Comparison

棋藝研究所 Chess Academy vs HouseOfPrize

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

Head to head
About

棋藝研究所 Chess Academy

Features
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Chess Academy brings together the world's most beloved board games in one beautiful app. Whether you're a beginner learning the basics or a seasoned player looking to sharpen your skills, our intelligent AI opponents adapt to your level. Features: • 5 Classic Board Games - International Chess, Chinese Chess (Xiangqi), Go (Weiqi/Baduk), Gomoku (Five in a Row), and Animal Chess (Jungle/Dou Shou Qi) • Smart AI Opponents - Multiple difficulty levels from beginner to expert • Beautiful Interface - Elegant, intuitive design optimized for all screen sizes • Learn & Improve - Practice anytime, anywhere without an internet connection • Undo & Hints - Perfect for learning new strategies • Sound Effects - Immersive audio enhances your gameplay experience Perfect for players of all ages and skill levels. Download now and start your chess journey!

About

HouseOfPrize

Features
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House of Prize brings seven classic strategy board games together in one app, each with an AI opponent you can play any time — on a plane, on the subway, anywhere. Nothing here needs a connection. GAMES • Chess — full rules including castling, en passant, and promotion • Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) — palace, river, and the flying general rule • Go (9×9) — Monte Carlo tree search AI, area scoring • Checkers — forced captures and multi-jumps • Gomoku — five in a row • Reversi (Othello) — disc flipping in all eight directions • Backgammon — dice, the bar, blots, and bearing off THREE DIFFICULTIES Every game has Easy, Medium, and Hard. Easy is genuinely approachable if you are learning the game. Hard searches deeper and will punish loose play. RULES ARE ALWAYS ONE TAP AWAY Tap ? on any board to read the controls, the rules, and the win condition for that game. No need to leave the match. TRULY OFFLINE. TRULY PRIVATE. There is no account and no sign-in. The app makes no network requests at all — not for the games, not for the AI, not for analytics. It collects nothing and sends nothing. Your game records and settings stay on your device, and you can delete them from Settings at any time. No ads. No tracking. No in-app purchases. PLAY IN LIGHT OR DARK The app follows your system appearance, or you can pin it to light or dark. Sound effects can be turned off from any board.

Screenshots

棋藝研究所 Chess Academy4 screens
HouseOfPrize4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HouseOfPrize at none against 棋藝研究所 Chess Academy's 10. HouseOfPrize also leads on ads (none vs shown). 棋藝研究所 Chess Academy's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price 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. 棋藝研究所 Chess Academy sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. HouseOfPrize asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

棋藝研究所 Chess Academy ships an update every 5 days, HouseOfPrize monthly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 2 level
棋藝研究所 Chess Academy versus HouseOfPrize: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter棋藝研究所 Chess AcademyHouseOfPrize
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size157 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOuTech LimitedHandaroAI

In-app purchases

10 purchases

棋藝研究所 Chess Academy

Subscriptions3
  • VIP Bronze Membership$2.991 Month
  • VIP Platinum Membership$19.991 Month
  • VIP Annual Membership$29.991 Year
One-time7
  • Starry Night Theme$1.99
  • Wood Grain Theme$1.99
  • Chinese Classic Theme$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Theme - Jade Palace$1.99
  • Theme - Cyberpunk$1.99
  • Theme - Golden Palace$1.99
  • Lifetime VIP Membership$99.99
None

HouseOfPrize

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 棋藝研究所 Chess Academy free?
棋藝研究所 Chess Academy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HouseOfPrize free?
HouseOfPrize is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do 棋藝研究所 Chess Academy or HouseOfPrize have ads?
棋藝研究所 Chess Academy shows ads; HouseOfPrize does not.
Which is updated more often, 棋藝研究所 Chess Academy or HouseOfPrize?
棋藝研究所 Chess Academy ships an update every 5 days, and HouseOfPrize monthly. Most recently, 棋藝研究所 Chess Academy was updated on October 31, 2026 and HouseOfPrize on October 31, 2026.

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