Comparison

OpenMate vs iChess App

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

iChess App

Read full description

Welcome to iChess, the sleek and modern way to play the world's greatest strategy game! Whether you are a chess grandmaster or just learning how to move the pawns, iChess provides a beautiful and seamless experience. PLAY ONLINE Test your skills against players from around the world in real-time matchmaking. Win games to increase your Elo rating and prove you are the best on the Global Leaderboards! PLAY WITH FRIENDS Add your friends, send them match requests, and battle it out on the board to see who the true chess master is. OFFLINE MODE No internet? No problem! Play offline local matches anytime, anywhere. CUSTOM PROFILES Create your own unique identity. Upload your own custom profile avatar, track your match history, and analyze your past games to improve your strategy. BEAUTIFUL DESIGN Enjoy a clean, ad-free, and natively designed interface that makes playing on your iPhone a breeze. Customize your board settings and enjoy buttery-smooth piece animations. Download iChess today and make your move!

Screenshots

OpenMate4 screens
iChess App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: OpenMate at every 6 days against iChess App's monthly. iChess App's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenMate ships an update every 6 days, iChess App monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
OpenMate versus iChess App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenMateiChess App
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRAMINE ROANEBraj Lal Suthar

In-app purchases

None

OpenMate

No in-app purchases

None

iChess App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OpenMate free?
OpenMate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is iChess App free?
iChess App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do OpenMate or iChess App have ads?
Neither OpenMate nor iChess App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenMate or iChess App?
OpenMate ships an update every 6 days, and iChess App monthly. Most recently, OpenMate was updated on September 26, 2026 and iChess App on September 29, 2026.

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