Comparison

Learn with Forward Chess vs BookNotes

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

BookNotes

Features
Read full description

Capture notes & remember forever. BookNotes turns the books you read into knowledge that lasts. Capture a quick note, import your Kindle and Apple Books highlights, and a daily Recall feed brings each one back at the right moment, so what you read stays with you. THREE QUIET HABITS • Capture: type a note, select text straight off a photo of the page, or let AI suggest the highlights worth keeping. Every note links to its book, author, and chapter, so context is never lost. • Review: auto-generated multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank (cloze) quizzes turn passive highlights into active recall. Tap "Explain with AI" on any note for the context behind it. • Recall: a daily feed resurfaces your notes at growing intervals using spaced repetition, so they move from short-term to long-term memory. YOUR OWN FILING SYSTEM • Give a note a colored label, then pull up every note wearing it, across every book you have read. Name them whatever your own system calls them. Colored tabs sit on the edge of each card, and a tap opens that label. • Practice one label on its own when that is what you need. • Send your notes on to Notion, Obsidian or Apple Notes. After a first export, "Only what's new" sends just what you have added since. START FREE Everything is free for your first 30 days, no card needed. Bring years of existing Kindle, Apple Books, and Goodreads highlights into BookNotes in a few taps. After that, keep reviewing your notes as flashcards for free, or subscribe for AI quizzes, unlimited Recall and unlimited notes. STUDYING FOR A REAL EXAM? Set the date and BookNotes spreads the work out evenly, then ramps up as it gets close. Going on holiday? Vacation mode pauses your streak without losing your progress. STUDY TOGETHER • Start a private study group and share a deck of notes with friends. • Keep a recall streak going together and see who's studied today. Start your first note today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://booknotes.laross.se/privacy

Screenshots

Learn with Forward Chess4 screens
BookNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BookNotes at every 5 days against Learn with Forward Chess's fortnightly. Learn with Forward Chess's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.1). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Learn with Forward Chess sells 70 one-off in-app purchases and BookNotes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Learn with Forward Chess ships an update fortnightly, BookNotes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Learn with Forward Chess versus BookNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLearn with Forward ChessBookNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (340 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews74.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings340 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.1
Further details — not scored
Size188 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperForward Chess, LLCLaross Consulting AB

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

BookNotes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
2 purchases

BookNotes

Subscriptions2
  • Full access - monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Full access - yearly1 Month trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Learn with Forward Chess free?
Learn with Forward Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BookNotes free?
BookNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Learn with Forward Chess or BookNotes have ads?
Neither Learn with Forward Chess nor BookNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Learn with Forward Chess or BookNotes?
Learn with Forward Chess ships an update fortnightly, and BookNotes every 5 days. Most recently, Learn with Forward Chess was updated on October 26, 2026 and BookNotes on October 24, 2026.

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