Next Chess Move vs Square Off Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Next Chess Move
This application provides a powerful chess move calculator utilizing advanced engines like Stockfish 17.1 directly on your device. It also offers free access to numerous other engines running on remote hardware, with an optional upgrade for enhanced calculation strength and access to powerful servers and GPUs.
- On-device Stockfish 17.1
- Free remote engine access
- Large selection of chess engines
- Optional Pro upgrade
- Access to powerful cloud hardware
- GPU acceleration for LcZero
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NCM is a powerful chess calculator that runs Stockfish 19 directly on your device. The app also includes free access to a growing list of engines running on NCM's remote single core CPU hardware: • Stockfish latest official releases and development builds • Lc0 (all official networks and several contrib networks) • Akimbo • Alexandria • Altair • Arasan • Astra • asmFish • Avalanche • Berserk • Black Marlin • Booot • Caissa • Cinder • Cfish • Clover • Coda • Combusken • CorChess • Counter • Defenchess • Demolito • Devre • Ethereal • Fire • Frozenight • GNU Chess • Halogen • Hobbes • Horsie • Igel • Integral • Koivisto • Laser • Lc0 • Mantissa • Marvin • Minic • Motor • Nalwald • Nemorino • Obsidian • OpenTal • Patricia • Pawn • Pawnocchio • Peacekeeper • PlentyChess • Quanticade • Raphael • Reckless • Rice • RubiChess • Seer • ShashChess • Smallbrain • Starzix • Stash • Stockfish • Stormphrax • Sunfish • Tarnished • Titan • Triumviratus • Tucano • Vajolet2 • Velvet • Viridithas • Wasp • Weiss • Winter • Xiphos • Zahak The optional NCM Pro in-app purchase provides one year access to powerful hardware and features that significantly enhance the strength of calculations: • Ryzen 7950X 16 CPU-core servers • RTX 2080 GPUs for LcZero • 6-man syzygy tablebases on SSD drives
Square Off Chess
This app offers a comprehensive chess experience for players of all levels. Learn, analyze, and master the game with challenging AI, unlimited game analysis, and online competition. Track your progress and share your gameplay with the world.
- Challenge AI up to ELO 3200+
- Adaptive AI that adjusts to your moves
- Unlimited game import and analysis
- Track performance progress with game history
- Live broadcasting of gameplay
- Compete online against global players
- Thousands of chess puzzles
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Welcome to the realm of Square Off Chess - a chess app that places you in a royal court of strategists, where you are the king or queen! As you explore the regal rewards of our app, you'll quickly discover why it's one of the best chess apps. Ideal for beginners, enthusiasts, and seasoned professionals alike, Square Off Chess App goes beyond traditional play to help you learn, analyze, and master chess, making Square Off Chess App your perfect chess companion. Key Features: Challenge Our AI and Bots: Up to ELO 3200+ to test your mettle, refine your strategy. Access to the best LiChess bots. Adaptive AI: Square Off’s AI adjusts to your moves, making each game a new adventure. Unlimited Game Import and Analysis: Learn from each move, from pawn to king. Track Performance Progress: Unlimited game history to replay victories and learn from defeats. Live Broadcasting: Share your gameplay with the world and become a chess champion. Compete Online: Square off against millions of global players on chess.com and Lichess for an intense, international challenge. Plus More: Enjoy other features like 1000s of chess puzzles and premium AI levels, game hints, PGN export, personalized feedback, and so much more! Square Off Chess awaits you - Download now and start your epic chess journey! Experience exciting new features, challenge formidable AI, plunge into advanced game analysis, and receive personalized feedback on every game.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Square Off Chess at Free against Next Chess Move's $2.99. Square Off Chess also leads on ratings volume (3K vs 133) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). Next Chess Move's advantage is review sentiment (76% vs 35%) and chart position (#49 vs unranked). On rating, update cadence, 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
Square Off Chess is free to download; Next Chess Move costs $2.99 up front. Next Chess Move sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Square Off Chess sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Next Chess Move holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Square Off Chess has 3K ratings behind it against 133, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Next Chess Move's written reviews are positive against 35% of Square Off Chess's.
Next Chess Move ships an update monthly, Square Off Chess every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Next Chess Move | Square Off Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (133 ratings) — better | 4.4 (3K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.3% of reviews — better | 35.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 133 | 3K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #49 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 143 MB | 703 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Next Chess Move LLC | InfiVention, Inc. |
Customer experience
Next Chess Move
Square Off Chess
User reviews
Next Chess Move
From 133 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great tool for analysis
- 👍 Helpful for learning chess
- 👍 Strongest engines available
- 👍 Improves game understanding
- 👍 Convenient mobile access
Room to improve
- 🐛 Neglected and buggy mess
- 🐛 Critical bugs break game
- 🐛 Outdated and poorly maintained UI
- 🐛 Feels abandoned while charging
- 🐛 Waste of money
Square Off Chess
From 3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Awesome board
- 🚀 Mesmerizing piece movement
- 👍 Well-made product
- 🚀 Impressive engineering
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🐛 Freezing issues
- 🐛 Connectivity problems
- 🐛 Unreliable board recognition
- 🔋 Battery drain
Bugs and requests
Next Chess Move
Reported bugs
18 issues- Critical bugs that break the game (e.g., same color pieces moving consecutively)
- App doesn't turn on
- Update has challenges
- Cannot play anything
- LC0 version 0.30 with Networks Family T81 causes 'engine disconnected' error
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- App is pretty buggy
- App decides to delete a piece randomly
- Subscription is gone after payment
- No option to restore purchase
- Every move suggested is a blunder
- Error response most of the time
- App crushes when copying or pasting PGN
- Illegal move issues with PGN/FEN
- Castling not handled correctly in PGN
- Algorithm inconsistency (doesn't play the same move for the exact same play)
- Login doesn't work for extra servers
- UI could be better
- Cannot find an option to delete saved games
Requested features
34 requests- Fix critical bugs
- Update UI
- Release a proper update
- Maintain the app properly
- Update to current stockfish 17
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- Add self-play mode with different engines
- Add Komodo latest version
- Fix LC0 issues with T81 network family
- Show a few candidate options
- Add feature to use screenshot/photo of board
- Add arrow or directional lines for best move
- Make it more didactic
- Add premium features for paid users
- Add option to play engine vs engine
- Add some themes
- Add analysis arrows
- Copy full PGN when playing engine vs engine
- Add database for openings for free
- Add iPad version
- Allow landscape format on iPad
- Increase analysis time beyond 30 seconds
- Add option to switch turns after calculating a move
- Improve ergonomics
- Name boards and show names
- Add instructions on how to use
- Option to delete saved games
- Improve UI
- Handle illegal moves and castling correctly in PGN/FEN
- Allow castling
- Add feedback and suggestions
- Cut and paste FEN
- Automatic play of calculated move
- Print positions after moves or games
- Flip board only for current board
Square Off Chess
Reported bugs
6 issues- App crashes frequently
- Board loses connection during games
- Piece movements not registered properly
- Firmware update issues
- Incorrect game state tracking
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- Opponent moves not showing up
Requested features
8 requests- Landscape mode for iPad
- Ability to stream games to the board
- More timer options
- Parental controls
- Game history and analysis features
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- Integration with popular chess platforms
- Improved AI difficulty scaling
- Ability to take back moves against AI
In-app purchases
Next Chess Move
- NCM Pro$18.99
Square Off Chess
- 100 Diamonds$0.99
- 200 Diamonds$1.99
- 500 Diamonds$4.99
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- 1000 Diamonds$8.99
- 5000 Diamonds$29.99
- 10000 Diamonds$49.99
Questions
Is Next Chess Move free?
Is Square Off Chess free?
Which has better reviews, Next Chess Move or Square Off Chess?
Do Next Chess Move or Square Off Chess have ads?
Which is updated more often, Next Chess Move or Square Off Chess?
Other comparisons
