Book2Board vs ChessFan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Book2Board
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Give your chess books a board. Book2Board brings your own PDF chess books, an interactive board and Stockfish analysis into one place. Follow a line, try another move and return to the page with your ideas intact. FROM THE PAGE TO THE BOARD In PDFs with selectable text, detect supported chess notation, review the resulting line or position, then load it onto the board. Scanned pages and diagrams can still be studied by setting up the position manually. EXPLORE YOUR OWN IDEAS Play moves, branch into variations and revisit earlier positions. Your saved study retains its move tree, selected move and board perspective. Export your moves as PGN to continue working in other chess tools. CHECK WITH STOCKFISH Analyze positions locally with Stockfish 17. Compare candidate lines and choose your analysis settings. The engine works offline; downloading your PDFs may require a connection. A WORKSPACE THAT FITS Read beside the board in a wide workspace, or switch between book and board on a compact screen. Resume your reading position and zoom. Set up positions with the editor or FEN, and choose board themes and notation styles. YOUR BOOKS, YOUR STUDY Import PDFs from Files. Book2Board does not include a book catalogue. Notation detection requires selectable text; it does not scan diagrams or convert entire books automatically. Optional PDF sync through iCloud requires signing in to iCloud. One-time purchase. No subscription. Available in 11 interface languages. Support: hello@book2board.app
ChessFan
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ChessFan is a chess PDF reader designed for players, coaches, and students. Import your chess books in PDF, detect chessboards on each page, recognize pieces with on-device ML, generate FEN, and jump directly into interactive puzzle practice. Key features: - Scan and digitize handwritten score sheets with AI - Review, edit, and replay games from score sheets on an interactive board - PDF chess book reading with smooth page navigation - Automatic board detection on PDF pages - Piece recognition and FEN generation - Edit and verify FEN before practice - Interactive puzzle practice board - Save and review practice history - Coach-student workflow for training feedback - Offline-first design: core recognition runs on your device - Multi-language UI support Privacy-focused by design: - Your PDF files stay on your device - Board recognition ML runs locally on-device - Score sheet images are temporarily sent to our AI service for recognition and not permanently stored - Recognized move data may be saved to cloud for Pro/Coach subscribers Subscription: - Free tier available - Paid plans unlock advanced cloud and coaching features Need help? Contact: service@aifetel.cc Terms of Use: https://oysape.web.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://oysape.web.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ChessFan at Free against Book2Board's $1.99. ChessFan also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Book2Board's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
ChessFan is free to download; Book2Board costs $1.99 up front. ChessFan sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Book2Board asks for nothing beyond the download.
Book2Board ships an update every 3 months, ChessFan every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Book2Board | ChessFan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free β better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 4 days β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No β better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 89 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rhinolabs Agency LLC | δΈ½ε¨ ε |
In-app purchases
Book2Board
No in-app purchases
ChessFan
- Basic Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
- Coach Monthly$5.991 Month
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- Basic Yearly$39.991 Year
- Pro Yearly$49.991 Year
- Coach Yearly$59.991 Year
Questions
Is Book2Board free?
Is ChessFan free?
Do Book2Board or ChessFan have ads?
Which is updated more often, Book2Board or ChessFan?
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