Comparison

MindChess vs Chess

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

Head to head
About

MindChess

Enhance your chess skills with daily training sessions, tactical puzzles, and bot matches. Analyze your games, build opening repertoires, and track your progress with detailed statistics. This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for chess improvement.

Highlights
  • Daily chess training drills
  • Themed tactical puzzles
  • Play against AI bots
  • Import and analyze your games
  • Opening repertoire builder
  • Progress tracking and statistics
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
Features
Read full description

MindChess is a daily chess gym and a study companion. Train board vision, memory and calculation in 60-second sessions, sharpen your tactics, play bots, and 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. TACTICS • Themed puzzles in four modes: Rated, with your own tactics rating; Practice, with free hints; Streak, until your first miss; and Time trial, 3 or 5 minutes with 3 lives. • Pick one of 24 themes or Mix, and review the puzzles you miss. PLAY BOTS • Nine characters with their own style, from beginner to advanced, plus Stockfish at the strength you choose. • Download the free Maia-2 model and some bots play like people at their level. Everything runs on your device. YOUR GAMES • Connect your Lichess or Chess.com account and import your 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, the key moments and your brilliant moves. OPENINGS • Repertoire: play through your lines and the app brings each one back right before you'd forget it. • Learn mode walks you through every new line, with its comments and arrows, before the first question. • Opening explorer: what Masters, Lichess players and you have played from any position, with a linked Lichess account. Save the moves to your repertoire. PROGRESS AND TOOLS • Statistics that tell you what to improve in your training, repertoire and games. • Widgets for your Home Screen and Lock Screen: daily challenge, reviews, streak, personal bests and shortcuts. • 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. ON EVERY SCREEN MindChess works on iPhone, iPad, iPhone Duo and Mac. MINDCHESS PRO Pro unlocks every drill, tactics and bots with no daily limit, Stockfish analysis and the game report, unlimited repertoires, lines and imports, lines from your own games, full statistics, unlimited game databases and clock controls, and 11 Pro piece sets. Free stays useful: the basic drills, 15 tactics puzzles a day, a daily game against the beginner bots, game import, the opening explorer, the scanner and the PGN viewer. MindChess is not an online chess server. It is the place where you train between your games. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Chess

This application offers a modern and accessible way to play and improve at chess for players of all skill levels. It features a clean interface and intuitive controls for a smooth, enjoyable gameplay experience focused on strategy and decision-making.

Highlights
  • Clean, modern design
  • Easy-to-use controls
  • Suitable for beginners and experienced players
  • Smooth and enjoyable gameplay
  • Skill development through practice
  • Focus on strategy and decision-making
Features
Read full description

Chess-Masters is a modern chess game designed for players of all experience levels. Whether you are new to chess or returning to the game, Chess-Masters offers a smooth and approachable way to play and improve. The app focuses on simplicity, clarity, and enjoyable gameplay. Its clean interface and intuitive controls make it easy to jump into a match without distractions. Every game is designed to feel natural and responsive, allowing players to focus on strategy and decision-making. Chess-Masters supports casual play as well as skill development through regular practice. Players can explore different approaches to the game, learn from experience, and gradually build confidence over time. The experience is flexible and adapts to different play styles, making it suitable for both relaxed sessions and more focused gameplay. Chess is a timeless game that encourages logical thinking, planning, and patience. Chess-Masters provides a comfortable environment to enjoy the game while developing these skills at your own pace. Key highlights: Clean, modern design Easy-to-use controls Suitable for beginners and experienced players Smooth and enjoyable gameplay Chess-Masters is built to make chess accessible, engaging, and enjoyable for everyone. Play at your own pace and enjoy the challenge of a classic game.

Screenshots

MindChess4 screens
Chess3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess at none against MindChess's 2. On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 Chess. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
MindChess versus Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMindChessChess
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size150 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeromar megdadiNimbus Cloud Range

In-app purchases

2 purchases

MindChess

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription$0.991 Month
  • Yearly subscription$9.991 Year
None

Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MindChess free?
MindChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MindChess or Chess?
MindChess and Chess are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do MindChess or Chess have ads?
Neither MindChess nor Chess shows ads.

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