Comparison

Big Chess vs Chessbits

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

Head to head
About

Big Chess

Experience chess on a larger 10x10 board with new pieces and expanded strategic depth. Play online, challenge friends, train against AI, solve puzzles, and explore nine unique chess variants.

Highlights
  • 10x10 board chess
  • Nine chess variants
  • Online ELO matchmaking
  • AI training up to level 7
  • Hundreds of puzzles
  • Game history review
  • Customizable time controls
Features
Read full description

Big Chess takes classic chess to a larger 10×10 board with new pieces and deeper strategy. Play online with ELO matchmaking, challenge friends, train against AI at 7 levels, play two players on one device, solve hundreds of puzzles, and review your game history. All 9 variants work in every mode (online, with friends, against AI and two players on one device): Big Chess, Grand Chess, Capablanca Chess, Chess 960, Duck Chess, Makruk, Crazyhouse, Atomic Chess, and Fog of War. Puzzles cover all 9 variants. Customize time controls, boards, hints, sound and more. Track ratings and statistics, climb the leaderboard, and export games as PGN. Free: online play, friend challenges and two players on one device in every variant; AI levels 0–4; 3 puzzles a day plus the daily puzzle; 3 hints and 3 undos per game against AI; 1 engine game analysis a day; basic statistics and game archive; standard boards and pieces. Big Chess Premium (optional) adds AI levels 5–6, unlimited puzzles, hints, undos and game analysis, advanced statistics for every variant (rating history and openings), and premium board themes and piece sets. Plans: a monthly or yearly subscription (the yearly plan has a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers) or a one-time lifetime purchase. Prices are shown in the app and vary by country. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; renewal is charged within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Chessbits

Features
Read full description

Fetch and play along with interesting game bits from the cloud See color coded game notation to identify good moves, blunders and transpositions Show or hide the game evaluation at any time Hide the pieces at any time to play blindfold Change any of your moves as often as you wish Flip the board and switch sides at any moment to see if you can win or draw from the Stockfish position Share your games to the clipboard and keep studying them anywhere Paste games and modify them by making your own moves from any position Create and play your own positions by choosing piece placement, side to move, castling rights and en passant target Choose any Chess960 starting position or let the app choose one randomly Choose to receive a warning if you are about to make a weak move Choose to announce draw by 50 move rule Choose to announce draw by repetition Use dark or light mode along with a selection of board colors

Screenshots

Big Chess4 screens
Chessbits4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chessbits at none against Big Chess's 6. Big Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 27.2). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Big Chess sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Chessbits asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Big Chess versus Chessbits: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBig ChessChessbits
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (38 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings38 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better27.2
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB104 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBig ChessDavid Sybert

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Big Chess

Subscriptions5
  • Premium Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Premium Plan – All Features7 Days trial$2.996 Months
  • Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Premium Plan – All Features7 Days trial$3.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$49.99
None

Chessbits

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Big Chess free?
Big Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chessbits free?
Chessbits is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Big Chess or Chessbits have ads?
Neither Big Chess nor Chessbits shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Big Chess or Chessbits?
Big Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chessbits every 3 weeks. Most recently, Big Chess was updated on November 8, 2026 and Chessbits on November 5, 2026.

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