CatchTheLionWars vs SmartGo One
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CatchTheLionWars
Experience a cute and strategic chess variant online against other players. This game is easy to learn in minutes but offers deep strategic gameplay for thinkers.
- Online multiplayer
- Cute chess variant
- 3x4 board gameplay
- Easy to learn
- Deep strategy
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This is the first time you can play "Catch the Lion" online against human players. "Catch the Lion" is a very cute chess variant played on a 3x4 board and even a little kid can learn how to play within a minute. However, the game is more profound than meets the eye, so it's also good for those who love to think hard. Also, this game is called "dobutsushogi(doubutsushogi)" in Japan. ■voice nanahira(ななひら) © HEROZ, Inc. © Madoka Kitao Maiko Fujita 2013
SmartGo One
Learn, play, and improve at the ancient game of Go. This app offers adjustable board sizes, a strong AI opponent, and tools to study professional games and solve Go problems. It's designed for players of all skill levels, from beginners to masters.
- Adjustable board sizes (9x9 to 19x19)
- Strong KataGo game engine
- Study professional game records
- Solve Go problems and tutorials
- Pattern matching for move suggestions
- Territory estimator
- Game recording and annotation
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SmartGo One is the only Go app you’ll need, whether you’re just getting started or already a seasoned player. Learn, play, study, and improve with SmartGo One. Experience the ancient game of Go on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac in a whole new way. Also known as igo (囲碁), wéiqí (围棋), or baduk (바둑), Go begins with an empty board that gradually fills as players surround territory and capture stones. Start with a 9x9 board and move up to 13x13 and 19x19 as your skills grow. SmartGo One adapts to your strength, automatically adjusting handicaps so games remain competitive and enjoyable. And when you’re ready for a serious challenge, the powerful KataGo-based engine delivers strong, rewarding play. But SmartGo One is far more than a way to play Go. Read interactive Go books while replaying the moves they describe to deepen your understanding. Explore a collection of more than 138,000 professional game records spanning both modern and historical masters. Improve your reading and decision-making skills with a growing library of Go problems and tutorials. Want to know how a master would handle a position on your board? SmartGo’s pattern matching technology compares your game with historical pro games and shows how strong players approached similar situations. No matter your level, SmartGo One helps you continue improving. Features include: • 9x9, 11x11, 13x13, and 19x19 board sizes • Powerful KataGo-based engine • Fast and responsive gameplay • Manual or automatic handicap adjustment • Record, annotate, and edit your games • Territory estimator • Hints and move analysis • Undo and replay controls • Tutorial with over 100 problems • Extensive user manual We value your privacy and only collect the minimum information necessary to make our apps work well for you. Learn more at https://smartgo.com/privacy.html. This app is licensed under Apple’s standard Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SmartGo One at 77% against CatchTheLionWars's 38%. SmartGo One also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 7 months). CatchTheLionWars's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. CatchTheLionWars sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and SmartGo One sells 47 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SmartGo One holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartGo One has 2K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of CatchTheLionWars's written reviews are positive against 77% of SmartGo One's.
CatchTheLionWars ships an update every 7 months, SmartGo One every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.
| Parameter | CatchTheLionWars | SmartGo One |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (6 ratings) | 4.8 (2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.2% of reviews | 76.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 160 MB | 156 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HEROZ | Smart Go, Inc. |
Customer experience
CatchTheLionWars
SmartGo One
Bugs and requests
CatchTheLionWars
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
SmartGo One
Reported bugs
3 issues- Illegal move detection issues on certain board positions
- Problems with missing variations or incorrect answers
- Inconsistent behavior when passing moves
Requested features
5 requests- Add read-only mode
- Improve move suggestion explanations
- Introduce difficulty settings for AI
- Integrate online play functionality
- Provide more randomness in AI moves
In-app purchases
CatchTheLionWars
- LionKing1$0.99
- 30days premium$4.99
- significantly weakened opponent selection (30 days)$4.99
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- LionKing13$9.99
- LionKing27$19.99
- LionKing44$29.99
- LionKing77$49.99
- LionKing133$79.99
- LionKing166$99.99
SmartGo One
- SmartGo One Pro – Monthly$4.991 Month
- Pro Games and Features14 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Just Enough Japanese 1Free
- Key Concepts in Life and Death$2.99
- Go Problems Master Collection$3.99
Show 42 moreShow fewer
- Go Problems Add-on 2: Medium$3.99
- Go Problems Add-on 1: Easy$3.99
- Go Problems Add-on 3: Hard$3.99
- Counting Liberties$4.99
- The Monkey Jump$4.99
- Double Digit Kyu Games$5.99
- Go: A Complete Introduction$5.99
- How Not to Play Go$5.99
- Encyclopedia of Go Principles$5.99
- Want to Play Go? Level 1$5.99
- Black to Play 30-25 Kyu$5.99
- The Workshop Lectures 1$5.99
- Rethinking Opening Strategy$6.99
- Learn to Play Go 1$7.99
- Learn to Play Go 2$7.99
- Learn to Play Go 3$7.99
- Correct Joseki$7.99
- “The Theory of Go”$7.99
- Learn to Play Go 4$7.99
- Buddhist Philosophy Game of Go$8.99
- Graded Go Problems 1$9.99
- Graded Go Problems 2$9.99
- Want to Play Go? Level 2$9.99
- Basic Techniques of Go$9.99
- Graded Go Problems 3$9.99
- Get Strong at Life and Death$9.99
- Mastering Mini Go by Mark Tomlinson$11.99
- Fuseki Revolution$11.99
- Fundamental Principles of Go$11.99
- The Basics of Life and Death$11.99
- Joseki Revolution$11.99
- Life and Death$11.99
- A Survey of the Basic Tesujis$11.99
- Tesuji$11.99
- Tesuji for Beginners$14.99
- AlphaGo to Zero, vol. 4$14.99
- Trouble Master, volume 2$14.99
- Trouble Master, volume 1$14.99
- AlphaGo to Zero, Vol. 2$14.99
- Invincible$24.99
- Essential Go Proverbs$24.99
- Pro – Lifetime Unlock$99.00
Questions
Is CatchTheLionWars free?
Is SmartGo One free?
Which has better reviews, CatchTheLionWars or SmartGo One?
Do CatchTheLionWars or SmartGo One have ads?
Which is updated more often, CatchTheLionWars or SmartGo One?
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