# Chess Tactics and Lessons vs SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

The clearest difference is price: Chess Tactics and Lessons at Free against SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's $4.99. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 weeks). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Chess Tactics and Lessons is free to download; SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99 up front. Chess Tactics and Lessons sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish 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 SmallFish Chess for Stockfish. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.1K and 4.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Chess Tactics and Lessons's written reviews are positive against 79% of SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's.

Chess Tactics and Lessons ships an update every 5 weeks, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess Tactics and Lessons | SmallFish Chess for Stockfish |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (5.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-tactics-and-lessons/id531275673/reviews) | [4.8 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallfish-chess-for-stockfish/id675049147/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.1K** | 4.5K |
| Positive reviews | **85.4% of reviews** | 79.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#17** |
| Size | 114 MB | 195 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lockwood Productions, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/466891332) | [Ted Wong](https://appshunter.io/developer/570426131) |

## 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


### SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallfish-chess-for-stockfish/id675049147)

**Currently charting:** #17 Top Paid · Board, #61 Top Paid · Strategy, #200 Top Paid · Games (US App Store)

This app leverages the powerful Stockfish chess engine to help you analyze your games, study strategic thinking, and track your progress. It offers detailed game reviews, graphical evaluations, and access to opening books and endgame tablebases. Enjoy a clean interface with features like blunder checking and dark mode support.

**Highlights:** Stockfish chess engine integration, Game analysis with comments, Graphical game evaluation, Blunder checking, Opening books and endgame tablebases, Import from Chess.com and Lichess, Dark mode support

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful chess engine
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 💡 Customizable board and piece styles
- 🚀 Fast move calculations
- 👍 Helpful analysis and suggestions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Issues with board and coordinate display
- 🐛 Inconsistencies in engine difficulty levels
- 🐛 Problems with PGN file handling
- 👎 Complicated user interface

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when setting up positions
- Incorrect move suggestions and engine evaluations
- Freezing and unresponsiveness during gameplay
- Issues with board and coordinate display alignment

**Requested features**

- Add support for variations and multiple analysis lines
- Implement a two-player mode with piece flipping
- Add PGN file sorting, searching, and folder support
- Provide an option to hide the board and show captured pieces
- Integrate with chess.com and other platforms


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess Tactics and Lessons free?

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

### Is SmallFish Chess for Stockfish free?

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chess Tactics and Lessons or SmallFish Chess for Stockfish?

Chess Tactics and Lessons and SmallFish Chess for Stockfish are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5.1K and 4.5K ratings respectively.

### Do Chess Tactics and Lessons or SmallFish Chess for Stockfish have ads?

Neither Chess Tactics and Lessons nor SmallFish Chess for Stockfish shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess Tactics and Lessons or SmallFish Chess for Stockfish?

Chess Tactics and Lessons ships an update every 5 weeks, and SmallFish Chess for Stockfish every 2 days. Most recently, Chess Tactics and Lessons was updated on November 12, 2026 and SmallFish Chess for Stockfish on November 11, 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.*