SmallFish Chess for Stockfish vs Chessify
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 19), 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?
Chessify
This app offers advanced chess analysis tools, including a real-time chessboard scanner, powerful cloud-based engines, and a unique video finder. Analyze games, puzzles, and learn chess theory with comprehensive features for players of all levels.
- Real chessboard scanner
- Superfast cloud chess engine analysis
- Video finder for chess positions
- Offline play against Stockfish
- Opening Explorer with Lichess database
- Import/export FEN/PGN
- Online real-time Blitz
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Chessify is an all-in-one chess platform built for players who want to improve with professional-level chess tools. Analyze with powerful cloud engines running on servers up to 1024 threads and 1 Billion NPS speed, explore databases of 12 million+ professional games, scan real chessboards and books, prepare openings, and review games from anywhere. Features that once required heavy desktop software are now available in a single mobile app designed for players of all levels. Whether you’re solving puzzles, training openings, or analyzing tournament games, Chessify combines advanced chess tools into one fast and easy-to-use experience. Features: ZIUK — YOUR AI CHESS ASSISTANT Ziuk is your AI chess assistant that helps you analyze games, understand positions, learn from mistakes, and explore openings. Unlike traditional chess engines that show you the best moves and evaluations, Ziuk explains the ideas behind them. Ask questions in your own language and get explanations that help you understand the game. Ziuk combines artificial intelligence, powerful chess engines, and Chessify’s analysis tools in one conversation. Connect your Chess.com or Lichess account to import your games and analyze them with Ziuk. - Powerful Cloud Engine Analysis Analyze with Stockfish 18, Lc0, Berserk, Caissa, Crystal, Patricia, Viridithas, AsmFish, ShashChess, Koivisto, RubiChess, and Sugar AI chess engines on cloud servers with up to 1024 threads, reaching up to 1BN/s speed. - Mega Database Search through 10 million+ professional FIDE-rated games with move statistics, player ratings, and opening trends. - Correspondence Chess Database Study the 2 Million+ official ICCF database games played with deep engine-assisted preparation. - Scan 2D & 3D Chessboards Scan real boards and diagrams from books or screens with high accuracy and instantly analyze the position with Stockfish 18. - Chess PDF Scanner Import chess PDF books and scan positions directly from pages for quick analysis and study. - Play Against Stockfish Challenge one of the world’s strongest chess engines with adjustable strength settings. Play from initial or any given position. - PGN & Move Notation Create analysis files with multiple variations and comments or import your existing files and review them with your phone at any time. - Save Games & Analysis Store your games, analysis, and studies locally or in the cloud and access them anytime. - Import, Export, and Share PGN/FEN Easily import your games or export positions and analysis to share with chess friends or students. Whether you’re a beginner, club player, coach, or grandmaster, Chessify provides powerful analysis and training tools for every stage of your chess journey. Privacy Policy: https://chessify.me/privacy-policy Terms of Use / End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Chessify at Free against SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's $4.99. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 19) and review sentiment (79% vs 46%). On 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
Chessify is free to download; SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99 up front. Chessify sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish asks for nothing beyond the download.
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmallFish Chess for Stockfish has 4.5K ratings behind it against 398, 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 46% of Chessify's.
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish ships an update every 8 days, Chessify monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmallFish Chess for Stockfish | Chessify |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (4.5K ratings) — better | 4.4 (398 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 79.0% of reviews — better | 46.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4.5K — better | 398 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #12 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 195 MB | 140 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ted Wong | Chessify Inc. |
Customer experience
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish
Chessify
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
Chessify
From 398 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📸 Accurate chess board scanning from photos
- 🚀 Fast and efficient position analysis
- ☁️ Cloud-based powerful chess engine (Stockfish)
- 💾 Easy PGN export and saving functionality
- 📚 Perfect for studying chess books
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 📸 Inconsistent scanning accuracy
- ❌ App doesn't work on iOS 18 and older versions
- 💰 Expensive paywall with limited free features
- 🔥 Device overheating issues reported
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
Chessify
Reported bugs
12 issues- Black screen in camera view during scanning
- Scanning omits first or last rank of board
- App crashes when loading images
- Buttons not clickable on certain iOS versions
- Position not recognized from screenshots
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- App closes immediately after opening
- Board rotation lock resets to landscape
- Analysis not visible unless switching apps
- Scanning fails 3 out of 5 times
- Subscription billing issues (wrong tier shown)
- App doesn't load past starting screen
- Photo library order reversed for board photos
Requested features
12 requests- Add move comments and annotations capability
- Board flip option during gameplay
- Auto-save functionality to prevent position loss
- Ability to edit and extend saved games
- Tactics puzzle mode with move verification
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- Automatic analysis on position scan
- Lc0 engine option
- iPad version support
- Lichess app integration
- Move sound toggle persistence
- Better indication of which side has advantage
- Depth control for analysis (stop at specific depth)
In-app purchases
SmallFish Chess for Stockfish
No in-app purchases
Chessify
- Bronze 1 Month$0.991 Month
- Silver 1 month$2.491 Month
- Gold 1 Month$7.991 Month
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- Bronze 12 months$7.991 Year
- Amateur$12.991 Month
- Silver 12 months$14.991 Year
- Gold 12 months$49.991 Year
- Master$59.991 Month
- Amateur Yearly$129.991 Year
- Master$559.991 Year
- SuperFast analysis - 1000 sec.$0.99
- SuperFast analysis - 10000sec.$3.99
- SuperFast analysis - 30000sec.$5.99
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- Starter Pack$5.99
- Standard Pack$11.49
- SuperFast analysis - 100000sec$13.99
- Popular Pack$29.49
- SuperFast analysis - unlimited$34.99
- Ultimate Pack$117.99
Questions
Is SmallFish Chess for Stockfish free?
Is Chessify free?
Which has better reviews, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish or Chessify?
Do SmallFish Chess for Stockfish or Chessify have ads?
Which is updated more often, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish or Chessify?
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