Comparison

Lifeline Chess vs Chess Path App

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

Head to head
About

Lifeline Chess

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
Read full description

Lifeline Chess brings Chess gameplay to a new level with innovative strategic power-ups called Lifelines while providing a multitude of gameplay creation and community sharing tools. KEY FEATURES: • 8 Unique Lifelines: One time use • Real-Time Multiplayer: Compete against friends • Create Bots: Play against our themed bots or create your own with unique mechanics • Custom Games: Create challenges with your bots to share or play community made games • Tournament System: Compete in Knockout or Swiss-format tournaments • Stockfish 17.1 Analysis: Review your games with full breakdowns • Community Puzzles: Sharpen your skills or make your own to share! • Rematch Clause: Enjoy more series matches • Light, Dark and 80's Modes LIFELINE POWER-UPS: • Pawn Uprising: Move two separate pawns • Best Move: Get computer recommendation • Shield: Protect a piece from capture for 1 turn • Freeze: Opponent piece cannot move for 1 turn • Teleport: Randomly teleport your king to safety • Second Chance: Undo your last move • Revive: Bring back a captured piece as a pawn • Add Time: Plus 30 seconds to your clock GAME MODES: • Matching: Jump into games vs human players • Custom Challenges: Play or design games • Community Made Puzzles: make and share • Sit N Go Tournaments: Swiss-style or Knockout Whether you're looking to improve your chess skills or just have fun with friends, Lifeline Chess offers a fresh take on the classic game while implementing a community style sharing and creation system for all chess aspects. Download now and join the Lifeline Chess Family!

About

Chess Path App

Learn chess through interactive board positions and tactical puzzles. Progress from basic piece movements to advanced checkmates with guided lessons and practice games against an AI opponent. Play offline and track your rating and progress.

Highlights
  • Interactive board position lessons
  • Hundreds of tactical puzzles
  • AI opponent for practice games
  • Learn popular chess openings
  • Offline play functionality
  • Progress tracking and rating system
Features
Read full description

Chess Path teaches chess the way you actually learn it: by moving the pieces. No lectures. Every lesson is a position on the board, and you solve it. Start wherever you are. Never played? Begin with how the pieces move. Already play? Jump into forks, pins, back-rank mates, and the hundreds of tactics lessons that follow, arranged as one path from your first move to real checkmates. LEARN 446 interactive lessons. Each one sets up a position, asks you to find the move, and tells you why it works. Get it wrong and Rookie explains it, then lets you try again. PLAY Games against Rookie, a chess engine who is unreasonably invested in your chess. She is proud when you win. When she loses she takes it very badly, and it is very funny. OPENINGS The Italian, Sicilian, French, London, Caro-Kann, Ruy Lopez and more, one move at a time. Every move we teach is the top choice in the masters database, so you learn what strong players actually play. BASICS How each piece moves, what check means, how to win. Short, on the board, done in minutes. YOUR RATING A Chess Path rating that climbs as you finish lessons and win games, and a streak for showing up, so you can see yourself getting better. WORKS OFFLINE Every lesson, every opening, and the engine are on your phone. Airplane mode is fine. Free. No ads.

Screenshots

Lifeline Chess4 screens
Chess Path App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lifeline Chess at 5.0 against Chess Path App's 4.4. Lifeline Chess also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). Chess Path App's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lifeline Chess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 5 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lifeline Chess ships an update every 4 days, Chess Path App fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Lifeline Chess versus Chess Path App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLifeline ChessChess Path App
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better4.4 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings45 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB111 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMichael TillmanLEARN THROUGH STORIES LLC

Customer experience

Lifeline Chess

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Chess Path App

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lifeline Chess

One-time1
  • Lifeline Chess Full Game$3.99
None

Chess Path App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lifeline Chess free?
Lifeline Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Path App free?
Chess Path App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Lifeline Chess or Chess Path App?
Lifeline Chess is rated higher. Lifeline Chess averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Chess Path App averages 4.4 from 5 ratings.
Do Lifeline Chess or Chess Path App have ads?
Neither Lifeline Chess nor Chess Path App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lifeline Chess or Chess Path App?
Lifeline Chess ships an update every 4 days, and Chess Path App fortnightly. Most recently, Lifeline Chess was updated on November 5, 2026 and Chess Path App on October 31, 2026.

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