# SmallFish Chess for Stockfish vs TacticForge

The clearest difference is price: TacticForge at Free against SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's $4.99. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months). On ads there is nothing between them.

TacticForge is free to download; SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99 up front. TacticForge sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.00 per month. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish asks for nothing beyond the download.

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish ships an update every 8 days, TacticForge every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmallFish Chess for Stockfish | TacticForge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallfish-chess-for-stockfish/id675049147/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4.5K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 79.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | **#16** | — |
| Size | 195 MB | 80 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ted Wong](https://appshunter.io/developer/570426131) | [Code Maker Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/537853225) |

## What reviewers say

### SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

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

**Currently charting:** #16 Top Paid · Board, #59 Top Paid · Strategy, #183 Top Paid · Games (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Blunder checking, Multiple line analysis, Graphical game evaluation, Game previews, Dark mode support, Endgame tablebase, 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


### TacticForge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tacticforge/id6790507624)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TacticForge Premium Subscription | $5.00 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmallFish Chess for Stockfish free?

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

### Is TacticForge free?

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

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

Neither SmallFish Chess for Stockfish nor TacticForge shows ads.

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

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish ships an update every 8 days, and TacticForge every 2 months. Most recently, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish was updated on October 29, 2026 and TacticForge on October 7, 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.*