Time Was vs ChessSnap
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Time Was
Create and share interactive history timelines with events, dates, descriptions, and images. View your timelines vertically or horizontally, and search for specific historical information. Share your creations publicly or keep them private.
- Create custom history timelines
- Add events with dates, descriptions, and images
- View timelines vertically or horizontally
- Search events within timelines
- Share timelines publicly or privately
- Add public timelines from other users
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Create your own history timelines and share them with others through the Time Was app. Add events to your timeline and include dates, titles, descriptions and images. The app lays out your events in an easy-to-view timeline format. View your timeline as a vertical list of events, or as a traditional horizontal timeline with events placed along a series of years. Search events to find important people, places and happenings in your timeline. Make your timeline public to share with the Time Was user community if you'd like. Or keep it private for your own use. Add public timelines from other people to your library to view and learn what others are publishing about historical events. [:mav: 2.0.2]
ChessSnap
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Turn handwritten chess scoresheets into PGN in seconds. Just snap a photo. ChessSnap uses AI to read your moves, validates them with chess rules, and delivers a clean PGN ready for analysis in Lichess, Chess.com, or any engine. HIGHLIGHTS No more typing Capture and convert instantly. Smart move validation AI recognition + rule-based verification. Learns your handwriting Improves with every game. Multiple player profiles Perfect for coaches, families, and clubs. 11 notation languages Including English, German, French, Spanish, and more. Cloud sync Access your games on all devices. Share instantly Open in Lichess or Chess.com, or export PGN. FREE TRIAL & LIFETIME Free trial: 5 scans in total, 1 player profile Lifetime, one-time purchase: Unlimited scans Up to 10 player profiles One purchase. No subscription, nothing to renew. PRIVACY Your data stays private. No ads. No tracking. EU-based secure storage. PERFECT FOR Tournament players Coaches Chess parents Anyone digitizing scoresheets Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.chesssnap.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ChessSnap at Free against Time Was's $1.99. Time Was's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On 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
ChessSnap is free to download; Time Was costs $1.99 up front. ChessSnap sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per year. Time Was asks for nothing beyond the download.
Time Was ships an update every 5 weeks, ChessSnap every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Time Was | ChessSnap |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.8 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hindsight Apps LLC | Junqing Zhang |
In-app purchases
Time Was
No in-app purchases
ChessSnap
- ChessSnap Pro7 Days trial$11.991 Year
- ChessSnap Lifetime$11.99
Questions
Is Time Was free?
Is ChessSnap free?
Do Time Was or ChessSnap have ads?
Which is updated more often, Time Was or ChessSnap?
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