Comparison

Shogi ™ vs Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi

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

Head to head
About

Shogi ™

Experience the strategic depth of Shogi, Japan's version of Chess. This app offers a rich gameplay experience with customizable boards, multiple difficulty levels, and the unique mechanic of redeploying captured pieces. Perfect for both beginners and seasoned players.

Highlights
  • Deploy captured pieces
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • Customizable board editor
  • Timer-driven gameplay
  • Save and load games
  • Tailored sound effects
Features
Read full description

Dive into the Ultimate Shogi Experience! Unearth the magic of Shogi (将棋, shōgi) – Japan's treasure of strategic gameplay, revered as their version of Chess. Engage in thrilling battles on a board where every move tells a story. 'Shōgi', translating to the general's (shō 将) board game (gi 棋), is a testament to its captivating legacy. Witness the unique charm of Shogi: the strategic genius of deploying captured pieces back onto the board, a twist that has captivated enthusiasts since its ancient inception. Endorsed by legendary player Yoshiharu Habu, Shogi isn't just Japan's favorite pastime – it's a masterpiece of art. A symphony that harmonizes seamlessly with the traditional echoes of haiku, tanka, noh, ikebana, and the soulful Japanese tea ceremony. Its illustrious stature is carved by the age-old iemoto system, bolstered by historical shogunate backing. Features that Elevate Your Shogi Adventure: ◆ Crafted Undo: Strategize with freedom! ◆ Game Save/Load: Your game, on your time. ◆ Skill Spectrum: Embark on journeys from beginner to maestro with 5 tailored difficulty levels. ◆ Beat the Clock: Thrill in timer-driven confrontations. ◆ Your Board, Your Rules: Customize with a robust board editor. ◆ Aural Pleasure: Dive deep with tailored sound effects. ◆ Diverse Gameplay: Westernized pieces, multiple piece sets, and board designs to choose from. Join the ranks of Shogi connoisseurs. Immerse in an unparalleled blend of strategy, art, and tradition. Your board awaits.

About

Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi

This app helps you improve your Japanese chess (Shogi) skills by analyzing your games and creating personalized training plans. It offers AI opponents, detailed move analysis, and progress tracking, all playable offline without an account.

Highlights
  • AI opponents with distinct playing styles
  • On-device game analysis
  • Personalized training plans
  • Tsume (checkmate) puzzles
  • Skill profile and progress tracking
  • Offline play
  • Built-in lessons for beginners
Features
Read full description

Most shogi apps let you play. Shogiful makes you stronger. It is a personal shogi coach that lives on your iPhone and iPad. Play a game and a real shogi engine reviews every move with you. It shows where the game turned, explains why in plain language, and builds tomorrow's training around the mistakes you actually make. OPPONENTS WITH A PERSONALITY 40 AI opponents, from patient first-game partners to masters. One lives for the attack, another builds a fortress and waits, a third wins everything with drops. Beat one and the next is waiting. Stuck mid-game? The in-game Coach can show you the best move and what each move is worth. FIND OUT WHY YOU LOST After every game, Shogiful walks you through it. Each move is graded from best to blunder, and each mistake comes with the better move and the idea behind it, written like a shogi teacher, not an engine printout. Over time it spots the mistakes you keep repeating, and your training starts targeting exactly those. EVERY ANSWER COMES WITH A REASON Tap "Why this move?" on any puzzle and Shogiful tells you what the move really does: the escape square it takes away, the piece that seals the mate, the sacrifice that tears the castle open. Found a different mate than the book? If it truly mates, it counts. A WHOLE DOJO IN YOUR POCKET Your Daily Plan turns your own games into a few focused minutes a day, and spaced repetition brings each lesson back right before you would forget it. When you want more: • Tsume Trail: more than 500 checkmate problems, from 1 move to 9 • Drop Drills, Tesuji Cards and three-move tactics • Yose Trainer, for the endgame race where games are won • Joseki Lab and Castle Atelier: eleven openings, twelve castles • Komaochi: handicap games, the way shogi has always been taught WATCH YOURSELF GET STRONGER A skill profile across openings, tactics, defense, positional play and the endgame. A kyu and dan estimate you can calibrate. Progress charts that show real improvement, and 62 Game Center achievements to chase along the way. NEW TO SHOGI? START HERE. Shogi is Japan's chess with one brilliant twist: captured pieces switch sides and come back into play as your own. 80 lessons across eight tracks take you from your very first move to castles, endgames and handicap play. Pick traditional kanji pieces or easy-to-read symbols, and Japanese or Western notation. MADE THE WAY YOU PLAY Play on a 2D board or a 3D one. Import and export your games as KIF. Keep your progress in sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac with private iCloud sync. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no tracking. The engine runs on your device and works fully offline, so your games stay yours, on the train or on a plane. SHOGIFUL PREMIUM Play, review and train every day at no cost. Premium removes every limit: unlimited analysis and Coach hints, deeper multi-line analysis, every lesson and drill, the 7- and 9-move tsume, the strongest opponents and your full skill history. Choose monthly, yearly or a one-time Lifetime unlock. Every plan supports Family Sharing. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Shogi ™4 screens
Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi at every 9 days against Shogi ™'s every 5 months. Shogi ™'s advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (85 vs 5). On price, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Shogi ™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shogi ™ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shogi ™ has 85 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 41% of Shogi ™'s written reviews are positive against 43% of Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shogi ™ ships an update every 5 months, Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Shogi ™ versus Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShogi ™Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (85 ratings) — better4.2 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews41.2% of reviews42.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings85 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB108 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVM Mobile TeamAntti Aittamaa

Customer experience

Shogi ™

All ratings79 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral2.5%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive41.2%
Neutral35.3%
Negative23.5%

Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Shogi ™

One-time1
  • Premium$3.99
6 purchases

Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time4
  • Coffee$1.99
  • Supporter$4.99
  • Huge Support$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Premium Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Shogi ™ free?
Shogi ™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi free?
Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shogi ™ or Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi?
Shogi ™ is rated higher. Shogi ™ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 85 ratings, while Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.
Do Shogi ™ or Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi have ads?
Neither Shogi ™ nor Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shogi ™ or Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi?
Shogi ™ ships an update every 5 months, and Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi every 9 days. Most recently, Shogi ™ was updated on November 3, 2026 and Shogiful Learn & Analyze Shogi on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons