# Hoopla vs Chess Studio

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hoopla at none against Chess Studio's 10. Hoopla also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 58%) and chart position (#5 vs unranked). Chess Studio's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chess Studio sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Hoopla asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hoopla ships an update monthly, Chess Studio every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hoopla | Chess Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.4M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hoopla-your-library-anywhere/id580643740/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.4M** | — |
| Positive reviews | **71.8% of reviews** | 58.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#5** | — |
| Size | 111 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Midwest Tape, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/580643743) | [Gambit Publications](https://appshunter.io/developer/689948994) |

## What reviewers say

### Hoopla

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hoopla-your-library-anywhere/id580643740)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Access a vast digital library of books, comics, movies, music, and more, all within a single application. Stream or download content for free with your library card, enjoying an ad-free experience and features like offline listening and dark mode.

**Highlights:** Stream and download content, Ad-free experience, Audiobooks and eBooks, Comics, manga, and graphic novels, Movies and TV shows, Music albums, Offline listening

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent selection of content
- 👍 Easy to use app
- 🚀 Convenient access to books, audiobooks, movies, and more
- 👍 Great resource for reading/listening
- 👍 Helpful for dyslexic users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy, crashes frequently
- 🔍 Limited search and browsing functionality
- 🔍 Inconsistent syncing across devices
- 🔍 Unintuitive navigation
- 🔍 Missing key features like previewing audiobooks

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Issues with downloading and playing content
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
- Problems with returning borrowed items

**Requested features**

- Increase monthly borrow limit
- Add ability to preview audiobooks before borrowing
- Improve page navigation and bookmarking
- Enhance cross-device syncing
- Introduce dark mode and customization options


### 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 (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gambit Free Samples | Free | one-time |
| How to Beat Your Dad at Chess | $9.99 | one-time |
| Win with the London System | $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 |
| John Nunn's Chess Course | $14.99 | one-time |
| Fundamental Chess Openings | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hoopla free?

Hoopla is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Chess Studio free?

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

### Do Hoopla or Chess Studio have ads?

Neither Hoopla nor Chess Studio shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hoopla or Chess Studio?

Hoopla ships an update monthly, and Chess Studio every 2 months. Most recently, Hoopla was updated on November 5, 2026 and Chess Studio on November 1, 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.*