Comparison

Pente Live vs YINSH

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

Head to head
About

Pente Live

Engage in strategic board game battles on a 19x19 grid. Compete globally in turn-based or live matches, test your skills against AI, and join tournaments. Explore various Pente and Gomoku variants with unique rules and capture mechanics.

Highlights
  • Turn-based and real-time online play
  • Play against computer opponents
  • Participate in tournaments
  • King of the Hill mode
  • Game database search
  • Multiple Pente and Gomoku variants
Features
Read full description

Pente is a board game that is easy to learn, difficult to master. Compete with players all over the world on a 19x19 board. There is - turn-based play, - realtime (live) play, - play against 2 different computer players, - participate in tournaments, - play King of the Hill and earn a crown, - search the game database by position for the most popular or best move! Gomoku: To win, place 5 (not more) of your stones in a straight continuous line (either horizontally, vertically or diagonally). Pente is like Gomoku but you can win by getting more than 5 in a row. In Pente you can capture stones by enclosing a pair of your opponent's stones. For example, if the stones are like this XOO and you place your stone so it becomes XOOX, then your opponents' stones are removed from the board, leaving X__X. You can also win at Pente by capturing 10 or more of your opponents stones. You can't play into a capture. Rated games have a "Tournament Rule". It restricts player 1's second move so that player 1's second move must be at least 3 intersections away from the center of the board. Keryo-Pente is like Pente but you can also capture 3 stones in a row. G-Pente restricts player 1's second move, like the tournament rule. It additionally prohibits playing on the 4th and 5th intersections away from the center of the board that are one the same horizontal or vertical line as player 1's first move. (These are the most common 2nd moves for white). D-Pente: Player 1 places 2 white and 2 black stones as a first move. Then player 2 decides to play as player 2, or decides to swap seats and take over as player 1! Afterwards, play continues like regular Pente. Poof-Pente: The main difference is that you can play into a capture! (e.g., from XO_X player plays XOOX) then the stones are "poofed" (removed from the board and counted as captures). Normal captures are still allowed and the number of captures to win remains at 10 stones. Up to 5 stones could be poofed in one move! Also note that my current implementation performs the following actions in sequence after a move: Check if move captured any opponents stones, if so remove stones from the board. Check if move creates a poof position, if so remove stones from the board. Check if player has a 5-in-a-row, if so the player wins. A player could capture and be poofed in the same move and the capture count could end up as 10-10. The game keeps going until one player has an advantage (i.e., gets more captured stones or gets five-in-a-row). There are no draws. Boat-Pente differs in the end game. Once a Pente is made (5 stones in a row), the game continues as long as the opponent is able to capture across the Pente! Capturing 5 pairs is still a win like in Pente and the tournament rule is used for rated games. Connect6: The goal is to be the first player to get 6 pieces in a row, either vertically, horizontally or diagonally. Player one plays one stone at the center of the board. After that each player gets to place two stones on the board at a time. DK-Pente is D-Pente with Keryo-Pente rules. O-Pente combines Keryo, Poof, and Boat Pente Go is also available on 3 different board sizes: 19x19, 13x13, and 9x9. Swap2-Pente is Pente with Swap2 rules. Swap2-Keryo is Keryo-Pente with Swap2 rules. ------ This app offers a 1 year auto-renewable subscription for $4.99 USD/year. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account, and your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto-renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your settings in the iTunes Store after purchase. Prices may vary in countries other than the U.S. and are subject to change without notice. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. If you don’t choose to purchase a subscription you can simply continue playing for free. The privacy policy and TOS can be found at https://pente.org/help/helpWindow.jsp?file=privacyPolicy

About

YINSH

Engage in a Mensa Select award-winning strategy game with real-time online multiplayer or challenge an AI opponent. Analyze your performance with detailed stats and review past games to refine your tactics. Compete globally on leaderboards and track your progress with a sophisticated rating system.

Highlights
  • Online real-time 1v1 matches
  • Play with friends
  • Official Blitz Mode
  • Adjustable AI difficulty
  • Comprehensive performance stats
  • Game review and analysis
  • Global leaderboards
Features
Read full description

Flip the Board with a Single Move Move a ring and every marker it jumps over flips to the opposite color. Form a row of five markers to remove one of your rings. The first player to remove three rings wins. The rules are simple, but every decision can reshape the entire board. An attacking move can open the path to victory—or give your opponent the perfect counter. There is no luck. Only your strategy decides the outcome. Discover YINSH, the acclaimed abstract strategy game by Kris Burm and a Mensa Select award winner, in its official digital edition. Play Online with Players Around the World Face players from around the world in real-time 1v1 matches. Invite a friend and play together wherever you are. - Real-time matchmaking with players worldwide - Online matches with friends - Pure 1v1 competition decided by skill - Rankings that let you compete and improve Play, Review, Improve No opponent? No waiting. Choose an AI level that matches your skill and test new tactics whenever you want. After each match, replay your moves to spot decisive choices and missed opportunities. - Multiple AI difficulty levels - A safe place to test new strategies and tactics - Move-by-move match replays - Detailed records, including win rate and win streaks Go Deep or Play Fast Enjoy the full depth of the original rules or settle the match quickly in Blitz Mode. - Standard Mode: Be the first to remove three rings - Blitz Mode: Be the first to remove one ring - Choose between a deep strategic match and a quick battle Official YINSH, Anytime and Anywhere No board to set up and no pieces to put away. Let the app handle the rules while you focus on your next move. - Mensa Select award winner - Officially licensed by YINSH creator Kris Burm - A faithful digital adaptation of the original rules - Online matches, friend matches, and AI play Move the rings. Flip the markers. Rule the board. Play the official YINSH and put your strategy to the test.

Screenshots

Pente Live3 screens
YINSH4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pente Live at 4.3 against YINSH's 1.0. Pente Live also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). YINSH's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 50%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. Pente Live sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year and YINSH sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pente Live holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pente Live has 340 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Pente Live's written reviews are positive against 90% of YINSH's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pente Live ships an update every 2 days, YINSH every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pente Live versus YINSH: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPente LiveYINSH
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (340 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews90.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings340 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB113 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperWalied OthmanTheseus Game Studio

Customer experience

Pente Live

All ratings340 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral5.0%
Negative10.9%
Written reviews44 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral4.5%
Negative45.5%

YINSH

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%

Bugs and requests

Pente Live

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Drops stone in wrong spot
  • Move ends up in different position
  • Changes last location
  • Freezes
  • Bumps out of a game
Show 7 more
  • App down
  • Screen frozen
  • App freezes
  • App keeps crashing intermittently
  • Crashes after every game
  • App quits every time to start a game
  • Game froze

Requested features

9 requests
  • Replay button
  • Landscape mode on iPad
  • Slower AI response time
  • Improved UI
  • Take back move option
Show 4 more
  • Pinch to zoom and separate 'finish move' button
  • Dark mode
  • Option to disable ads
  • Sign in with AppleID or Google

YINSH

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Pente Live

Subscriptions1
  • Pente.org subscription$4.991 Year
One-time4
  • One month subscriber benefits$1.99
  • 10 vacation days$2.99
  • Extra vacation days (30)$4.99
Show 1 more
  • 60 vacation days$7.99
7 purchases

YINSH

One-time7
  • Pack of 160 Diamonds$0.39
  • Pack of 400 Diamonds$1.29
  • Pack of 750 Diamonds$3.39
Show 4 more
  • No Ads Forever$4.49
  • Pack of 1600 Diamonds$14.90
  • Pack of 4500 Diamonds$37.00
  • Pack of 10000 Diamonds$73.90

Questions

Is Pente Live free?
Pente Live is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is YINSH free?
YINSH is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pente Live or YINSH?
Pente Live is rated higher. Pente Live averages 4.3 out of 5 from 340 ratings, while YINSH averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pente Live or YINSH have ads?
YINSH shows ads; Pente Live does not.
Which is updated more often, Pente Live or YINSH?
Pente Live ships an update every 2 days, and YINSH every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pente Live was updated on October 24, 2026 and YINSH on October 8, 2026.

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