# ChessCraft vs Catanalyst

The clearest difference is price: Catanalyst at Free against ChessCraft's $5.99. Catanalyst also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 9 months). ChessCraft's advantage is chart position (#199 vs unranked) and ratings volume (8 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Catanalyst is free to download; ChessCraft costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Catanalyst holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChessCraft has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

ChessCraft ships an update every 9 months, Catanalyst every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ChessCraft | Catanalyst |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $5.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.3 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesscraft/id6739758339/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/catanalyst/id6761938125/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **8** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#199** | — |
| Size | 166 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stuart Spence](https://appshunter.io/developer/1786889107) | [Esgil Software Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1892161021) |

## What reviewers say

### ChessCraft

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesscraft/id6739758339)

**Currently charting:** #199 Top Paid · Board (US App Store)

Explore a chess sandbox where you can customize boards, rules, and pieces. Create unique chess variants, play against an AI, or challenge friends online. Discover and share your custom chess creations with a global community.

**Highlights:** Customizable chess boards and pieces, AI computer opponent, Online multiplayer with friends, Adventure mode with built-in boards, Chess variant database, Create new pieces and tile rules

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Catanalyst

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/catanalyst/id6761938125)

Enhance your board game nights with a companion app for strategic board game enthusiasts. It offers fair board generation, real-time score tracking, detailed dice statistics, and a comprehensive rules reference, all accessible offline.

**Highlights:** Fair board generation with multiple modes, Real-time score tracking, Dice statistics and probability charts, Comprehensive rules reference, Support for 2-6 player boards, Offline functionality

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ChessCraft free?

ChessCraft costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Catanalyst free?

Catanalyst is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ChessCraft or Catanalyst?

Catanalyst is rated higher. ChessCraft averages 4.3 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Catanalyst averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ChessCraft or Catanalyst have ads?

Neither ChessCraft nor Catanalyst shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ChessCraft or Catanalyst?

ChessCraft ships an update every 9 months, and Catanalyst every 5 days. Most recently, ChessCraft was updated on October 11, 2026 and Catanalyst on September 29, 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.*