Comparison

SixFour Chess vs Chess Variants Studio

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

Head to head
About

SixFour Chess

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SixFour Chess is a refined chess app built for simple, focused play on iPhone. Play locally against the AI, enjoy a clean and accessible interface, and review your finished games move by move. SixFour keeps the experience clear and distraction-free, with thoughtful design and modern mobile controls. Features Play Locally Against the AI Enjoy a smooth and focused chess experience without creating an account. Five Difficulty Levels Choose from five AI levels, including Master difficulty with online analysis for a stronger challenge. Three Hints Per Game Get limited help during a game to guide your next move. Replay Finished Games Review your completed games with local history and move-by-move board replay. Full Chess Rules Play with castling, en passant, promotion, threefold repetition, and the fifty-move rule. Built for iPhone Enjoy haptic feedback, sound effects, and a clean interface designed for mobile play. Accessible by Design SixFour supports VoiceOver and is available in English, French, and Italian. Privacy First No ads. No tracking without your consent.

About

Chess Variants Studio

Features
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Play any of nine variants of chess with 8 levels, 1200-2100, against the custom Pulsar engine. Review games with variant engine analysis. Styles supported are Chess960, Crazyhouse, Atomic, Losers, Giveaway, Three Checks, Advanced Pawns, Reversed Pawns and Random Pieces. The rules are included in-app. No signup. Ad Free. Works Offline. The playing program is one i've designed and tested at different levels on internet chess servers in order to come up with the ratings on the board. Ratings range from 1200 to 2100 or 2200 depending on variant. Try the app for free. There's 10 free plays of pure variants like atomic, crazyhouse and loser's and 10 free plays of chessic variants like chess960 and 30 free views of played games with analysis. A single one-time purchase unlocks unlimited play and variant engine analysis. Played games are logged and can also be viewed/analyzed. When reviewing the player's games, users can override the moves and start making their own moves. Back up to main line to undo. If the user goes looks at the Moves while reviewing, the game can be copied to the clipboard. The app comes with two skin themes, a reddish wood and a teal. Also here are multiple board and piece choices to choose from in settings.

Screenshots

SixFour Chess4 screens
Chess Variants Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SixFour Chess at none against Chess Variants Studio's 1. Chess Variants Studio's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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

Both are free to download. Chess Variants Studio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SixFour Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SixFour Chess ships an update every 2 months, Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
SixFour Chess versus Chess Variants Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSixFour ChessChess Variants Studio
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS17.015.6 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size10 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdouani SASMichael Adams

In-app purchases

None

SixFour Chess

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Variants Studio

One-time1
  • Unlimited Plays and Views$0.99

Questions

Is SixFour Chess free?
SixFour Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Variants Studio free?
Chess Variants Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SixFour Chess or Chess Variants Studio have ads?
Neither SixFour Chess nor Chess Variants Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SixFour Chess or Chess Variants Studio?
SixFour Chess ships an update every 2 months, and Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. Most recently, SixFour Chess was updated on November 12, 2026 and Chess Variants Studio on November 8, 2026.

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