Comparison

Chess Lab vs Chess.ai

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

Head to head
About

Chess Lab

Analyze chess games with a powerful AI engine, practice against 30 difficulty levels, or watch live top-tier matches. Save and replay games, import PGNs, and customize your board view for a premium experience.

Highlights
  • AI-powered game analysis
  • 30 difficulty levels for CPU play
  • Local 2-player mode
  • Lichess spectating with channel selection
  • Save and replay games
  • PGN import
  • Customizable 2D/2.5D board views
Features
Read full description

Open the app and your previous channel is right there. Watch world-class games in your spare time. Save interesting matches and analyze the positions. Chess Lab: Arasan Engine is a chess app that combines a world-class chess engine and Lichess spectating into one beautiful, intuitive interface. โ–ช Play instantly with "Web Invite" - No download or account creation required for your opponent. - Just send an invite link, and they can join immediately from their smartphone or PC browser. โ–ช Diverse game modes - Web Invite Match: Easy private matches via URL. - Offline CPU Match: Play against the powerful Arasan engine (featuring the latest v26.1 / NNUE v8). Practice with 30 levels of adjustable strength. - Local 2-Player Match: Play face-to-face on a single device. โ–ช Watch world chess on your smartphone. Lichess Spectating - Watch top world games right in the app, just like watching TV or manga on your phone. - Channel selection (Top Rated / Bullet / Blitz / Rapid / Classical), thumbnail/list display, and item count (10/20/30) support. - Displays board, moves, clock, playback controls, and termination reason. Rewind moves to review. - Your previous tab and channel open automatically, putting world games right in front of you during spare moments. - Save interesting games to history to use for your own learning. โ–ช Extensive analysis & replay features - Powered by Arasan: Built-in UCI engine that calculates highly accurate evaluations and best moves. - Real-time Analysis: Displays evaluation bar and eval graph in real-time during games. Recalculate past games with "Analyze Position" and save the graph. The graph uses a dynamic scale that excludes mate scores and clamps at a maximum of ยฑ15 pawns. - Candidate Moves Display: Shows top candidate moves on the board with arrows, ghost pieces, and evaluation labels. The 1st move is blue, and subsequent moves are color-coded green โ†’ yellow โ†’ red based on Loss (difference from the 1st move). Toggle visibility with the "Candidates" button. - Interactive History: Step playback, fast-forward, jump to any position, and a "Rewind" (back to start) button for efficient review. - Visualized Insights: Automatically highlights large evaluation changes (blunders). Color-codes long-thinking moves (red/yellow) to visualize time management. - PGN Import: Import external game data (PGN). โ–ช Premium board experience - 2.5D & 2D Display: Switch between a tilted 2.5D perspective and a classic 2D board. - Piece Design Toggle: Choose between text pieces and detailed image pieces. - Full Promotion Support: Accurately select Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight when promoting a pawn. - Pause & Resume: Automatically saves unfinished games so you can resume later. โ–ช Improved menu & settings - Redesigned bottom menu into a 3-tab layout: "Match / History / Lichess". The header switches according to the selected tab. - Tab selection state is saved, so the previous tab opens automatically on the next launch.

About

Chess.ai

Features
Read full description

Chess.ai brings the ancient game of chess to life with a twist: your opponent talks back. Powered by Claude โ€” Anthropic's state-of-the-art AI โ€” every match is a real conversation. The AI reacts to your moves, bluffs, celebrates, and occasionally trash-talks. No two games feel the same. THREE LEVELS, THREE PERSONALITIES EASY โ€” A laid-back coach who wants you to improve. Encouraging, patient, and happy to let you off the hook. MEDIUM โ€” A sharp tactician who respects your game but won't hold back. Expect banter and the occasional mind game. HARD โ€” A cold, calculating grandmaster. Minimal words, maximum pressure. Not for the faint-hearted. HOW IT WORKS Make your move on the board โ€” the AI responds with its own move AND a message. Watch the conversation unfold as the position sharpens. Chess has never felt this alive. - Resume unfinished games anytime โ€” your matches are saved automatically - The AI speaks your language: English and Turkish supported - Clean, distraction-free board designed for focus - Satisfying move sounds and smooth animations FREE & PAID PLAY Easy mode is free โ€” play up to 3 games per day at no cost. Craving more? Grab extra easy games or unlock medium and hard matches with a simple one-time purchase. No subscriptions, no tricks. PRIVACY FIRST Chess.ai never asks for your name, email, or any personal information. Your identity is an anonymous ID generated on your device. That's it. Whether you're a beginner looking for a patient sparring partner or an experienced player hungry for a real challenge, Chess.ai meets you where you are โ€” and talks the whole way through. Your move.

Screenshots

Chess Lab4 screens
Chess.ai4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chess.ai at none against Chess Lab's shown. Chess.ai also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Chess Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess.ai sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 6 level
Chess Lab versus Chess.ai: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess LabChess.ai
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews33.3% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysโ€”
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.615.1 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size64 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerkoji ozonoEmre Harman

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Lab

One-time1
  • Chess Lab Pro$2.99
6 purchases

Chess.ai

One-time6
  • Easy Extra 1$0.99
  • 1 Medium Game$0.99
  • 1 Hard Game$1.99
Show 3 more
  • 5 Extra Easy Games$3.99
  • 5 Medium Games$3.99
  • 5 Hard Games$7.99

Questions

Is Chess Lab free?
Chess Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess.ai free?
Chess.ai is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Chess Lab or Chess.ai have ads?
Chess Lab shows ads; Chess.ai does not.

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