Comparison

Chessmate vs Chess

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

Head to head
About

Chessmate

Analyze chess positions with multiple top-tier engines, including Stockfish. Customize engine settings, compare results, and explore any chess position with full FEN support. Ideal for serious players looking to sharpen their tactics and prepare for tournaments.

Highlights
  • Next Best Move Analyser
  • Multi-Engine Support (Stockfish)
  • Local & Remote Engines
  • Custom Engine Profiles
  • Time Travel Through Moves
  • Full FEN Support
  • Deep Engine Customisation
Features
Read full description

Chessmate is the ultimate companion for serious chess players and enthusiasts who want to go beyond the board. Analyse positions with unmatched precision, compare results from multiple top-tier chess engines (including Stockfish 16.1, 17 and 17.1), and dive deep into engine configuration - all in one sleek, powerful app. Whether you're prepping for a tournament or just want to sharpen your tactics, Chessmate lets you load, tweak, compare, and explore any chess position like never before. Local or remote engines, flexible setups, full FEN support - your next best move is always within reach. Key Features: > Next Best Move Analyser Instantly evaluate and visualise the optimal next move from any position using powerful chess engines. > Multi-Engine Support Run multiple engines side-by-side, including Stockfish 16.1, 17, and experimental builds — with more on the way! > Local & Remote Engines Use engines installed on your device or connect to remote ones for advanced cloud-based analysis. > Custom Engine Profiles Per Board Save multiple boards, each with their own engine configurations for tailored analysis. > Time Travel Through Moves Navigate backward and forward through board changes to revisit and reanalyse past positions. > Full FEN Support Easily load or export boards using the FEN format for seamless sharing and documentation. > Deep Engine Customisation Fine-tune engine options and search depth to match your strategy or test different scenarios.

About

Chess

Transform your device into a professional chess analysis board. Scan positions from photos, analyze games with a powerful engine, and organize your studies. Access opening books and a vast game database to improve your play.

Highlights
  • Professional analysis board
  • Position scanning from photos
  • Powerful analysis engine
  • Opening books
  • 8+ million game database
  • Personalized game organization
Features
Read full description

PROFESSIONAL ANALYSIS BOARD Turn your iPhone or iPad into a complete analysis board. Create, modify and analyze positions with our board editor. Study every game and take your chess to the next level. POSITION SCANNING Scan positions directly from photos or screenshots, in 2D and 3D. The app automatically recognizes the pieces and board layout. Ideal for studying real games or your own moves. POWERFUL ANALYSIS ENGINE Our advanced analysis engine evaluates each position with precision. Suggests the best moves, detects errors and displays strategic alternatives. PRACTICAL OPPORTUNITIES Discover the practical opportunities of each position. Identify tactics, strategic plans and key moves you can apply in your games. ADVANCED FEATURES + Complete opening books to study strategies from the initial phase of the game. + Database with more than 8 million games, updated weekly. + Download and upload .pgn files, share your analyses and save photos. + Share your studies with other players or coaches. PERSONALIZED ORGANIZATION Save all your games and analyses in your personal database. With an intuitive drag-and-drop system, organize your studies. COMPLETE AND FLEXIBLE ANALYSIS With interactive board, position scanning, powerful analysis engine and personalized organization, this app is the ultimate tool for chess analysis and training.

Screenshots

Chessmate4 screens
Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chess at 5.0 against Chessmate's 4.3. Chess also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 weeks). Chessmate's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). 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. Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Chessmate asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chessmate ships an update every 5 weeks, Chess every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Chessmate versus Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessmateChess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size0 MB146 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEdward MannAlvaro Ribes

In-app purchases

None

Chessmate

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Chess

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Annual$17.991 Year

Questions

Is Chessmate free?
Chessmate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chessmate or Chess?
Chess is rated higher. Chessmate averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Chess averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Chessmate or Chess have ads?
Chess shows ads; Chessmate does not.
Which is updated more often, Chessmate or Chess?
Chessmate ships an update every 5 weeks, and Chess every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chessmate was updated on November 4, 2026 and Chess on October 31, 2026.

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