Comparison

ChessFlex vs PGN Chess Recorder

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

Head to head
About

ChessFlex

Play chess with friends or AI without accounts or servers. Features a FIDE-formula rating system and asynchronous play. Offers an optional one-time unlock for in-depth game analysis and coaching.

Highlights
  • Play with friends via QR code or iMessage
  • Human-like AI bots with adjustable ELO
  • FIDE-formula rating system
  • Asynchronous and timed game modes
  • No chat, only chess notation
  • Private by design, no accounts or tracking
  • Optional game analysis and coaching unlock
Features
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ChessFlex is chess stripped back to the game. No accounts, no servers, no chat — just the board, the friends you choose, and a real rating that's yours. PLAY YOUR CIRCLE Connect by trading a QR code, in person or over iMessage. No global matchmaking, no strangers, no friend requests. The people across the board are people you picked. HUMANS — OR HUMAN-LIKE BOTS Five built-in bots from 400 to 2000 ELO play like real people at that level: they make human mistakes, not random ones. A real game and a real rating from your very first move. And when you've beaten them all, there's King — our own engine at full strength, and not human-like at all. FIDE-FORMULA RATING Every game updates your rating with the standard FIDE formula. It's your history, not your ceiling — anyone can challenge anyone, and a 1200 taking on a 2000 is courage, not a mistake. PLAY AT YOUR PACE Async by default — make a move, put your phone away, pick it up hours later. Or set a clock: Blitz, Rapid, Classical, or multi-day correspondence. THE BOARD IS THE CONVERSATION There's no chat box, ever. Players speak only in standard chess annotation symbols — !! for a brilliant move, ? for a mistake. Nothing personal can be exchanged, so there's nothing to moderate, and it's cross-language by default. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No email, no sign-up, no tracking, no ads. Your identity is your device; your games live on your device and travel only between you and your opponent. CHESSFLEX STUDY (optional) A one-time unlock that turns every game into a lesson: move-by-move analysis, win-chance insight in plain language, guided openings, and practice positions. Scan a chess diagram from a screenshot and play it out, or have the coach read its suggested line aloud. Playing, ratings, and opening names stay free, always. From Labham LLC. A sibling to LexFlex.

About

PGN Chess Recorder

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Chess Recorder lets you record chess games by speaking your moves. Say square names, pieces, captures, castling, and undo in plain language — the board updates live, the move list builds as you play, and you can export everything as PGN. Built to capture PGN from games on older chess computers and devices that don’t offer export capabilities— and just as useful for over-the-board play, training, and quick analysis on iPhone and iPad. VOICE DICTATION • On-device speech recognition tuned for chess moves • Support for English and German language dictation • Live transcript while you record • Teach custom phrases when recognition misses something • Optional touch input when you prefer to tap moves instead BOARD & NOTATION • Clear interactive board with move navigation and scrubbing • ECO code and opening name as you play • Browse opening continuations from the current position • Multi-game archive with PGN copy and export • Flip the board and customize colors, coordinates, piece size, and many more ENGINE ANALYSIS • On-device Stockfish analysis via LucidEngine • Evaluation, win probability, main line, and best-move arrow • Each display option can be turned on or off MOVE QUALITY • Background assessment of played moves • Inaccuracy, mistake, blunder, and miss marks in the move list • Accuracy summary with charts for White and Black • Optional assessment symbols in exported PGN When supported, speech recognition runs on your device. Microphone access is used only for move dictation. Chess Recorder is free and open source (GPLv3).

Screenshots

ChessFlex4 screens
PGN Chess Recorder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PGN Chess Recorder at none against ChessFlex's 1. PGN Chess Recorder also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 9 days). ChessFlex's advantage is iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.5). On price, ads 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. ChessFlex sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PGN Chess Recorder asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChessFlex ships an update every 9 days, PGN Chess Recorder daily. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
ChessFlex versus PGN Chess Recorder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessFlexPGN Chess Recorder
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB113 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLabham LLCPhilipp Guntermann

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ChessFlex

One-time1
  • ChessFlex Study$7.99
None

PGN Chess Recorder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ChessFlex free?
ChessFlex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PGN Chess Recorder free?
PGN Chess Recorder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ChessFlex or PGN Chess Recorder have ads?
Neither ChessFlex nor PGN Chess Recorder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ChessFlex or PGN Chess Recorder?
ChessFlex ships an update every 9 days, and PGN Chess Recorder daily. Most recently, ChessFlex was updated on October 16, 2026 and PGN Chess Recorder on October 7, 2026.

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