# Active Chess vs Smart Chess 3D

The clearest difference is price: Active Chess at Free against Smart Chess 3D's $1.99. Smart Chess 3D's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Active Chess is free to download; Smart Chess 3D costs $1.99 up front. Active Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Smart Chess 3D asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Active Chess against 5.0 for Smart Chess 3D. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

Active Chess ships an update every 39 months, Smart Chess 3D every 23 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Active Chess | Smart Chess 3D |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/active-chess/id6449165496/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-chess-3d/id6471657341/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **2** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 39 months | **Every 23 months** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 4 MB | 396 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alexey Polunin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1541894864) | [Philippe Zay](https://appshunter.io/developer/1200498230) |

## What reviewers say

### Active Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/active-chess/id6449165496)

Experience a unique chess variant with randomized starting positions and modified rules for dynamic gameplay. Develop your strategic thinking and planning skills in this engaging board game.

**Highlights:** Randomized starting positions, Modified chess rules, Strategic gameplay, Cognitive skill development, Choice of board sizes, Play against a chess bot

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Positions 1 Week | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited Positions 1 Month | $1.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Positions 3 Month | $4.99 | per 3 months |


### Smart Chess 3D

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-chess-3d/id6471657341)

Experience chess in a visually stunning and customizable environment. Play against AI or friends with adjustable difficulty levels and track your progress with real-time feedback. Save your game and resume anytime.

**Highlights:** Multiple 2D and 3D board visuals, AI, Player vs. Player, and AI vs. AI modes, Adjustable difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard), Customizable table designs and backgrounds, Optional game clocks, Real-time text output for game insights, Automatic game state saving

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Active Chess free?

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

### Is Smart Chess 3D free?

Smart Chess 3D costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Active Chess or Smart Chess 3D?

Active Chess and Smart Chess 3D are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Active Chess or Smart Chess 3D have ads?

Neither Active Chess nor Smart Chess 3D shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Active Chess or Smart Chess 3D?

Active Chess ships an update every 39 months, and Smart Chess 3D every 23 months. Most recently, Active Chess was updated on October 9, 2026 and Smart Chess 3D on October 6, 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.*