# SmallFish Chess for Stockfish vs PatternMate

The clearest difference is chart position: SmallFish Chess for Stockfish at #17 against PatternMate's unranked. SmallFish Chess for Stockfish also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). PatternMate's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 79%) and price ($3.99 vs $4.99). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish costs $4.99 and PatternMate $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish ships an update every 8 days, PatternMate weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmallFish Chess for Stockfish | PatternMate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **$3.99** |
| 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 | **90.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#17** | — |
| Size | 208 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ted Wong](https://appshunter.io/developer/570426131) | [Max Schneider](https://appshunter.io/developer/1216198710) |

## What reviewers say

### SmallFish Chess for Stockfish

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

**Currently charting:** #17 Top Paid · Board, #62 Top Paid · Strategy, #193 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


### PatternMate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/patternmate-chess/id6795521475)

Sharpen your chess vision with over 51,000 offline tactics puzzles. Choose from three training modes to improve your rating, test your limits, or focus on specific weaknesses. Enjoy an ad-free, subscription-free experience with all puzzles included.

**Highlights:** 51,200 chess puzzles, Three game modes: Tactics, Survival, Practice, Adaptive puzzle difficulty, Over 40 tactic themes, Customizable practice rating range, Offline functionality, No ads or subscriptions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**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 PatternMate free?

PatternMate costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

Neither SmallFish Chess for Stockfish nor PatternMate shows ads.

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

SmallFish Chess for Stockfish ships an update every 8 days, and PatternMate weekly. Most recently, SmallFish Chess for Stockfish was updated on October 17, 2026 and PatternMate on October 15, 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.*