Comparison

ChessBar vs Vela Xtream

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

Vela Xtream

This app is a private media player for your IPTV subscription. It allows you to organize and watch live TV channels from your provider using an M3U playlist or Xtream login. Enjoy features like a TV guide, subtitle selection, and casting to your TV.

Highlights
  • M3U playlist and Xtream login support
  • Live TV guide grid
  • Searchable categories
  • Wide format playback support
  • Subtitle and audio track selection
  • Picture in Picture and AirPlay
  • Casting to TV
Features
Read full description

Vela is a fast, private player for your own IPTV subscription, signed in with an Xtream login or an M3U playlist. Bring the login or playlist your provider gave you and Vela turns it into a library you can actually navigate: categories you can filter and favourite, a TV guide for your channels, and playback that handles the formats other players choke on. • Signs in with an Xtream login, or an M3U or M3U8 playlist by link or from Files, with its XMLTV guide • A TV guide grid: your channels against the clock, wherever your provider publishes listings • Search that finds it as you type: partial words, actors, genres (Vela Pro) • Picks that learn what you like, worked out on your device and never uploaded (Vela Pro) • Categories you can search and star, not just scroll • Plays what iOS normally cannot: Matroska, AVI, HEVC, AC3 and DTS audio • Subtitle and audio track selection • Picture in Picture, AirPlay and background audio • Cast to your TV: AirPlay, Google Cast and DLNA TVs, with your phone as the remote • Continue Watching, recently watched channels, favourites, and next-episode playback • In 12 languages: English, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Turkish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese • Credentials kept in the iOS Keychain, on your device Vela includes no content, no channels and no provider. You need an existing subscription with a provider: an Xtream-compatible login or an M3U playlist. Vela Pro unlocks search, recommendations with a match score on every title, and playback without breaks. A 14-day free trial starts when you sign in; after that, Pro is USD 2.99 per month or USD 14.99 per year, or USD 29.99 once with Vela Pro Lifetime. Without Pro, browsing and playback stay free, and playback pauses for a moment every 10 minutes. Vela Pro is an auto-renewing subscription, billed monthly or yearly. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://vela-xtream.pages.dev/privacy Playback is powered by VLCKit, from the VideoLAN project, used under the LGPL.

Screenshots

ChessBar4 screens
Vela Xtream4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ChessBar at none against Vela Xtream's 2. ChessBar also leads on ratings volume (42 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0.0 vs 17.0). Vela Xtream's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 89%). On price, rating, update cadence 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. Vela Xtream sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. ChessBar asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Vela Xtream holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChessBar has 42 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of ChessBar's written reviews are positive against 100% of Vela Xtream's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ChessBar versus Vela Xtream: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessBarVela Xtream
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (42 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings42 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 3 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB104 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperChessLabArpit Kumar

Customer experience

ChessBar

All ratings41 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive89.2%
Neutral5.4%
Negative5.4%

Vela Xtream

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ChessBar

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Vela Xtream

Subscriptions1
  • Vela Pro$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Vela Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is ChessBar free?
ChessBar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vela Xtream free?
Vela Xtream is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ChessBar or Vela Xtream?
Vela Xtream is rated higher. ChessBar averages 4.8 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while Vela Xtream averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do ChessBar or Vela Xtream have ads?
ChessBar shows ads; Vela Xtream does not.
Which is updated more often, ChessBar or Vela Xtream?
ChessBar ships an update every 3 days, and Vela Xtream every 3 days. Most recently, ChessBar was updated on October 24, 2026 and Vela Xtream on October 25, 2026.

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