# Learn with Forward Chess vs Bound

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 (#1 vs #194). On review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Learn with Forward Chess | Bound |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (340 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-with-forward-chess/id543005909/reviews)** | [4.6 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bound-audiobook-player/id1041727137/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 340 | **2K** |
| Positive reviews | **74.8% of reviews** | 72.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | #194 | **#1** |
| Size | 188 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Forward Chess, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/543005912) | [Deadpan, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1521868530) |

## What reviewers say

### Learn with Forward Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-with-forward-chess/id543005909)

**Currently charting:** #194 Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (70)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| True Lies in Chess | Free | one-time |
| CHESS INSIGHT 01/2026 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Simple Attacking Plans | $9.99 | one-time |
| Simple Chess | $10.99 | one-time |
| The Power of Pawns | $12.99 | one-time |
| My System: FastTrack Edition | $12.99 | one-time |
| Play the Mackenzie! | $12.99 | one-time |
| 1001 Ways to Checkmate | $12.99 | one-time |
| My System | $13.99 | one-time |
| The World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book | $14.99 | one-time |
| Openings for Amateurs | $14.99 | one-time |
| Modern Chess Strategy | $14.99 | one-time |
| Techniques of Positional Play: 45 Practical Methods | $15.99 | one-time |
| American Dream | $16.99 | one-time |
| Zurich Chess Tournament, 1953 | $16.99 | one-time |
| Chess Endgame Calculation 1 | $16.99 | one-time |
| Chess Strategy for Club Players | $16.99 | one-time |
| 100 Endgames You Must Know | $17.99 | one-time |
| Capablanca the Great Minimalist 1 | $17.99 | one-time |
| Attacking Chess for Club Players | $17.99 | one-time |
| Openings for Amateurs - Vol. 3 | $17.99 | one-time |
| Capablancas Best Chess Endings | $17.99 | one-time |
| The Most Instructive Games | $17.99 | one-time |
| Improve Your Chess Pattern Recognition | $17.99 | one-time |
| Steps to Giant Improvement | $19.99 | one-time |
| Perpetual Chess Improvement | $19.99 | one-time |
| Playing 1.e4 e5 - A Classical Repertoire | $19.99 | one-time |
| Amateur to IM | $19.99 | one-time |
| The Complete Manual of Positional Chess | $19.99 | one-time |
| Chess Tactics from Scratch | $19.99 | one-time |
| COR: The London System | $19.99 | one-time |
| Attacking the English/Reti | $19.99 | one-time |
| COR: Accelerated Dragon | $19.99 | one-time |
| Mastering Chess Exchanges | $19.99 | one-time |
| Study on Your Own Workbook 3 | $19.99 | one-time |
| OR: Strategic Play with 1 e4 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Playing 1.d4 d5 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Reimagining 1.e4 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Beating the QG – Indian Style! | $19.99 | one-time |
| Endgame Studies You Must Know | $19.99 | one-time |
| Pawn Endgames | $19.99 | one-time |
| 100 Tactical Patterns | $19.99 | one-time |
| 100 Tactical Patterns Workbook | $19.99 | one-time |
| Drill Your Chess Strategy! | $19.99 | one-time |
| Thinking Inside the Box - Grandmaster Preparation | $19.99 | one-time |
| Chess Imbalances - a GM Guide | $21.99 | one-time |
| The Modernized Colle-Zukertort | $21.99 | one-time |
| Ding Liren's Best Games | $22.99 | one-time |
| Winning Chess Middlegames 2 | $22.99 | one-time |
| Dream Moves | $22.99 | one-time |
| Rock Solid Chess: Volume 3 | $22.99 | one-time |
| Positional Decision Making in Chess | $23.99 | one-time |
| Pump Up Your Rating | $23.99 | one-time |
| Chess Structures - A Grandmaster Guide | $23.99 | one-time |
| The Woodpecker Method | $23.99 | one-time |
| Mastering Chess Defence | $23.99 | one-time |
| Associative Thinking | $23.99 | one-time |
| The Philosopher&the Housewife | $23.99 | one-time |
| The Real Paul Morphy | $23.99 | one-time |
| 50 Mistakes You Should Know | $23.99 | one-time |
| The Woodpecker Method 2 | $23.99 | one-time |
| Chess Informant 158 | $24.99 | one-time |
| A Killer Guide to Attacking Chess | $25.99 | one-time |
| School of Future Champions 1 | $25.99 | one-time |
| Chess Informant 161 | $26.99 | one-time |
| Vasily Smyslov: Volume II | $27.99 | one-time |
| Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual | $27.99 | one-time |
| Akiba Rubinstein (UCC Series) | $29.99 | one-time |
| Pushing Horizons | $29.99 | one-time |
| OR for Black after 1...e6 | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Bound

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bound-audiobook-player/id1041727137)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Paid · Book (US App Store)

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:** Siri integration

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Add support for Apple Watch
- Implement search and filtering options
- Allow bookmarks with notes/labels
- Add Chromecast support
- Introduce dark mode


## Frequently asked 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.

### Which is more popular, Learn with Forward Chess or Bound?

Learn with Forward Chess currently peaks at #194 in the App Store charts, and Bound at #1. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*