Comparison

Exploding Kittens® 2 vs Chess Pals

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

Head to head
About

Exploding Kittens® 2

Experience the chaotic fun of a popular card game with friends. This digital version features customizable avatars, animated cards, and new ways to play, including the highly requested "Nope" card. Engage in quick rounds of strategy and luck to be the last player standing.

Highlights
  • Customizable avatars
  • Emoji reactions
  • Multiple game modes
  • Animated cards
  • Online multiplayer
  • AI opponent
Features
Read full description

The ultimate card game with friends is back with a bang, people! EXPLODING KITTENS® 2 has it all – customisable avatars, emojis, oodles of game modes and cards full of quirky humour and animations sleeker than an oiled kitty with catnip-fuelled zoomies! Plus, the official EXPLODING KITTENS® 2 game brings the most-requested mechanic of all…the Nope card! Stuff a glorious Nope Sandwich right into the horrified faces of your friends – with extra Nopesauce, of course. HOW TO PLAY EXPLODING KITTENS® 2 1. Download the EXPLODING KITTENS® 2 online game. 2. Optional: Get your friends to download it too. 3. Each player plays as many cards as they like on their turn OR passes! 4. The player then draws a card to end their turn. If it’s an EXPLODING KITTEN, they’re out (unless they have a handy Defuse card). 5. Keep going until only one player is left standing! FEATURES - CUSTOMISE YOUR AVATARS – Dress your avatar up in the season’s hottest outfits (cat hair not included) - REACT TO GAMEPLAY – Personalise your emoji sets to ensure your trash talk has a razor-sharp edge. - MULTIPLE GAME MODES – Play alone against our expert AI or impress your mum with your sparkling social life by playing with friends online! - ANIMATED CARDS – The mayhem comes to life with awesome animations! Those Nope cards just hit different now… Steady yourself, think of calming waves and draw a card!

About

Chess Pals

This app makes learning chess fun and magical for children aged 3-5. It features large, friendly pieces, bright visuals, and interactive lessons on how each piece moves, with no reading required. It also includes fun puzzles to reinforce learning.

Highlights
  • Interactive piece introductions
  • Visual movement guides
  • Fun, shuffled puzzles
  • Large tap targets
  • Offline play
  • No ads or in-app purchases
Features
Read full description

Chess Pals makes learning chess magical for little ones! Designed for children ages 3–5, Chess Pals turns the world's greatest game into a joyful, colorful adventure. No reading required — just big friendly pieces, bright visuals, and lots of encouragement! MEET THE PIECES Tap on each chess piece to discover its name, personality, and special superpower. The Knight jumps like a horse! The Queen goes anywhere! The Pawn can become a hero! HOW THEY MOVE Watch a live mini chessboard light up in green to show exactly where each piece can go. Perfect for little eyes learning to see the board. FUN PUZZLES 10 colorful multiple-choice questions with cheerful encouragement and a star score tracker. Every session is different — questions shuffle every time! DESIGNED FOR TINY HANDS - Giant tap targets — easy for toddlers - No ads, no in-app purchases, ever - No internet connection required - No personal data collected Chess builds focus, memory, and problem-solving skills — start them early with Chess Pals! Paste that in and let me know when done!

Screenshots

Exploding Kittens® 24 screens
Chess Pals3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chess Pals at Free against Exploding Kittens® 2's $4.99. Chess Pals also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 20) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Exploding Kittens® 2's advantage is ratings volume (3.7K vs 1) and chart position (#8 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Chess Pals is free to download; Exploding Kittens® 2 costs $4.99 up front. Exploding Kittens® 2 sells 20 one-off in-app purchases. Chess Pals asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Pals holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Exploding Kittens® 2 has 3.7K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Exploding Kittens® 2 ships an update every 2 weeks, Chess Pals fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Exploding Kittens® 2 versus Chess Pals: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExploding Kittens® 2Chess Pals
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (3.7K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings3.7K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#8 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size443 MB2 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperMarmalade Game Studio LimitedChad Moellenberg

Customer experience

Exploding Kittens® 2

All ratings3,725 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews399 reviews
Positive59.6%
Neutral11.5%
Negative28.8%

Chess Pals

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Exploding Kittens® 2

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Nope card not functioning properly
  • Leaderboard not updating correctly
  • Inability to leave a game after losing
  • Forced account creation for online play

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add a turn timer to prevent stalling
  • Allow custom deck creation and configuration
  • Improve online multiplayer stability and matchmaking
  • Bring back the original game's sound effects and personality

Chess Pals

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

20 purchases

Exploding Kittens® 2

One-time20
  • Santa Claws Card Back$0.99
  • Mystic Mayhem Card Back$0.99
  • Beach Day Emoji Pack$0.99
Show 17 more
  • Beach Day Card back$0.99
  • Kitchen Chaos Emoji Pack$0.99
  • Kitchen Chaos Card Back$0.99
  • Mystic Mayhem Emoji Pack$1.99
  • MysticMayhem Cauldron Creature$1.99
  • Glenn Coco$1.99
  • Sea Rat Outfit$1.99
  • Beach Day Location$1.99
  • Slice of Heaven Outfit$1.99
  • Yucky Buddy Outfit$1.99
  • Kitchen Chaos Location$1.99
  • Santa Claws Pack$4.99
  • Mystic Mayhem Pack$5.99
  • Beach Day Pack$5.99
  • Kitchen Chaos Pack$5.99
  • Sun and Spice Bundle$7.99
  • Explosive Expansions Pass$9.99
None

Chess Pals

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Exploding Kittens® 2 free?
Exploding Kittens® 2 costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Chess Pals free?
Chess Pals is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Exploding Kittens® 2 or Chess Pals?
Chess Pals is rated higher. Exploding Kittens® 2 averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while Chess Pals averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Exploding Kittens® 2 or Chess Pals have ads?
Neither Exploding Kittens® 2 nor Chess Pals shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Exploding Kittens® 2 or Chess Pals?
Exploding Kittens® 2 ships an update every 2 weeks, and Chess Pals fortnightly. Most recently, Exploding Kittens® 2 was updated on October 17, 2026 and Chess Pals on October 3, 2026.

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