Chess vs PatternForge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chess
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Chess-Ladder is an application designed for chess enthusiasts of all levels! Learn chess strategies, improve tactical skills, and compete with players from around the world. Key features: -Learn how to play chess: from beginner to advanced levels. -Challenge friends and acquaintances to a game or engage in battles with players from different corners of the world. -Enhance your skills through specialized training sessions and refine your strategy. -Track your achievements and rankings on global leaderboards. Elevate your chess game to the next level with Chess-Ladder!
PatternForge
This app uses spaced repetition to help you master chess tactics. Solve puzzles adapted to your skill level, review them on a schedule, and import your own games to turn mistakes into training opportunities. Create custom puzzle sets to focus on specific patterns and improve your game.
- Spaced repetition training
- Adaptive puzzle difficulty
- Game import from Chess.com/Lichess
- Custom puzzle sets
- Theme-based training
- Progress tracking
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PatternForge is a chess tactics trainer built around spaced repetition — so patterns actually stick instead of fading after one session. HOW IT WORKS 1. Train — Solve puzzles adapted to your level. Missed puzzles come back until you learn them. 2. Review — Patterns repeat on a schedule so you build automatic recognition. 3. Import — Pull your games from Chess.com or Lichess and turn your real mistakes into training. 4. Build — Create custom puzzle sets from PGNs, studies, or the full puzzle pool. FEATURES · Spaced repetition training · Adaptive puzzle difficulty (Glicko rating) · Game import from Chess.com and Lichess · Custom puzzle sets from PGNs and studies · Woodpecker method cycling · Theme-based training (forks, pins, skewers, and more) · Progress tracking and stats · Lichess puzzle database TRAINING MODES · Standard — Daily training with new and review puzzles · Woodpecker — Cycle through a set with increasing speed Stop grinding random puzzles. Start building real pattern recognition. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://patternforge.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess at none against PatternForge's 2. Chess also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). PatternForge's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price and ads 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. PatternForge sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.
Chess ships an update fortnightly, PatternForge every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess | PatternForge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 58 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vilgelm Menshov | ZYAGA LLC |
In-app purchases
Chess
No in-app purchases
PatternForge
- Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
- Pro Yearly$29.991 Year





