GoReview vs Kanso Go
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GoReview
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GoReview is the iPhone and iPad Go reviewer that turns every game you play into your personal learning library — local-first, on-device KataGo, no subscription. YOUR LIBRARY, EVERY SOURCE • OGS: sign in once and your finished games sync automatically. • Other servers: drop SGF or Tygem .gib files into the GoReview folder in iCloud Drive — they appear in your library on the next launch. • Batch import: select multiple SGF files at once, with per-file progress and a result summary. Duplicate games are skipped automatically. • Face-to-face: play someone next to you on another device over a local Wi-Fi peer-to-peer connection. No internet needed. • Same device: play the AI at 7 strength levels, or hand the iPad back and forth between two players. • iCloud backup and restore: automatically back up games and settings, then restore or merge manually on another device. Includes overwrite confirmation and protection against replacing a larger library; not two-way sync. REVIEW BECOMES PRACTICE • On-device KataGo reviews your full game in seconds — top-3 candidate moves on the board, win-rate chart, territory overlay (Benson), move-by-move commentary written into the SGF when you export. Mistake detection adapts to the rank you set—kyu players see the big blunders, while dan players catch finer slips. Cancel analysis at any time; completed moves stay saved, and you can resume from the checkpoint with an estimated time remaining. • One tap turns each mistake into a practice problem in your personal library. The AI prefills a solution line and likely failure variations. • Author your own twist: replace the suggested move, write why it works in your own words, add the failure paths you actually want to remember. • Solve as multi-move sequences with SM-2 spaced repetition — not single-guess flash cards. • Interactive review: tap the board to branch a variation, the AI re-analyzes, step back and the original game resumes. No modals, no menus. • 9×9, 13×13, 19×19. Japanese, Chinese, Korean, New Zealand rules. • Pinch to zoom, long-press to preview, board sounds and haptics. • Localized in English, 繁體中文, 简体中文, 日本語, and 한국어. TEN PROBLEMS A DAY, A REASON TO COME BACK • Daily practice: due mistake reviews and rank-matched tsumego form one fixed set. Finish it and you're done—not an endless queue. • Streaks, badges, and reminders: choose a time; GoReview nudges you when your streak is at risk, and stays quiet once you're done for the day. • Progress dashboard: streak calendar, 30-day accuracy, total problems solved, and the next 7 days of due reviews—see yourself improve. • 4,000+ OGS collections: browse offline and filter by rank. Download a collection into daily practice; finished for today but want more? Keep solving from the same collection. PRICING GoReview is free. The free tier includes 1,000 saved games and unlimited AI analysis — enough to make this your everyday review tool. Premium is a one-time purchase that lifts the library cap. No subscription, ever. Family Sharing supported. FOR WHO Whether you're a kyu player trying to break through to dan, a single-digit kyu who wants the bot to actually punish your overplays, or a serious amateur who just wants the strongest pocket review tool — GoReview is built for you. Built by a Go player who got tired of every other reviewer either being a web app, a paid subscription, or both. Free: 1,000 saved games and 7 days of progress history. Premium: 30 days of progress history and lifetime totals for every category. --- SUPPORT https://gameboardlab.com/goreview/support PRIVACY POLICY https://gameboardlab.com/privacy
Kanso Go
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One board. Two colours. Endless possibilities. Kanso Go brings the classic strategy game to iPhone and iPad. Play the computer, share a board with another person or learn Go one step at a time. No ads. No subscription. SIT FACE TO FACE Place your iPad between you. Opposing player areas face each person, just like sitting at a real Go table. YOUR OFFLINE OPPONENT Kanso plays directly on your device. Choose your challenge without an internet connection or a game account. LEARN ON THE BOARD The interactive tutorial introduces the goal, liberties, captures and basic tactics through short, playable steps. Review the final position together and follow how the score is counted. KANSO FOCUS — WITH PREMIUM A gesture reveals promising next moves directly on the board. Tap a suggestion to understand it better. Focus is a learning aid: assisted games do not qualify for Highscores. Try Focus for free in the tutorial. MAKE THE TABLE YOURS Explore distinct board, stone and table materials, expressive capture animations and carefully matched stone sounds. INCLUDED FREE • 9×9 and 13×13 boards • Two computer difficulty levels • Two people on one device • The complete tutorial • One coordinated board, stone and table combination PREMIUM — UNLOCK ONCE • The 19×19 board • Three additional computer difficulty levels • Kanso Focus outside the tutorial • All board, stone and table materials, including random selection Premium is an optional one-time in-app purchase, not a subscription. Displayed difficulty levels are guides, not independently certified competitive ranks. Available in English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: GoReview at every 2 days against Kanso Go's every 2 weeks. Kanso Go's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. GoReview sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Kanso Go sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
GoReview ships an update every 2 days, Kanso Go every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | GoReview | Kanso Go |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 298 MB | 136 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wei Zhi Qin | Kai-Uwe Laag |
In-app purchases
GoReview
- GoReview Premium$7.99
Kanso Go
- Kanso Go Premium$3.99








