SmallFish Chess for Stockfish vs Really Bad Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish
This app leverages the powerful Stockfish chess engine to help you improve your game. Analyze your matches with detailed comments, study the engine's thought process, and track your progress. It offers advanced features like blunder checking and graphical evaluations without any ads or in-app purchases.
- Blunder checking
- Multiple line analysis
- Graphical game evaluation
- Game previews
- Dark mode support
- Endgame tablebase
- Opening books
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SmallFish is a project based on the Stockfish chess engine. It uses the latest Stockfish chess engine (Stockfish 18.0), rated about Elo 3600+ and is the strongest chess app on the App Store. SmallFish offers you three distinct ways to improve your game. You can review your game with comments, or study how Stockfish thinks, or track your progress. No in-app purchase, no ads, no data tracking. SmallFish is simply amazing. It's small but powerful, you'll be surprised. Features --------- - Blunder checking - Multiple line analysis - Graphical evaluation of your game - Game previews - Dark mode support - Endgame tablebase - Opening books Why not just download and try it yourself?
Really Bad Chess
This app reimagines chess with completely randomized pieces, offering a fresh strategic challenge. It's perfect for both seasoned players seeking a new puzzle and beginners looking to learn the fundamentals in a fun, accessible way.
- Randomized chess piece sets
- AI opponent challenges
- Ranked, Daily, and Weekly modes
- Freeplay practice mode
- Local multiplayer (with IAP)
- Alternate color palettes (with IAP)
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Really Bad Chess is just like chess, but with totally random pieces. Try 8 Knights, 4 Bishops, and 3 pawns — why not? As heard on NPR's Weekend Edition 5 out of 5 Stars "An essential puzzle experience for anyone even remotely interested in strategy games" - TouchArcade Whether you play chess daily, or quit just after learning the rules, this small twist will open the door to an entire new world of chess. ------WHATS IN THE “BOX”? The free version of Really Bad Chess lets you compete vs. an AI in Ranked, Daily, or Weekly Challenges. Improve your skills using the included Freeplay mode. A single in-app purchase unlocks Versus Mode so you can compete against your friends locally! It also removes ads, displays captured pieces, and adds soothing alternate color-palettes to choose from. ------REALLY BAD PRESS "Makes chess fun even if you’re really bad" - The Verge "Feels more modern than chess has ever felt" - Applenapps "Really Bad Chess takes a really bad idea and somehow manages to make it a lot of fun." - Pocket Gamer "Really good fun" - MacLife ------A WORD FROM THE DEVELOPER Chess is one of those games I always wished I enjoyed, but its commitment to beauty, elegance, and perfect balance always turned me away. Really Bad Chess removes these boring restrictions and flips chess on its head. As much as random pieces change the game in some ways, I was really surprised to notice how much the game remains the same, and how powerful some pieces are — you've never truly struggled against a pawn until you've struggled against a pawn in the back row. For chess pros, Really Bad Chess will give you a new type of challenge — the pieces & the moves are the same, but you'll have to throw out your openings and your understanding of normal patterns of play. For novice chess players (like most of us), Really Bad Chess greatly opens up the game. Instead of starting by studying openings, in your first games you'll get to discover the joy (and challenge!) of learning how to checkmate. I hope you have as much fun with Really Bad Chess as much as I did making it. -zach
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Really Bad Chess at Free against SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's $4.99. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 3.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement 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
Really Bad Chess is free to download; SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99 up front. Really Bad Chess sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish asks for nothing beyond the download.
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.5K and 1.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's written reviews are positive against 46% of Really Bad Chess's.
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish ships an update every 8 days, Really Bad Chess every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmallFish Chess for Stockfish | Really Bad Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (4.5K ratings) — better | 3.8 (1.6K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 79.0% of reviews — better | 46.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4.5K — better | 1.6K |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #20 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 208 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ted Wong | Zach Gage |
Customer experience
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish
Really Bad Chess
User reviews
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish
From 4.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Powerful chess engine
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 💡 Customizable board and piece styles
- 🚀 Fast move calculations
- 👍 Helpful analysis and suggestions
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Issues with board and coordinate display
- 🐛 Inconsistencies in engine difficulty levels
- 🐛 Problems with PGN file handling
- 👎 Complicated user interface
Really Bad Chess
From 1.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Addictive and fun gameplay
- 🤔 Unique and innovative concept
- 👍 Challenging and engaging
- ⭐ Great way to learn chess
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🕰️ Slow AI response times
- 💰 Paywalls for essential features
- 📺 Intrusive and excessive ads
- 🔁 Repetitive AI moves leading to stalemates
Bugs and requests
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes when setting up positions
- Incorrect move suggestions and engine evaluations
- Freezing and unresponsiveness during gameplay
- Issues with board and coordinate display alignment
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for variations and multiple analysis lines
- Implement a two-player mode with piece flipping
- Add PGN file sorting, searching, and folder support
- Provide an option to hide the board and show captured pieces
- Integrate with chess.com and other platforms
Really Bad Chess
Reported bugs
3 issues- Pieces unable to move as per chess rules
- Game freezes and crashes
- Incorrect checkmate detection
Requested features
5 requests- Add draw conditions and stalemate rules
- Implement online/multiplayer mode
- Provide more difficulty settings
- Allow custom piece arrangements
- Sync progress across devices
In-app purchases
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish
No in-app purchases
Really Bad Chess
- 100 Undos$0.99
- Full Game Unlock$3.99
Questions
Is SmallFish Chess for Stockfish free?
Is Really Bad Chess free?
Which has better reviews, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish or Really Bad Chess?
Do SmallFish Chess for Stockfish or Really Bad Chess have ads?
Which is updated more often, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish or Really Bad Chess?
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