Comparison

Learn with Forward Chess vs Bound

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

Head to head
About

Learn with Forward Chess

This app is an interactive reader for chess books, allowing users to play through chess lines directly within the book. It offers a vast in-app store with over 100 chess eBooks and a growing collection of opening theory periodicals via subscription.

Highlights
  • Interactive chess book reader
  • Play through chess lines
  • In-app chess eBook store
  • Subscription for opening theory
  • Tactics training
Features
Read full description

Forward Chess is an Interactive reader of chess books. Play through the lines in the book, or try your own, it's like having a chess board and a chess book in the palm of your hand. Forward Chess includes the ability to purchase over 100 chess eBooks through our In-App Store. Check it out. Our collection is growing weekly! Forward Chess also contains the following subscription options - ChessPublishing's monthly periodical for the latest in opening theory - We offer a choice of 4 different auto-renewing subscriptions - 1 Section for 1 Year @ $19.99 USD - 3 Sections for 1 Year @ $39.99 USD - 6 Sections for 1 Year @ $69.99 USD - 12 Sections for 1 Year @ $99.99 USD - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period - Links to Your Privacy Policy and Terms of Use - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. Forward Chess takes your privacy seriously See our privacy policy here: https://forwardchess.com/privacy-policy and term of use here: https://forwardchess.com/terms-of-service

About

Bound

Listen to your DRM-free audiobooks with a modern interface. Import files from cloud services or your computer, manage your library, and enjoy features like automatic playback saving, adjustable speed, and chapter support. Includes CarPlay integration and a sleep timer.

Highlights
  • Import from cloud services (Dropbox, OneDrive)
  • Web uploader via WiFi
  • Automatic playback position saving
  • Adjustable playback speed (0.5x-3.0x)
  • Chapter support
  • Sleep timer
  • CarPlay support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Listen to your favorite DRM-free audiobooks with Bound. Bound allows you to import audio files from various cloud services and play them back in a beautiful modern interface. Bound will automatically save your listening position so that you never lose your place. Supported Audio File Types (DRM-free only): .mp3, .m4a, .m4b, .aac Download - Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive. - Apple Files. - Web Uploader for importing from your computer via WiFi. Manage - Move audio files between books. - Change cover art. - Sort based on author, title, recently added, and recently played. - Rename title and author. - Choose between a number of fun themes. - Dark mode support. Play - Automatically saves playback location as you progress through the book. - Independently configure seek forward and seek backward times. - Chapter support for audio files with embedded chapters (.m4a / .m4b / OverDrive .mp3). - Change playback speed from 0.5X to 3.0X. - Smart Rewind when returning to your book after a while. - Sleep Timer with configurable time or at the end of a chapter. - Manually bookmark locations that you want to return to. - CarPlay support. If you enjoy using Bound, please consider writing a review.

Screenshots

Learn with Forward Chess4 screens
Bound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Learn with Forward Chess at Free against Bound's $4.99. Learn with Forward Chess also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Bound's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 72) and chart position (#11 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ads and device support 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

Learn with Forward Chess is free to download; Bound costs $4.99 up front. Learn with Forward Chess sells 70 one-off in-app purchases. Bound asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Learn with Forward Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bound has 2K ratings behind it against 340, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Learn with Forward Chess's written reviews are positive against 73% of Bound's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Learn with Forward Chess ships an update fortnightly, Bound every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Learn with Forward Chess versus Bound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLearn with Forward ChessBound
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.8 (340 ratings) — better4.6 (2K ratings)
Positive reviews74.8% of reviews — better72.6% of reviews
Number of ratings3402K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#11 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size188 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperForward Chess, LLCDeadpan, LLC

Customer experience

Learn with Forward Chess

All ratings334 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews123 reviews
Positive74.8%
Neutral9.8%
Negative15.4%

Bound

All ratings1,992 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.5%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews519 reviews
Positive72.6%
Neutral7.9%
Negative19.5%

User reviews

Learn with Forward Chess

From 340 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app for chess-book lovers
  • 🚀 Easy to follow or analyze moves with the implemented chessboard
  • 👍 Simple and effective interface
  • 👍 Great to use on mobile device
  • 👍 Larger board and text than Chessable

Room to improve

  • 💰 Books are a little expensive for digital purchases
  • 🐛 App crashes or freezes occasionally
  • 🐛 Loses user's place when reopening the app
  • 🐛 Buggy when navigating between libraries and books
  • 🐛 Analysis engine sometimes doesn't recognize castling possibilities

Bound

From 2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app!
  • 👍 Excellent audiobook player
  • 💡 Seamless cloud storage integration
  • 🚀 Efficient and reliable
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🐛 Issues with cloud storage connectivity
  • 🐛 Inconsistent playback behavior
  • 🐛 Trouble with large audiobook files
  • 🐛 Missing features like folders/playlists

Bugs and requests

Learn with Forward Chess

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Login issues when changing devices
  • Books not properly filing into libraries
  • App crashing when trying to add books to libraries
  • Losing current position when switching between full screen and normal view
  • Inconsistent behavior when navigating through a book

Requested features

7 requests
  • Allow users to upload their own book PDFs
  • Implement spaced repetition learning program within books
  • Improve search and filtering options in the book store
  • Add more language support beyond English books
  • Provide better syncing of purchases across devices
Show 2 more
  • Improve text formatting and readability
  • Implement highlighting, bookmarking, and note-taking features

Bound

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Audiobooks disappearing from library after device restart
  • Inability to delete audiobooks from library
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
  • Playback issues with multi-part audiobooks
  • Problems with web uploader functionality

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add support for Apple Watch
  • Implement search and filtering options
  • Allow bookmarks with notes/labels
  • Add Chromecast support
  • Introduce dark mode
Show 1 more
  • Improve cloud storage management

In-app purchases

70 purchases

Learn with Forward Chess

One-time70
  • True Lies in ChessFree
  • CHESS INSIGHT 01/2026$2.99
  • Simple Attacking Plans$9.99
Show 67 more
  • Simple Chess$10.99
  • The Power of Pawns$12.99
  • My System: FastTrack Edition$12.99
  • Play the Mackenzie!$12.99
  • 1001 Ways to Checkmate$12.99
  • My System$13.99
  • The World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book$14.99
  • Openings for Amateurs$14.99
  • Modern Chess Strategy$14.99
  • Techniques of Positional Play: 45 Practical Methods$15.99
  • American Dream$16.99
  • Zurich Chess Tournament, 1953$16.99
  • Chess Endgame Calculation 1$16.99
  • Chess Strategy for Club Players$16.99
  • 100 Endgames You Must Know$17.99
  • Capablanca the Great Minimalist 1$17.99
  • Attacking Chess for Club Players$17.99
  • Openings for Amateurs - Vol. 3$17.99
  • Capablancas Best Chess Endings$17.99
  • The Most Instructive Games$17.99
  • Improve Your Chess Pattern Recognition$17.99
  • Steps to Giant Improvement$19.99
  • Perpetual Chess Improvement$19.99
  • Playing 1.e4 e5 - A Classical Repertoire$19.99
  • Amateur to IM$19.99
  • The Complete Manual of Positional Chess$19.99
  • Chess Tactics from Scratch$19.99
  • COR: The London System$19.99
  • Attacking the English/Reti$19.99
  • COR: Accelerated Dragon$19.99
  • Mastering Chess Exchanges$19.99
  • Study on Your Own Workbook 3$19.99
  • OR: Strategic Play with 1 e4$19.99
  • Playing 1.d4 d5$19.99
  • Reimagining 1.e4$19.99
  • Beating the QG – Indian Style!$19.99
  • Endgame Studies You Must Know$19.99
  • Pawn Endgames$19.99
  • 100 Tactical Patterns$19.99
  • 100 Tactical Patterns Workbook$19.99
  • Drill Your Chess Strategy!$19.99
  • Thinking Inside the Box - Grandmaster Preparation$19.99
  • Chess Imbalances - a GM Guide$21.99
  • The Modernized Colle-Zukertort$21.99
  • Ding Liren's Best Games$22.99
  • Winning Chess Middlegames 2$22.99
  • Dream Moves$22.99
  • Rock Solid Chess: Volume 3$22.99
  • Positional Decision Making in Chess$23.99
  • Pump Up Your Rating$23.99
  • Chess Structures - A Grandmaster Guide$23.99
  • The Woodpecker Method$23.99
  • Mastering Chess Defence$23.99
  • Associative Thinking$23.99
  • The Philosopher&the Housewife$23.99
  • The Real Paul Morphy$23.99
  • 50 Mistakes You Should Know$23.99
  • The Woodpecker Method 2$23.99
  • Chess Informant 158$24.99
  • A Killer Guide to Attacking Chess$25.99
  • School of Future Champions 1$25.99
  • Chess Informant 161$26.99
  • Vasily Smyslov: Volume II$27.99
  • Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual$27.99
  • Akiba Rubinstein (UCC Series)$29.99
  • Pushing Horizons$29.99
  • OR for Black after 1...e6$29.99
None

Bound

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Learn with Forward Chess free?
Learn with Forward Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bound free?
Bound costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Learn with Forward Chess or Bound?
Learn with Forward Chess is rated higher. Learn with Forward Chess averages 4.8 out of 5 from 340 ratings, while Bound averages 4.6 from 2K ratings.
Do Learn with Forward Chess or Bound have ads?
Neither Learn with Forward Chess nor Bound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Learn with Forward Chess or Bound?
Learn with Forward Chess ships an update fortnightly, and Bound every 2 months. Most recently, Learn with Forward Chess was updated on October 21, 2026 and Bound on October 19, 2026.

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