# PVChess Premium vs Checkmate Academy

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | PVChess Premium | Checkmate Academy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Size | 16 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jianfeng Wu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1435210283) | [Anupam Chugh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1459739274) |

## What reviewers say

### PVChess Premium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pvchess-premium/id6751291936)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Checkmate Academy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/checkmate-academy/id6760925352)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*