Comparison

Board Brain vs Heatmap Chess

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

Head to head
About

Board Brain

This app helps chess players of all levels enhance their skills through interactive games and exercises. It focuses on mastering chessboard coordinates, understanding piece movements, and recognizing square colors to improve overall game vision.

Highlights
  • Interactive games
  • Skill-building exercises
  • Chessboard coordinate mastery
  • Piece movement understanding
  • Square color recognition
Features
Read full description

BoardBrain is designed to help both novice and experienced chess players improve their skills. It offers interactive games and exercises that focus on mastering chessboard coordinates, understanding piece movements, and recognizing square colors.

About

Heatmap Chess

Features
Read full description

Heatmap.Chess teaches you to read a chess board the way grandmasters do — as a map of control, not a list of pieces. EVERY NUMBER IS A THREAT Each square shows how many pieces want to attack it. A "3" means three pieces are converging on that square. Drop your dock pieces in the right places, and every correct placement cools the heat by one. Get all numbers to zero — puzzle solved. WHAT'S INSIDE • Hand-crafted themed rooms with graduated difficulty • Fresh daily puzzles — keep your streak alive • Heart system + combo bonuses • Cross-device sync — pick up where you left off • Quiet, focused dark UI built for one hand • One-time purchase removes ads + unlocks every room SHARPEN YOUR CHESS VISION No openings to memorize, no notation to decode. You start seeing what grandmasters see when they sit down at a board — the geometry of attacks. A training tool for beginners and experienced players alike. DESIGNED FOR FOCUS No social feeds. No leaderboards screaming at you. Just numbers, pieces, and the small satisfaction of every count dropping to zero.

Screenshots

Board Brain4 screens
Heatmap Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Board Brain at none against Heatmap Chess's 1. Board Brain also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). Heatmap Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.0). On price and device support 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

Both are free to download. Heatmap Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Board Brain asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Board Brain ships an update every 6 days, Heatmap Chess every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Board Brain versus Heatmap Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoard BrainHeatmap Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB19 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSelvarajan ThangavelUtku Kucu

In-app purchases

None

Board Brain

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Heatmap Chess

One-time1
  • Unlock Everything$4.99

Questions

Is Board Brain free?
Board Brain is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Heatmap Chess free?
Heatmap Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Board Brain or Heatmap Chess have ads?
Heatmap Chess shows ads; Board Brain does not.
Which is updated more often, Board Brain or Heatmap Chess?
Board Brain ships an update every 6 days, and Heatmap Chess every 2 months. Most recently, Board Brain was updated on September 30, 2026 and Heatmap Chess on October 13, 2026.

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