsive interface
- 🐛 AI difficulty imbalanced

**Reported bugs**

- Moves not registering
- Bluetooth connectivity issues
- Crashes and freezes
- Sync issues between app and board
- Lessons not working properly

**Requested features**

- Add chess openings lessons
- Implement position setup and export/import
- Add post-game review mechanism
- Improve AI difficulty scaling
- Add chess puzzles


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess Tactics and Lessons free?

Chess Tactics and Lessons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ChessUp free?

ChessUp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chess Tactics and Lessons or ChessUp?

ChessUp is rated higher. Chess Tactics and Lessons averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.1K ratings, while ChessUp averages 4.8 from 2.7K ratings.

### Do Chess Tactics and Lessons or ChessUp have ads?

Neither Chess Tactics and Lessons nor ChessUp shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess Tactics and Lessons or ChessUp?

Chess Tactics and Lessons ships an update every 5 weeks, and ChessUp every 2 weeks. Most recently, Chess Tactics and Lessons was updated on October 26, 2026 and ChessUp on October 25, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*