# SmallFish Chess for Stockfish vs Chess Master

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SmallFish Chess for Stockfish at 79% against Chess Master's 0%. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish also leads on price ($4.99 vs $19.99) and rating (4.8 vs 1.0). Chess Master's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99 and Chess Master $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmallFish Chess for Stockfish has 4.5K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's written reviews are positive against 0% of Chess Master's.

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish ships an update every 3 days, Chess Master every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmallFish Chess for Stockfish | Chess Master |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$4.99** | $19.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallfish-chess-for-stockfish/id675049147/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-master-ultimate-guide/id1260988707/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.5K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **79.1% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#20** | — |
| Size | 195 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Ted Wong](https://appshunter.io/developer/570426131) | [Sergiy Kurash](https://appshunter.io/developer/1781967191) |

## What reviewers say

### SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallfish-chess-for-stockfish/id675049147)

**Currently charting:** #20 Top Paid · Board, #65 Top Paid · Strategy, #199 Top Paid · Games (US App Store)

This app leverages the powerful Stockfish chess engine to help you analyze your games, study strategic thinking, and track your progress. It offers features like blunder checking, graphical evaluations, and opening books without any ads or in-app purchases.

**Highlights:** Stockfish chess engine integration, Game analysis with comments, Study Stockfish's thinking, Progress tracking, Blunder checking, Graphical game evaluation, Opening books

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful chess engine
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 💡 Customizable board and piece styles
- 🚀 Fast move calculations
- 👍 Helpful analysis and suggestions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Issues with board and coordinate display
- 🐛 Inconsistencies in engine difficulty levels
- 🐛 Problems with PGN file handling
- 👎 Complicated user interface

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Chess Master

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-master-ultimate-guide/id1260988707)

Master chess strategy and tactics with a vast collection of over 4600 unique puzzles, problems, and studies. Perfect for players of all levels looking to improve their game through instructive positions from grandmaster matches.

**Highlights:** 4600+ unique chess problems, Train chess strategy, Improve theoretical positions, Study instructive gaming positions, Endgame practice, Grandmaster game analysis

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmallFish Chess for Stockfish free?

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Chess Master free?

Chess Master costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish or Chess Master?

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish is rated higher. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4.5K ratings, while Chess Master averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do SmallFish Chess for Stockfish or Chess Master have ads?

Neither SmallFish Chess for Stockfish nor Chess Master shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish or Chess Master?

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish ships an update every 3 days, and Chess Master every 11 months. Most recently, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish was updated on November 6, 2026 and Chess Master on November 2, 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.*