# Lifeline Chess vs dotChess

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: dotChess at none against Lifeline Chess's 1. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Lifeline Chess against 5.0 for dotChess. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively.

Lifeline Chess ships an update every 4 days, dotChess every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lifeline Chess | dotChess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lifeline-chess/id6755204248/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dotchess/id6758965852/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 2 |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 5 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 8 MB | 193 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Michael Tillman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1852589500) | [Thomas Baric](https://appshunter.io/developer/1872894014) |

## What reviewers say

### Lifeline Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lifeline-chess/id6755204248)

This app offers a fresh take on chess with unique power-ups called Lifelines. It features real-time multiplayer, custom game creation, bot building, and a tournament system. Sharpen your skills with AI analysis and community-shared puzzles.

**Highlights:** 8 Unique Lifelines, Real-Time Multiplayer, Create Bots, Custom Games & Challenges, Tournament System, Stockfish 17.1 Analysis, Community Puzzles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifeline Chess Full Game | $3.99 | one-time |


### dotChess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dotchess/id6758965852)

Engage in classic chess matches with friends, AI opponents, or players globally. This modern application allows you to track your statistics, communicate during games, and resume play across multiple devices.

**Highlights:** Play live games with friends, Challenge AI bots, Global matchmaking, Account creation and stat tracking, In-game chat, Cross-device play

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lifeline Chess free?

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

### Is dotChess free?

dotChess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Lifeline Chess or dotChess?

Lifeline Chess and dotChess are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Lifeline Chess or dotChess have ads?

Neither Lifeline Chess nor dotChess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lifeline Chess or dotChess?

Lifeline Chess ships an update every 4 days, and dotChess every 5 days. Most recently, Lifeline Chess was updated on October 24, 2026 and dotChess on October 24, 2026.

---

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