# Casual Chess vs Chess

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chess at 92% against Casual Chess's 17%. Chess also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.7) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 19 months). Casual Chess's advantage is price (Free vs $3.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Casual Chess is free to download; Chess costs $3.99 up front. Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Casual Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess has 118 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Casual Chess's written reviews are positive against 92% of Chess's.

Casual Chess ships an update every 19 months, Chess fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Casual Chess | Chess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | [2.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/casual-chess/id536471031/reviews) | **[4.7 (118 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **118** |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | **92.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 19 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 69 MB | 237 MB |
| Requires iOS | **5.1.1** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ChessBase GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/417720797) | [Giordano Vicoli](https://appshunter.io/developer/460922805) |

## What reviewers say

### Casual Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/casual-chess/id536471031)

Engage in turn-based chess matches at your own pace, either against friends or random opponents. Features include move-by-move play, draw offers, and game notation with figurines. Optimized for various devices, it notifies you when it's your turn.

**Highlights:** Play move by move, Invite friends or play random opponents, Turn-based gameplay, Send draw offers, Notation with figurines, Sound notifications for your turn

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545)

Manage and study chess databases and games in PGN format with advanced analysis tools. Supports game creation, modification, and import from various sources. Includes engine analysis, opening book management, and puzzle training.

**Highlights:** PGN database and game management, Create, modify, and import games, Advanced engine analysis with Stockfish, Opening book and ChessBase support, Chess 960 (Fischer Random) support, Diagram recognition for PGN conversion, Puzzle training and online play

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $8.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Powerful chess database features
- 👍 Comprehensive analysis tools
- 👍 Excellent PGN management
- 👍 Great value for price
- 👍 Frequent updates and improvements

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Steep learning curve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Unintuitive interface
- 🐛 Some users find it confusing
- 🐛 Missing dark mode

**Reported bugs**

- Problem saving updated game data
- Engine stopped working after 30 seconds
- App crashes when adding annotations without hitting 'edit mode' first
- Crash opening .pgn in landscape mode
- Crashes when selecting a cell with 0 games associated

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode
- Add board flip button
- Improve interface for screen reader users
- Add private game feature with code
- Add computer whole game analysis with annotations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Casual Chess free?

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

### Is Chess free?

Chess costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Casual Chess or Chess?

Chess is rated higher. Casual Chess averages 2.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Chess averages 4.7 from 118 ratings.

### Do Casual Chess or Chess have ads?

Neither Casual Chess nor Chess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Casual Chess or Chess?

Casual Chess ships an update every 19 months, and Chess fortnightly. Most recently, Casual Chess was updated on October 10, 2026 and Chess on October 18, 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.*