Comparison

Time Was vs ChessSnap

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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]

About

ChessSnap

Features
Read full description

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

Time Was4 screens
ChessSnap4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Time Was versus ChessSnap: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTime WasChessSnap
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating3.8 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB2 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperHindsight Apps LLCJunqing Zhang

In-app purchases

None

Time Was

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

ChessSnap

Subscriptions1
  • ChessSnap Pro7 Days trial$11.991 Year
One-time1
  • ChessSnap Lifetime$11.99

Questions

Is Time Was free?
Time Was costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ChessSnap free?
ChessSnap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Time Was or ChessSnap have ads?
Neither Time Was nor ChessSnap shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Time Was or ChessSnap?
Time Was ships an update every 5 weeks, and ChessSnap every 3 months. Most recently, Time Was was updated on October 24, 2026 and ChessSnap on October 12, 2026.

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