Comparison

Almost Chess vs VibeChess Puzzles

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

Head to head
About

Almost Chess

Experience chess with a randomized board layout, offering a fresh tactical challenge for all skill levels. Adapt to new puzzles daily and test your strategic thinking in this unpredictable version of the classic game.

Highlights
  • Randomized board layouts
  • Single player AI challenges
  • Two player local mode
  • Daily puzzling positions
  • Valid move highlighting
  • ELO rating system
Features
Read full description

A familiar game. An unfamiliar board. Almost Chess is a chess variant with randomized starting positions, so you can focus on the position in front of you instead of memorized openings. PLAY YOUR NEXT MOVE Face AI opponents selected for your in-game rating. Tap a piece to see its legal moves, find tactical opportunities and work toward checkmate. Your rating tracks progress inside Almost Chess; it is not an official chess rating. A NEW CHALLENGE TO RETURN TO Try the daily challenge with three attempts per day. Weekly challenges rotate board restrictions for a different way to play. In the Gauntlet, each win brings a stronger opponent; a loss ends your run. Gauntlet games do not allow undo. MAKE THE BOARD YOURS Explore random boards with no queens, mirrored positions, pawns or extra chaos. Choose from 12 board themes and track your statistics and achievements. LANGUAGE OPTIONS Play in English, Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese. Follow your device language or choose a language in Settings. ADS AND OPTIONAL PURCHASE Full-screen ads may appear between completed games. Eligible single-player games start with one free undo; you can choose to watch a rewarded ad for one more undo when an ad is available. The optional one-time Remove Ads purchase removes ads and gives unlimited undos in eligible single-player games. It does not add undo to the Gauntlet.

About

VibeChess Puzzles

Engage in fast-paced chess puzzles and tactical challenges. Compete in real-time 1v1 duels or practice solo to improve your skills. Features an Elo rating system and adaptive difficulty for a continuously engaging experience.

Highlights
  • 1v1 Puzzle Duels
  • Solo Practice Mode
  • Elo Rating System
  • Match History
  • Adaptive Difficulty
  • Timed Challenges
Features
Read full description

See the move. Build the habit. Raise your rating. VibeChess is focused chess tactics training designed for daily progress. Solve a fresh puzzle, practice positions matched to your level, review every attempt, and test your speed in live mate-in-one duels. DAILY PUZZLE Start with one focused challenge each day. Find the winning move, keep your streak alive, and build pattern recognition without the noise of a full game. ADAPTIVE PRACTICE Continue training with puzzles that meet your rating. Get immediate move feedback, use hints when you need them, and learn from every position. LIVE TACTICAL DUELS Race another player through the same mate-in-one positions. Accurate moves and quick calculation decide the result. Earn rating and climb the rankings. TRACK REAL PROGRESS • Follow your rating curve and weekly activity • Review puzzle attempts and critical positions • Revisit duel history and rating changes • Build streaks and unlock achievements • Compare your results on focused leaderboards PLAY YOUR WAY Start in guest mode or sign in to sync your progress. Choose light, dark, or system appearance and train comfortably across iPhone and iPad. VIBECHESS PREMIUM Unlock unlimited practice, unlimited live duels, and monthly streak protection. Whether you’re learning tactical patterns or sharpening tournament calculation, VibeChess helps make every training minute count. See the move. Build the habit. Raise your rating. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Almost Chess4 screens
VibeChess Puzzles4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Almost Chess at free against VibeChess Puzzles's freemium. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Almost Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and VibeChess Puzzles sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Almost Chess ships an update fortnightly, VibeChess Puzzles weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Almost Chess versus VibeChess Puzzles: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAlmost ChessVibeChess Puzzles
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperhourafterKeyur Raval

Customer experience

Almost Chess

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

VibeChess Puzzles

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Almost Chess

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99
2 purchases

VibeChess Puzzles

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Access$1.991 Month
  • Unlimited Access7 Days trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Almost Chess free?
Almost Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is VibeChess Puzzles free?
VibeChess Puzzles is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Almost Chess or VibeChess Puzzles have ads?
Neither Almost Chess nor VibeChess Puzzles shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Almost Chess or VibeChess Puzzles?
Almost Chess ships an update fortnightly, and VibeChess Puzzles weekly. Most recently, Almost Chess was updated on October 16, 2026 and VibeChess Puzzles on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons