Comparison

OpenMate vs Chess Openings Coach

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

Head to head
About

OpenMate

Master chess openings and play against a powerful engine with integrated coaching. This app offers a private, offline experience with visual guidance and strategy tips to improve your game. Enjoy uninterrupted play with no ads or distractions.

Highlights
  • Strong, fast chess engine
  • Fully offline functionality
  • Visual coaching with move suggestions
  • Built-in opening knowledge
  • Strategy tips and explanations
  • Play at your own pace, no clock
  • Undo moves freely
Features
Read full description

Learn chess openings, or play chess against a strong, fast engine with built-in coaching and analysis tools. OpenMate runs entirely on your device. No internet connection, no accounts, and no data collection. Everything is local, private, and instant. Designed for both play and improvement, OpenMate combines engine strength with visual guidance and practical coaching to help you understand the game as you play. Features: • Strong, fast engine with instant responses: ~4M nodes per second on an iPhone 16 (half on Low Power Mode), ~2800 ELO at 3s/move! • Fully offline: no network access required • Hint mode with visual coaching: - Opening guidance with move suggestions and lists (multicolor arrows) - Engine-recommended moves (green arrows) - Threat visualization (red arrows) • Built-in opening knowledge to guide early play • Strategy tips with both chess terminology and plain-English explanations • Play as White or Black • Flip the board anytime • Undo moves freely at any point • No clock: play at your own pace without time pressure OpenMate is designed to remove friction and distractions. There are no ads, no sign-ups, and no interruptions. Just chess. Whether you want to practice openings, analyze positions, or simply play strong games offline, OpenMate gives you a focused and responsive experience. Built for iPhone and iPad, tested across devices, and optimized for smooth performance.

About

Chess Openings Coach

Features
Read full description

ChessOpenings is a quiet, well-written reference for the classical chess opening repertoire — Ruy Lopez, Sicilian, Queen's Gambit, King's Indian, and 21 more — with an AI coach for the specific positions you get stuck in. WHAT IT DOES • 25 classical openings grouped by structure (Open Games, Semi-Open, Closed, Indian Defences, Flank) • Each opening: ECO code, main line, key strategic ideas, main variations with explanations, common traps, suitability ("Players who like long strategic battles") • AI coach answers specific "what should I do if my opponent plays X?" questions in the Silman / Rowson / King tradition • Private practice log — every session logged with opening, question, AI feedback, your note • 3 free coach asks per day; Pro is unlimited DESIGN Warm walnut-and-cream aesthetic — board-brown and ink on cream, serif typography. Apple-native SwiftUI. No third-party UI frameworks. PRIVACY • Every study note stays on your iPhone with SwiftData • No login, no email, no analytics SDKs • "Data Not Collected" verified in App Privacy • AI coach calls send only the opening name and your question — no identifiers, no logs FREE Browse all 25 openings, every variation + 3 AI coach asks per day + unlimited practice log. PRO ($4.99/month or $19.99/year) • Unlimited AI coach asks WHY CHESSOPENINGS Most chess apps are puzzle-grinders or engine-evaluation tools. ChessOpenings gives you a structured reference for the classical openings — the actual ideas, the actual traps, who they suit — plus a coach who'll explain the move you didn't understand. Built for club players who want to understand why a position works, not just how the engine evaluates it. Built in Australia. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

OpenMate4 screens
Chess Openings Coach4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenMate at none against Chess Openings Coach's 2. OpenMate also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Chess Openings Coach sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. OpenMate asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenMate ships an update every 6 days, Chess Openings Coach every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
OpenMate versus Chess Openings Coach: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenMateChess Openings Coach
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRAMINE ROANEMitaanshu Agarwal

In-app purchases

None

OpenMate

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Chess Openings Coach

Subscriptions2
  • Chess Openings Coach Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Chess Openings Coach Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.901 Year

Questions

Is OpenMate free?
OpenMate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Openings Coach free?
Chess Openings Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do OpenMate or Chess Openings Coach have ads?
Neither OpenMate nor Chess Openings Coach shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenMate or Chess Openings Coach?
OpenMate ships an update every 6 days, and Chess Openings Coach every 2 months. Most recently, OpenMate was updated on September 26, 2026 and Chess Openings Coach on October 1, 2026.

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