# CelestialChess vs Boardmates

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Boardmates at none against CelestialChess's 1. Boardmates also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). CelestialChess's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CelestialChess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Boardmates asks for nothing beyond the download.

CelestialChess ships an update every 2 months, Boardmates every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CelestialChess | Boardmates |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Size | 16 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kuo-Tsun Huang](https://appshunter.io/developer/1800107243) | [CHUN HONG MAN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896628441) |

## What reviewers say

### CelestialChess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/celestialchess/id6747890176)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |


### Boardmates

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardmates-board-games/id6818575680)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CelestialChess free?

CelestialChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Boardmates free?

Boardmates is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do CelestialChess or Boardmates have ads?

Boardmates shows ads; CelestialChess does not.

### Which is updated more often, CelestialChess or Boardmates?

CelestialChess ships an update every 2 months, and Boardmates every 3 weeks. Most recently, CelestialChess was updated on October 28, 2026 and Boardmates on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*