Comparison

Ingress vs Chess

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

Head to head
About

Ingress

Explore the real world as a battlefield, uncovering mysterious energy and choosing a faction to control it. Team up with other players to capture locations, build strategies, and compete for global dominance in an ever-changing war.

Highlights
  • Real-world exploration
  • Faction-based gameplay
  • Location-based battles
  • Team coordination
  • Territory control
  • Augmented reality elements
Read full description

ENTER THE INGRESS UNIVERSE Welcome, Agent. A mysterious energy source known as Exotic Matter (XM) has been discovered. Its origin is unknown, and its power is seemingly unlimited. Two Factions are racing to control it, and the future of humanity hangs in the balance. The newly enhanced Ingress Scanner is online, and waiting for you. THE WORLD IS YOUR GAME Step outside and turn the real world into your battlefield. Explore landmarks, monuments, and hidden corners of your city. Every public artwork and point of interest becomes a Portal: a gateway to gather XM and uncover the secrets that are shaping our world. CHOOSE YOUR FACTION Will you enlighten humanity’s evolution with The Enlightened, or defend free will from mind control with The Resistance? Your choice defines your mission, your allies, and your destiny. TEAM UP, THINK BIG Coordinate with Agents nearby and across the globe. Build strategies, plan operations, and take part in live events that reshape the map, and reality itself. CONTROL THE BATTLEFIELD Capture and link Portals to create massive Control Fields spanning entire cities. Compete for dominance, territory, and influence in a global, ever-changing war. YOUR MISSION STARTS NOW XM is everywhere. The battle is real. Download Ingress and join the fight. Note: Agents must be over 13 years old (for residents outside of the European Economic Area); or over 16 years old or such age needed to consent to the processing of personal data in the Agent's country of residence (for residents of the European Economic Area). Unfortunately, no children may play Ingress. The optional Adventure Sync feature integrates with HealthKit to credit your distance traveled Agent Stats, even when Ingress is in the background. Support Contact us in-game by going to Settings > Help Center > Go. Privacy Policy https://www.nianticspatial.com/privacy Terms of Service https://www.nianticspatial.com/terms

About

Chess

Features
Read full description

Practise chess offline on your iPhone or iPad. Play against an on-device computer opponent, or take turns with a friend on the same device. • Nine new endgame challenges: basic mates, pawn promotion for both colours, and king support • Exercise categories, computer defence, move hints, retries, and saved completion marks • Switch between 2D and 3D boards, drag to rotate, pinch to zoom, and reset the camera • Four computer difficulty levels and your choice of playing colour • Twelve interactive lessons covering moves, check, and checkmate • Undo moves, review games step by step, and copy complete games as PGN • Autosave a match and continue later • English and Traditional Chinese menus No account is required. Core gameplay works offline. Games, preferences, and learning progress are stored on your device. Known limitation: some complex dead positions may not be automatically declared drawn.

Screenshots

Ingress4 screens
Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess at none against Ingress's 8. Chess also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Ingress sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ingress ships an update every 3 weeks, Chess daily. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Ingress versus Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIngressChess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (5.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews45.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings5.5K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size397 MB43 MB
Age rating+94+
DeveloperNiantic Spatial, Inc.Lung Wai Hor

Bugs and requests

Ingress

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues and account problems
  • Inaccurate location tracking and portal detection
  • Inventory management and recharging bugs
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to change factions without contacting support
  • Better portal nomination and review process
  • More in-game events and community activities
  • Improved performance and stability on older devices

Chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Ingress

Subscriptions1
  • C.O.R.E. Monthly$7.991 Month
One-time7
  • 1,200 CMU$0.99
  • 2,500 CMU Pack$1.99
  • 7,000 CMU Pack$4.99
Show 4 more
  • 15,000 CMU Pack$9.99
  • 32,000 CMU Pack$19.99
  • 90,000 CMU Pack$49.99
  • 200,000 CMU Pack$99.99
None

Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ingress free?
Ingress is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ingress or Chess have ads?
Neither Ingress nor Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ingress or Chess?
Ingress ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chess daily. Most recently, Ingress was updated on November 12, 2026 and Chess on October 31, 2026.

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