# Chess Notation Lab vs Chess Puzzles & Tactics

The clearest difference is rating: Chess Notation Lab at 5.0 against Chess Puzzles & Tactics's 4.5. Chess Notation Lab also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 76%). Chess Puzzles & Tactics's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (485 vs 6). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chess Notation Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess Puzzles & Tactics sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Chess Notation Lab holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Puzzles & Tactics has 485 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Chess Notation Lab's written reviews are positive against 76% of Chess Puzzles & Tactics's.

Chess Notation Lab ships an update every 3 days, Chess Puzzles & Tactics weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess Notation Lab | Chess Puzzles & Tactics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-notation-lab/id6480255515/reviews)** | [4.5 (485 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-puzzles-and-tactics/id6480381614/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **485** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 75.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 26 MB | 89 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nishat Majid](https://appshunter.io/developer/1727207034) | [Sajed Nahian](https://appshunter.io/developer/1494597866) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess Notation Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-notation-lab/id6480255515)

Master chess board coordinates and piece movement with this training app. Improve your ability to visualize moves, read notation, and understand square colors. Designed to enhance your chess calculations and potentially boost your rating.

**Highlights:** Identify squares by coordinate, Fluid piece movement visualization, Translate moves to notation, Identify square color, Orient on the board, Speed up calculation, Blind chess practice

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Version | $9.99 | one-time |


### Chess Puzzles & Tactics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-puzzles-and-tactics/id6480381614)

Enhance your chess skills with an extensive collection of puzzles and tactical exercises. Tailor your training by customizing puzzle difficulty and Elo ratings to target specific weaknesses and accelerate improvement, suitable for players of all levels.

**Highlights:** Infinite chess puzzles, Tactics training, Customizable puzzles, Elo rating adjustment, All player levels, Extensive tactic list

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ad-Free Forever | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🆓 Free to use, no ads
- ♾️ Seemingly endless puzzles
- 🧠 Great for chess improvement
- 👍 Simple and easy to use interface
- 🎯 Puzzles tailored to skill level

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- 🔄 Progress resets (ELO, history)
- ⚠️ Login issues (Apple/Google)
- ⏳ Puzzles take a long time to load
- 🥶 Freezes and crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to login
- Application resets to starting value (1000elo)
- History/review chapters remain unlocked
- In-application feedback not functioning
- Rating feature broke

**Requested features**

- Option to mute sounds
- Ability to disable audio
- Allow loading custom puzzle sets
- Better interface and cable


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess Notation Lab free?

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

### Is Chess Puzzles & Tactics free?

Chess Puzzles & Tactics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Chess Notation Lab or Chess Puzzles & Tactics?

Chess Notation Lab is rated higher. Chess Notation Lab averages 5.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Chess Puzzles & Tactics averages 4.5 from 485 ratings.

### Do Chess Notation Lab or Chess Puzzles & Tactics have ads?

Chess Puzzles & Tactics shows ads; Chess Notation Lab does not.

### Which is updated more often, Chess Notation Lab or Chess Puzzles & Tactics?

Chess Notation Lab ships an update every 3 days, and Chess Puzzles & Tactics weekly. Most recently, Chess Notation Lab was updated on October 14, 2026 and Chess Puzzles & Tactics on October 17, 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.*