Comparison

OpenMate vs CherryChess

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

CherryChess

Features
Read full description

Cherry Chess is a beautifully simple chess app that helps you actually get better. Play against honestly calibrated bots or a friend, then let a full-strength Stockfish engine show you exactly where the game was won or lost – all on your device, no account, no internet required. EVERY MOVE RATED • Each move gets a verdict, from Brilliant and Best Move to Mistake and Blunder • See instantly what your move was worth – or switch it off and just play • Optional evaluation bar right next to the board OPPONENTS AT YOUR LEVEL • Bots from 300 to 2200 in steps of 100, each step measured against real playing strength • They play like humans at their level – including the mistakes – and they finish won games • Max: the engine at full strength, for when you want to see perfect chess • Rated games always put you against the bot at your own level PLAY YOUR WAY • Rated, free or against a friend on the same device, with an optional board flip • With or without a clock, from 1 to 60 minutes plus increment, with a low-time warning • Move list while you play and hints when you get stuck • Focus mode hides everything but the board SEE WHERE YOUR GAME TURNED • Full game review with the evaluation graph and the best move for every position • The move list highlights only the moves worth finding • Accuracy and a performance rating for every game • Free analysis board to explore any position with the engine A RATING THAT MEANS SOMETHING • Every rated game moves your rating, on the same scale as the bots • Track your rating curve, accuracy, streaks and activity in your profile • Your complete game history, ready to replay and review LEARN WITH A PLAN • A learning path of 42 lessons in six units: board and pieces, check and mate, material, tactics, endgames and openings • Free practice whenever you like: board coordinates, checkmate puzzles and an opening trainer with 22 opening families MADE WITH CARE • Clean, distinctive design in dark and light themes • Two piece sets: the custom-made Cherry pieces and a timeless classic set • Smooth animations, haptic feedback and VoiceOver support • Available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese and Chinese PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no sign-up, no tracking. Your games and progress stay on your device, and the engine runs completely offline. Whether you're learning how the knight moves or chasing your next rating milestone, Cherry Chess meets you at your level – and helps you go further.

Screenshots

OpenMate4 screens
CherryChess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: OpenMate at every 6 days against CherryChess's every 2 months. 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, CherryChess every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
OpenMate versus CherryChess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenMateCherryChess
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 purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB85 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRAMINE ROANEMilan Swillus

In-app purchases

None

OpenMate

No in-app purchases

None

CherryChess

No in-app purchases

Questions

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

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