# Learn with Forward Chess vs Chess Studio

The clearest difference is update cadence: Learn with Forward Chess at fortnightly against Chess Studio's every 2 months. Learn with Forward Chess also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 60%). Chess Studio's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Learn with Forward Chess sells 69 one-off in-app purchases and Chess Studio sells 23 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Learn with Forward Chess ships an update fortnightly, Chess Studio every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Learn with Forward Chess | Chess Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (334 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-with-forward-chess/id543005909/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **334** | — |
| Positive reviews | **74.8% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 188 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Forward Chess, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/543005912) | [Gambit Publications](https://appshunter.io/developer/689948994) |

## What reviewers say

### Learn with Forward Chess

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

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 (69)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| True Lies in Chess | Free | 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


### Chess Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id689948991)

Read chess books and instantly play through moves on screen. This app allows you to interact with chess e-books, automatically scrolling text and displaying positions on a board. Navigate variations, search content, and customize your reading experience.

**Highlights:** Play over moves on screen, Automatic text scrolling, Tap moves to display position, Navigate complex variations, Searchable content, Choice of layout options

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

**In-app purchases (23)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gambit Free Samples | Free | one-time |
| How to Beat Your Dad at Chess | $9.99 | one-time |
| Win with the Stonewall Dutch | $9.99 | one-time |
| 50 Essential Chess Lessons | $10.99 | one-time |
| Idiot-Proof Chess Repertoire | $10.99 | one-time |
| Win with the London System | $11.99 | one-time |
| Learn Chess Tactics | $11.99 | one-time |
| Understanding the Chess Openings | $11.99 | one-time |
| A Simple Chess Opening Repertoire for White | $11.99 | one-time |
| Understanding Chess Endgames | $13.99 | one-time |
| Understanding Chess Middlegames | $13.99 | one-time |
| Understanding Chess Move by Move | $13.99 | one-time |
| Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy | $13.99 | one-time |
| Mastering the Chess Openings Volume 1 | $13.99 | one-time |
| Mastering the Chess Openings Volume 2 | $13.99 | one-time |
| A Strategic Chess Opening Repertoire for White | $14.99 | one-time |
| John Nunn's Chess Course | $14.99 | one-time |
| Fundamental Chess Openings | $14.99 | one-time |
| Fundamental Chess Endings | $14.99 | one-time |
| How to Play Chess Endgames | $14.99 | one-time |
| Nunn's Chess Endings Volume 1 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Nunn's Chess Endings Volume 2 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Mammoth Book of Greatest Games | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Learn with Forward Chess free?

Learn with Forward Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Chess Studio free?

Chess Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Learn with Forward Chess or Chess Studio have ads?

Neither Learn with Forward Chess nor Chess Studio shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Learn with Forward Chess or Chess Studio?

Learn with Forward Chess ships an update fortnightly, and Chess Studio every 2 months. Most recently, Learn with Forward Chess was updated on September 25, 2026 and Chess Studio on September 9, 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.*