Chessly vs BrainBlinks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chessly
Master chess with structured courses, interactive lessons, and drills created by an IM. Learn openings, tactics, strategy, and endgames with video explanations and practice tools. Track your progress and stay motivated as you improve your game.
- Structured chess courses
- Interactive video lessons
- Tactics and strategy drills
- Endgame study tools
- Progress tracking and XP
- IM-developed content
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Chessly is your go-to chess training app built by IM Levy “GothamChess” Rozman. Designed for beginners and improving players alike, Chessly makes mastering chess simple, fun, and effective. With structured courses, interactive lessons, drills, and videos, you’ll build real skills step by step. Study openings, tactics, strategy, and endgames with clear video explanations paired with practice tools that reinforce what you learn. Track your progress, earn XP, and stay motivated as you climb the ranks. Whether you’re new to the game or aiming to boost your rating, Chessly brings world-class chess education right to your fingertips. Terms of Use (EULA): https://chessly.com/end-user-license-agreement Privacy Policy: https://chessly.com/privacy-policy
BrainBlinks
Receive weekly curated insights on culture, studies, business, and life lessons, delivered as short reads or listens. Each piece offers a practical tip for immediate application. Premium access unlocks the full archive and exclusive content.
- Weekly curated content
- Bite-sized reads and listens
- Actionable tips
- Full archive access (premium)
- Exclusive bonus content (premium)
- Referral rewards program
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BrainBlinks are bite-sized, one-minute reads or listens that expand your mind and feed your curiosity — delivered to your phone every Friday morning. Since 2007, thousands of readers around the world have started their weekends with a BrainBlink: a thought-provoking mix of cultural observations, curious studies, business brilliance, and live-by lessons — each one carefully crafted by humans, not bots. Every Blink tells a fascinating real-world story and ends with a practical, actionable tip you can use immediately. Think of it as a weekly kick in the cortex. WHAT YOU GET FOR FREE A fresh BrainBlink delivered every Friday morning Push notifications so you never miss a new Blink A beautifully designed reading experience A delightfully narrated audio experience GO PREMIUM Unlock the full archive of all past BrainBlinks Access exclusive Bonus Blinks Save and revisit your favorite Blinks anytime $2.99/month or $19.99/year — cancel anytime EARN CASH BY SHARING Love BrainBlinks? Share your referral link and earn up to $10 for every friend who goes Premium. Rewards are paid as Amazon or Apple gift cards. WHAT READERS ARE SAYING "BrainBlinks are a highlight of every week — they inspire countless side conversations and brainstorms amongst my teams." — Jordanna, New York "When I see the BrainBlink notification, it instantly brightens my mood and gives me something to look forward to reading." — Stephen, Pittsburgh "BrainBlinks are my go-to when I feel my brain is fried and in need of inspiration." — Tram, San Francisco Terms of Use: https://thebrainblinks.com/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://thebrainblinks.com/privacy-policy Created by Jeremy Baka and Wesley LeMahieu. Learn more at thebrainblinks.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Chessly at none against BrainBlinks's shown. Chessly also leads on ratings volume (29 vs 2) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). BrainBlinks's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Chessly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and BrainBlinks sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
BrainBlinks holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chessly has 29 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Chessly ships an update weekly, BrainBlinks fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chessly | BrainBlinks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (29 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 29 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 62 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chessly | Wesley LeMahieu |
Customer experience
Chessly
BrainBlinks
In-app purchases
Chessly
- Monthly Subscription$9.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription$89.991 Year
BrainBlinks
- BrainBlinks Premium Monthly$2.991 Month
- BrainBlinks Premium Yearly$19.991 Year









