# Active Chess vs dotChess

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: dotChess at none against Active Chess's 3. dotChess also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 39 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Active Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. dotChess 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 dotChess. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

Active Chess ships an update every 39 months, dotChess every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Active Chess | dotChess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/active-chess/id6449165496/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dotchess/id6758965852/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **2** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 39 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 4 MB | 193 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alexey Polunin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1541894864) | [Thomas Baric](https://appshunter.io/developer/1872894014) |

## 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 |


### dotChess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dotchess/id6758965852)

Engage in classic chess matches with friends, AI opponents, or players globally. This modern application allows you to track your statistics, communicate during games, and resume play across multiple devices.

**Highlights:** Play live games with friends, Challenge AI bots, Global matchmaking, Account creation and stat tracking, In-game chat, Cross-device play

**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 dotChess free?

dotChess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Active Chess or dotChess?

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

### Do Active Chess or dotChess have ads?

Neither Active Chess nor dotChess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Active Chess or dotChess?

Active Chess ships an update every 39 months, and dotChess every 5 days. Most recently, Active Chess was updated on September 23, 2026 and dotChess on June 5, 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.*