# Chess9 vs Chess Variants Studio

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess9 at none against Chess Variants Studio's 1. Chess Variants Studio's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chess Variants Studio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chess9 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Chess9 ships an update every 2 months, Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess9 | Chess Variants Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Size | 11 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shashwat Patel](https://appshunter.io/developer/1873309489) | [Michael Adams](https://appshunter.io/developer/743520896) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess9

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess9/id6758634392)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Chess Variants Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-variants-studio/id6789392443)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Plays and Views | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess9 free?

Chess9 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Chess Variants Studio free?

Chess Variants Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Chess9 or Chess Variants Studio have ads?

Neither Chess9 nor Chess Variants Studio shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess9 or Chess Variants Studio?

Chess9 ships an update every 2 months, and Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. Most recently, Chess9 was updated on October 24, 2026 and Chess Variants Studio on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*