Comparison

MindChess vs Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx

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

Head to head
About

MindChess

This app offers daily chess training designed to enhance mental visualization and blindfold play. It features mini-games that improve calculation, memory, and concentration, inspired by grandmaster training methods. Practice exercises focus on board elements without needing a physical board.

Highlights
  • Mental visualization training
  • Blindfold chess practice
  • Calculation and memory improvement
  • Concentration exercises
  • Mini-games inspired by grandmasters
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

MindChess is a daily chess gym and a study companion. Train board vision, memory and calculation in 60-second sessions, then take what you learn to your own games. THE GYM • Thirteen short drills: Square Color, Coordinates, Same Color, Same Diagonal, Bishop Captures, Two Knights, Collision, Memory, Mate in 1, Fork Finder, Piece Snapshot, Knight Distance and Opening Flash. • Timed mode (60 seconds, Game Center leaderboards) and Training mode (3 lives). • A daily challenge and a daily streak, with streak freezes and an optional reminder. • 39 achievements: badges at 10, 50 and 100 games of every drill, also in Game Center. THE STUDY TOOLS • Repertoire: play through your opening lines and the app brings each one back right before you'd forget it. • My games: game databases, PGN import and a viewer with variations, notes and marks. • Analysis: Stockfish 19 on your device, offline, with an evaluation bar and the top 3 lines. With Pro, the game report marks your mistakes. • Diagram scanner: snap a diagram and get the position ready to edit. Free. • Chess clock: increments, stages and time odds, for games with your phone on the table. • Notation your way: English, Spanish or figurines. The same board, with your look, across the app. • Public roadmap: see what's coming and vote for ideas. ON EVERY SCREEN MindChess works on iPhone, iPad, iPhone Duo and Mac. MINDCHESS PRO Pro unlocks Stockfish analysis and the game report, unlimited repertoires, lines and PGN imports, full statistics, unlimited game databases and clock controls, every drill every day and 11 Pro piece sets. Free stays useful: the scanner, the PGN viewer and the basic drills. MindChess is not an app for playing online games. It is the place where you train between them. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx

Master chess openings with interactive training. This app helps you learn and retain opening theory faster by actively playing the moves, leading to real game improvement.

Highlights
  • Interactive opening training
  • Active learning for retention
  • Faster improvement
  • Real game results
  • Opening theory mastery
Features
Read full description

ChessMaxx - Master Chess Openings Through Interactive Training Transform your chess game by mastering openings the smart way. ChessMaxx uses interactive, hands-on training to help you learn and retain chess openings faster than ever before Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q-mALK_tyRK_kFq70HuLJd8Yk88tvsnTtQJw1wS0YQQ/edit?usp=sharing WHY CHESSMAXX? Most chess players struggle to remember opening theory. ChessMaxx solves this by making you play the moves, not just read them. Active learning means better retention, faster improvement, and real results in your games.

Screenshots

MindChess4 screens
Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx at every 11 days against MindChess's every 3 months. Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1). MindChess's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, 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. MindChess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MindChess against 5.0 for Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MindChess ships an update every 3 months, Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx every 11 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
MindChess versus Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMindChessLearn Chess Openings ChessMaxx
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size140 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeromar megdadiIrakli Grigolia

Customer experience

MindChess

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

MindChess

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription$0.991 Month
  • Yearly subscription$9.991 Year
2 purchases

Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Premium$1.997 Days
  • Yearly Premium$24.991 Year

Questions

Is MindChess free?
MindChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx free?
Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MindChess or Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx?
MindChess and Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do MindChess or Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx have ads?
Neither MindChess nor Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MindChess or Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx?
MindChess ships an update every 3 months, and Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx every 11 days. Most recently, MindChess was updated on October 24, 2026 and Learn Chess Openings ChessMaxx on October 24, 2026.

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