# dotChess vs Chess Variants Studio

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: dotChess at none against Chess Variants Studio's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

dotChess ships an update every 5 days, Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | dotChess | Chess Variants Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dotchess/id6758965852/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 193 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Baric](https://appshunter.io/developer/1872894014) | [Michael Adams](https://appshunter.io/developer/743520896) |

## What reviewers say

### dotChess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dotchess/id6758965852)

Engage in classic chess matches with friends, AI opponents, or players globally. This modern application allows you to track your statistics, communicate during games, and resume play across multiple devices.

**Highlights:** Play live games with friends, Challenge AI bots, Global matchmaking, Account creation and stat tracking, In-game chat, Cross-device play

**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 dotChess free?

dotChess 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 dotChess or Chess Variants Studio have ads?

Neither dotChess nor Chess Variants Studio shows ads.

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

dotChess ships an update every 5 days, and Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. Most recently, dotChess was updated on June 5, 2026 and Chess Variants Studio on September 9, 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.*