Comparison

Learn Chess Openings with Cat vs ChessFlow

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

Head to head
About

Learn Chess Openings with Cat

Features
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Learn Chess Openings with Cat is a friendly chess opening trainer designed for beginners who want to understand openings, not just memorize moves. A cute cat guide explains the ideas behind each move, helping you learn why the move matters, what square it controls, and what plan each side is aiming for. Learn Chess Openings with Cat is a friendly chess opening trainer designed for beginners who want to understand openings, not just memorize moves. A cute cat guide explains the ideas behind each move, helping you learn why the move matters, what square it controls, and what plan each side is aiming for. You can study popular chess openings step by step, then test yourself by choosing the correct moves on the board. Both White-side and Black-side practice are supported, so you can learn the same opening from both perspectives. Features: - Learn popular chess opening lines - Cat-style commentary for beginners - Practice as White or Black - Learning mode and test mode - Tap or drag pieces to move - Highlighted squares for easier understanding - Progress tracking for each opening - 3-lives test mode for repeat practice - Japanese and English language support - Free openings included, with optional paid unlocks Included openings: Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Fianchetto Variation Indian Game: Queen’s Gambit Declined, Tartakower Defense Open Game: Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin Defense Semi-Slav Defense: Anti-Moscow Gambit French Defense: Winawer Variation, Warsaw Variation Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Short Variation English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined King’s Indian Attack: Yugoslav Variation Scandinavian Defense: Main Line, Mieses Variation Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation This app is ideal if: You are new to chess openings You often forget opening moves You want to understand the purpose behind each move You want to practice both White and Black plans You prefer a calm, simple, and friendly learning experience Start with the free openings and build your opening knowledge one move at a time. References Kasparov, Garry, and Raymond Keene. Batsford Chess Openings 2. 1989. ISBN 0-8050-3409-9. Nunn, John, Graham Burgess, John Emms, and Joe Gallagher. Nunn’s Chess Openings. 1999. ISBN 1-8574-4221-0. Panov, Vasily. Teoría de Aperturas, Tomo I: Aperturas Abiertas - Aperturas Semiabiertas. 1973. ISBN 84-270-0132-0. Schiller, Eric. Standard Chess Openings. 2002. ISBN 1-58042-048-6. de Firmian, Nick. Modern Chess Openings. 15th ed., Random House, 2008. ISBN 0-8129-3682-5.

About

ChessFlow

Features
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ChessFlow is the training app built for tournament players - openings, middlegames and endgames - and the only one that lets you drill them on a real electronic chessboard. Train your lines on screen, or connect your Chessnut board over Bluetooth and practice with real pieces in hand, guided by the board's LEDs. Then let spaced repetition bring each line back right before you'd forget it, so your prep actually sticks. TRAIN ON A REAL ELECTRONIC BOARD Connect your Chessnut (Go, Air, Air+, Pro) and train with the pieces in your hands. The LEDs guide you - steady light for your opponent's move, a blink for a hint, a fast blink when the app plays the move for you. Make a mistake? Retry, ask for a hint, or let the app show you. REMEMBER YOUR OPENINGS WITH SPACED REPETITION ChessFlow uses an SM-2 algorithm adapted for chess openings: every line returns right before you're likely to forget it. Only a perfect run speeds up the schedule; anything shaky comes back tomorrow. No line ever disappears for months. DRILL YOUR WEAK SPOTS ChessFlow tracks the positions where you go wrong most often and serves them back as targeted puzzles. Turn on Drill random positions for an endless stream of positions from the lines you've trained in the open repertoire - a fast way to keep it sharp. PRACTICE ANYWHERE ON THE VIRTUAL BOARD No hardware needed. Train on screen with tap-to-move and premove, just like chess.com and lichess. Your iPad becomes a training station; your iPhone keeps your repertoire in your pocket. PLAY IT OUT AGAINST STOCKFISH Stop anywhere in a line and play the position out against Stockfish, at a strength you choose. Explore variations in free analysis and export them. YOUR REPERTOIRE, FROM ANY SOURCE Import from PGN files, paste FEN positions, or link an iCloud folder from another chess app - ChessFlow reads your files and never changes them. Attach a course PDF or your notes to any repertoire; PDFs even reopen at the page you left, on every device. BUILT TO KEEP YOUR DATA SAFE Everything syncs across your iPhone and iPad via iCloud - lines, progress and colors. Training progress is merged across devices, never overwritten. Automatic daily backups, plus manual export and import. EXPORT & SHARE Copy or share your lines as PGN for lichess and chess.com. Export your games versus the computer as PGN or a tournament-style PDF scoresheet. Free to try, with a 14-day full-access trial. Subscriptions unlock unlimited training on the virtual board, or everything including the physical board. Requires iOS 17 or later. iPhone and iPad, one app. Questions or feedback? developer@chesstools.it Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.chesstools.it/chessflow/privacy.html

Screenshots

Learn Chess Openings with Cat4 screens
ChessFlow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ChessFlow at every 2 days against Learn Chess Openings with Cat's every 2 weeks. Learn Chess Openings with Cat's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 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. Learn Chess Openings with Cat sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and ChessFlow sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Learn Chess Openings with Cat ships an update every 2 weeks, ChessFlow every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Learn Chess Openings with Cat versus ChessFlow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLearn Chess Openings with CatChessFlow
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperREBRONGiorgio Donnoli

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Learn Chess Openings with Cat

One-time8
  • Popular No.4 Semi-Slav Defense$1.99
  • Popular No.5 French Defense$1.99
  • Popular No.6 Caro-Kann Defense$1.99
Show 5 more
  • Popular No.7 English Opening$1.99
  • Popular No.8 King’s Indian Attack$1.99
  • Popular No.9 Scandinavian Defense$1.99
  • Popular No.10 Pirc Defense$1.99
  • Unlock All Openings$7.99
4 purchases

ChessFlow

Subscriptions4
  • ChessFlow Virtual$4.991 Month
  • ChessFlow Premium$8.991 Month
  • ChessFlow Virtual$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • ChessFlow Premium$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Learn Chess Openings with Cat free?
Learn Chess Openings with Cat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChessFlow free?
ChessFlow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Learn Chess Openings with Cat or ChessFlow have ads?
Neither Learn Chess Openings with Cat nor ChessFlow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Learn Chess Openings with Cat or ChessFlow?
Learn Chess Openings with Cat ships an update every 2 weeks, and ChessFlow every 2 days. Most recently, Learn Chess Openings with Cat was updated on September 24, 2026 and ChessFlow on September 19, 2026.

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