Comparison

ChessBar vs Chess Clock & Chess Timer

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

Head to head
About

ChessBar

Discover and join local, in-person chess meetups in bars and cafes. Connect with players of all skill levels for friendly matches and community events. Experience the joy of face-to-face chess in a relaxed atmosphere.

Highlights
  • Find local chess tournaments
  • Play against enthusiasts
  • Learn and improve your game
  • Experience over-the-board chess
  • Join a global community
  • Free chess events
Read full description

The ChessBar app helps you find and join friendly, real-life chess meetups in bars, cafés, and other cozy spots near you, all for free. Whether you’re a seasoned player, a beginner, or somewhere in between, ChessBar is an open community where everyone comes together for the joy of playing chess face to face. With ChessBar, you can: - Find local chess tournaments in just a few taps and play against other enthusiasts for free in warm, welcoming venues - Learn and improve your game by facing players of all levels over a drink, in a fun and relaxed atmosphere - Feel the thrill of over-the-board chess: experience the intensity of in-person matches, whether you’re playing for fun or aiming to qualify for the ChessBar finals - Join a growing community already active in dozens of cities across Europe, America and Africa, and meet fellow chess lovers wherever you go Our mission: bring the joy of over-the-board, free chess events to communities around the world. Download ChessBar today and rediscover the joy of real-life chess!

About

Chess Clock & Chess Timer

This app provides a tournament-ready chess clock for over-the-board games. It offers customizable time controls, including increments and delays, and supports features like time odds for uneven matchups. Enjoy a clean interface with sound cues and mid-game adjustments.

Highlights
  • Tournament-ready chess clock
  • Customizable time controls (increment, delay)
  • Time odds for uneven matchups
  • Presets for various game speeds
  • Mid-game adjustments
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Chess Timer is a fast, tournament-ready chess clock built for OTB (over-the-board) games. Pick a preset for bullet, blitz, rapid, or classical, or build advanced time controls with increment and delay. Use Fischer increment, Bronstein, or simple delay, plus sudden death and multi-stage time control setups like 40 moves in 2 hours + rest of game. Play with kids or balance skill levels using time odds (time handicap) with different time per player. Enjoy stunning themes with high-contrast readability for tabletop mode, crisp sound cues, and quick mid-game adjustments. Features • One-tap turn switching with clear visual states and optional sounds • Presets for bullet, blitz, rapid, classical • Fischer increment, Bronstein, and delay • Multi-stage time controls and move-control setups (example: 40/120) • Time odds (time handicap) for uneven matchups, ideal for kids • Pause, reset, and add or subtract time mid-game • Offline, low battery impact, clean distraction-free UI • Also great for 2-player board games like go, shogi, Scrabble, checkers, backgammon, chess timer Easy to play chess: 1. Choose a preset or set base time, increment, delay, and stages. 2. Place the phone between players and tap to start. 3. Tap after each move to switch, pause anytime, adjust if needed. Terms Of Use: https://www.appside.io/chesstimer/termsandconditions.html Privacy Policy: https://www.appside.io/chesstimer/privacypolicy.html

Screenshots

ChessBar4 screens
Chess Clock & Chess Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ChessBar at none against Chess Clock & Chess Timer's 2. ChessBar also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Chess Clock & Chess Timer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 89%). 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 Clock & Chess Timer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. ChessBar asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ChessBar holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 37 and 9 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 89% of ChessBar's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chess Clock & Chess Timer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChessBar ships an update every 3 days, Chess Clock & Chess Timer monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
ChessBar versus Chess Clock & Chess Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessBarChess Clock & Chess Timer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (37 ratings) — better4.6 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews89.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings37 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0.0 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB7 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperChessLabMaksym Farynets

Customer experience

ChessBar

All ratings37 ratings
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive89.2%
Neutral5.4%
Negative5.4%

Chess Clock & Chess Timer

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ChessBar

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Chess Clock & Chess Timer

Subscriptions2
  • 3 Days Free3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Premium Annual$49.991 Year

Questions

Is ChessBar free?
ChessBar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Clock & Chess Timer free?
Chess Clock & Chess Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ChessBar or Chess Clock & Chess Timer?
ChessBar is rated higher. ChessBar averages 4.8 out of 5 from 37 ratings, while Chess Clock & Chess Timer averages 4.6 from 9 ratings.
Do ChessBar or Chess Clock & Chess Timer have ads?
ChessBar shows ads; Chess Clock & Chess Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, ChessBar or Chess Clock & Chess Timer?
ChessBar ships an update every 3 days, and Chess Clock & Chess Timer monthly. Most recently, ChessBar was updated on September 21, 2026 and Chess Clock & Chess Timer on September 9, 2026.

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