Comparison

Chessbits vs Zenmate

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

Head to head
About

Chessbits

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Fetch interesting game bits from the cloud See color coded game notation to identify good moves, blunders and transpositions Show or hide the game evaluation at any time Hide the pieces at any time to play blindfold Change moves as often as you wish Change sides at any time to play from the Stockfish position Create and play your own positions Choose any Chess960 starting position or let the app choose one randomly Choose to receive a warning if you make a weak move Choose to announce draw by 50 move rule Choose to announce draw by repetition Use dark or light mode along with a selection of board colors

About

Zenmate

Features
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Zenmate is a calm, beautifully designed chess app built for focused play. Play a quiet game against the AI, start a match with friends through Game Center, or pass-and-play on one device. Zenmate keeps the interface simple and refined so the board stays central and every move has room to breathe. Features: - Play vs AI with multiple difficulty levels - Play with friends using Game Center - Local 2-player pass-and-play - Light and dark mode - Optional board coordinates - Flip board support - Clean timers and move-focused gameplay A quiet game of kings. Designed to slow you down, one move at a time.

Screenshots

Chessbits4 screens
Zenmate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Zenmate at 17.0 against Chessbits's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chessbits ships an update every 3 weeks, Zenmate every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
Chessbits versus Zenmate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessbitsZenmate
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks โ€” betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size104 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid SybertTimothy Nice

In-app purchases

None

Chessbits

No in-app purchases

None

Zenmate

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chessbits free?
Chessbits is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Zenmate free?
Zenmate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Chessbits or Zenmate have ads?
Neither Chessbits nor Zenmate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chessbits or Zenmate?
Chessbits ships an update every 3 weeks, and Zenmate every 6 weeks. Most recently, Chessbits was updated on October 25, 2026 and Zenmate on October 25, 2026.

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