# ChessFlare vs MainLine

The clearest difference is rating: MainLine at 4.8 against ChessFlare's 4.3. MainLine also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 79%) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). ChessFlare's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ChessFlare sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $8.49 per month and MainLine sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MainLine holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of ChessFlare's written reviews are positive against 100% of MainLine's.

ChessFlare ships an update fortnightly, MainLine weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ChessFlare | MainLine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessflare-learn-chess/id6752779245/reviews) | **[4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mainline-chess-trainer/id6761091619/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **5** |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 133 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Anakyos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1840894592) | [Benjamin Boucher](https://appshunter.io/developer/1887753878) |

## What reviewers say

### ChessFlare

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessflare-learn-chess/id6752779245)

Master chess openings, endgames, and strategy with structured courses and personalized learning. Organize your repertoire, memorize lines with spaced repetition, and analyze your games to improve step-by-step. Syncs across devices for seamless study and practice.

**Highlights:** Structured chess courses, Opening repertoire creation, Spaced repetition memorization, Game analysis and review, Detailed progress statistics, Interactive move tree exploration, Cross-device synchronization

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $8.49 | per month |
| ChessFlare Pro Yearly | $12.99 | per year |
| ChessFlare Pro Yearly | $22.99 | per year |
| ChessFlare Creator Referral -50% | $24.99 | per year |
| ChessFlare Pro Yearly | $33.99 | per year |
| ChessFlare Pro Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Pro Yearly | $69.00 | per year |
| ChessFlare Pro Family | $109.00 | per year |
| 100 couronnes | $0.99 | one-time |
| 500 couronnes | $3.99 | one-time |
| 1 200 couronnes | $6.99 | one-time |
| 2 500 couronnes | $12.99 | one-time |
| Pro Lifetime | $144.99 | one-time |


### MainLine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mainline-chess-trainer/id6761091619)

This app helps improve your chess skills by focusing on pattern recognition. It uses spaced repetition to reinforce tactical motifs and endgame ideas, allowing you to create interactive drills from your own games to remember what matters most.

**Highlights:** Spaced repetition for pattern recall, Interactive drills from own games, Import Chess.com & Lichess games, Tactics, endgame, and puzzle training, Daily reminders and progress tracking, Daily puzzle challenges

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MainLine Pro (Monthly) | $7.99 | per month |
| MainLine Pro (Yearly) | $69.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ChessFlare free?

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

### Is MainLine free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ChessFlare or MainLine?

MainLine is rated higher. ChessFlare averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while MainLine averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do ChessFlare or MainLine have ads?

MainLine shows ads; ChessFlare does not.

### Which is updated more often, ChessFlare or MainLine?

ChessFlare ships an update fortnightly, and MainLine weekly. Most recently, ChessFlare was updated on October 31, 2026 and MainLine on October 24, 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.*