Comparison

PVChess Premium vs Checkmate Academy

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PVChess Premium

Features
Read full description

Premium version of PVChess with full access, no ads, and offline play. Before purchasing PVChess Premium, try the free, ad-supported PVChess: Chess Tutor first. It offers the same core gameplay, so you can decide whether PVChess is right for you.

About

Checkmate Academy

Features
Read full description

Checkmate Academy is your personal chess tutor โ€” learn chess from absolute zero to confident player with structured, interactive lessons. LEARN AT YOUR PACE - 20 guided lessons across 5 levels, from how pieces move to advanced tactics - 72 interactive challenges that test your understanding on a real board - Progressive difficulty that adapts to your skill level SHARPEN YOUR TACTICS - Tactical puzzles to build pattern recognition - Opening drills covering 20 popular openings - Endgame training with 10 essential positions PLAY & IMPROVE - Play against AI at multiple difficulty levels - Study famous master games move by move - Board builder to set up and analyze any position AI COACH (iOS 26+) - Get personalized move explanations powered by Apple Intelligence - On-device AI analysis โ€” private and fast, no internet required Built for chess lovers of all levels. No account needed. No ads. Just chess.

Screenshots

PVChess Premium3 screens
Checkmate Academy3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Checkmate Academy at Free against PVChess Premium's $0.99. PVChess Premium's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Checkmate Academy is free to download; PVChess Premium costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
PVChess Premium versus Checkmate Academy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPVChess PremiumCheckmate Academy
Price$0.99Free โ€” better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size16 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJianfeng WuAnupam Chugh

In-app purchases

None

PVChess Premium

No in-app purchases

None

Checkmate Academy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PVChess Premium free?
PVChess Premium costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Checkmate Academy free?
Checkmate Academy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PVChess Premium or Checkmate Academy have ads?
Neither PVChess Premium nor Checkmate Academy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PVChess Premium or Checkmate Academy?
PVChess Premium ships an update every 2 months, and Checkmate Academy every 2 months. Most recently, PVChess Premium was updated on October 28, 2026 and Checkmate Academy on October 25, 2026.

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