Koch vs Chess Variants Studio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Koch
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Koch-Chess is a feature-rich chess app built for players of all levels. Play Your Way Challenge the built-in engine at 5 difficulty levels (D8 to D20), play online against friends, or sit back and watch engine vs engine battles unfold. Learn & Improve Explore 9 chess openings with guided lessons, including the Sicilian Defense, Italian Game, King's Indian, and more. Train & Practice Sharpen your skills with dedicated practice and training modes designed to build pattern recognition and tactical awareness. Clean, Fast Interface A distraction-free board with smooth controls, multiple themes, and a layout designed for mobile play. Features Solo play vs AI engine (5 depth levels) Online multiplayer with invite links Engine vs Engine watch mode 9 opening lessons with move guides Practice and training modes Multiple board themes Geo and Animal themed piece sets
Chess Variants Studio
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Play any of nine variants of chess with 8 levels, 1200-2100, against the custom Pulsar engine. Review games with variant engine analysis. Styles supported are Chess960, Crazyhouse, Atomic, Losers, Giveaway, Three Checks, Advanced Pawns, Reversed Pawns and Random Pieces. The rules are included in-app. No signup. Ad Free. Works Offline. The playing program is one i've designed and tested at different levels on internet chess servers in order to come up with the ratings on the board. Ratings range from 1200 to 2100 or 2200 depending on variant. Try the app for free. There's 10 free plays of pure variants like atomic, crazyhouse and loser's and 10 free plays of chessic variants like chess960 and 30 free views of played games with analysis. A single one-time purchase unlocks unlimited play and variant engine analysis. Played games are logged and can also be viewed/analyzed. When reviewing the player's games, users can override the moves and start making their own moves. Back up to main line to undo. If the user goes looks at the Moves while reviewing, the game can be copied to the clipboard. The app comes with two skin themes, a reddish wood and a teal. Also here are multiple board and piece choices to choose from in settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Koch at none against Chess Variants Studio's 1. 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
Both are free to download. Chess Variants Studio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Koch asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Koch | Chess Variants Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | — | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | itch koch | Michael Adams |
In-app purchases
Koch
No in-app purchases
Chess Variants Studio
- Unlimited Plays and Views$3.99





