Comparison

Gryphon Chess vs Chessmax

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

Head to head
About

Gryphon Chess

Features
Read full description

Gryphon Chess is a new take on the board game classic. Novel mechanics and tactics await for you to collect and explore! Three factions vie for power: the industrious and methodical Empire, the elusive creatures of the Woodland, and the tough and stubborn Saurians. Each faction has unique pieces, play styles, and strategies to learn. [Special Features] COLLECT AND UPGRADE PIECES Collect and upgrade unique pieces as you play and progress. (Yes, even gryphons - or griffons - or griffins... any way you spell it, make sure you know where they're at!) As you upgrade pieces, they'll gain additional movement patterns and abilities. CUSTOM SETS Create custom faction-specific sets. Mix and match pieces from the standard set and each faction to suit your strategy, but beware! Your opponent will have their own custom set and pieces. [Strategic Gameplay] SHARPER MATCHES With three additional win conditions, Gryphon Chess matches are typically quicker and more pointed. With custom sets, each match becomes a real-time puzzle.

About

Chessmax

Features
Read full description

Chessmax is an immersive 3D online chess platform built for both competitive players and casual fans. Whether you want intense ranked matches, relaxed custom games, or single-player AI challenges, Chessmax delivers a polished, social and highly customizable chess experience. Core features - Real-time 3D matches: Smooth camera controls and crisp visuals put you at the center of every game. - Deep customization: Personalize your profile with customizable pieces, boards, profile icons and emotes. Build a signature look and bring personality to the board. - Multiple modes: Play Ranked, Custom, or against AI (Easy / Medium / Hard). Weโ€™re constantly expanding modes and game types. - Tournaments & leaderboards: Join live tournaments, track standings and compete for prizes. Our Redis-backed leaderboards and tournament caching keep results fast and consistent. - Loadout & Randomize: Equip your favorite pieces, boards, icons and emotes in Loadout. Randomize is being expanded to include emotes and icons for fresh combinations and discovery. - Secure purchases: In-app purchases are verified and hardened to ensure reliable, secure transactions. Polish, performance & reliability This update brings a major profile and UI refresh, reduced build size through asset cleanup, and many behind-the-scenes improvements to server performance and caching. Profile loading, match history, and tournament queries are faster thanks to Redis-driven optimizations. We also improved IAP validation flows and version sync for more dependable updates. Why players love Chessmax - Express yourself with unique piece sets, boards and emotes. - Climb the ranks in competitive play or try new strategies against AI opponents. - Compete in well-managed tournaments with fast leaderboards and responsive matchmaking. - Regular updates, performance optimizations and active bug-fix cycles keep the game evolving. Get involved Join the Chessmax community: customize your loadout, climb leaderboards, and test new modes. If you find an issue, use the in-game Bug Report to help us improve. We read everything and push updates frequently. Download the update and step into Chessmax โ€” the next level of 3D online chess awaits.

Screenshots

Gryphon Chess4 screens
Chessmax4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Chessmax at weekly against Gryphon Chess's every 3 weeks. Gryphon Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Gryphon Chess sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Chessmax sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gryphon Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, Chessmax weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Gryphon Chess versus Chessmax: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGryphon ChessChessmax
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.4 โ€” better15.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size69 MB259 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAnimeeples LLCZOIHUB LLC

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Gryphon Chess

One-time4
  • Handful of Gems$0.99
  • Pile of Gems$4.99
  • Crate of Gems$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Barrel of Gems$19.99
6 purchases

Chessmax

One-time6
  • 64 Zoi Coins$0.99
  • 192 Zoi Coins$2.99
  • 320 Zoi Coins$4.99
Show 3 more
  • 640 Zoi Coins$9.99
  • 1280 Zoi Coins$19.99
  • 2560 Zoi Coins$39.99

Questions

Is Gryphon Chess free?
Gryphon Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chessmax free?
Chessmax is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Gryphon Chess or Chessmax have ads?
Neither Gryphon Chess nor Chessmax shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gryphon Chess or Chessmax?
Gryphon Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chessmax weekly. Most recently, Gryphon Chess was updated on October 27, 2026 and Chessmax on October 28, 2026.

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