Comparison

Heatmap Chess vs Chess Codex

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

Head to head
About

Heatmap Chess

Features
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Heatmap.Chess teaches you to read a chess board the way grandmasters do โ€” as a map of control, not a list of pieces. EVERY NUMBER IS A THREAT Each square shows how many pieces want to attack it. A "3" means three pieces are converging on that square. Drop your dock pieces in the right places, and every correct placement cools the heat by one. Get all numbers to zero โ€” puzzle solved. WHAT'S INSIDE โ€ข Hand-crafted themed rooms with graduated difficulty โ€ข Fresh daily puzzles โ€” keep your streak alive โ€ข Heart system + combo bonuses โ€ข Cross-device sync โ€” pick up where you left off โ€ข Quiet, focused dark UI built for one hand โ€ข One-time purchase removes ads + unlocks every room SHARPEN YOUR CHESS VISION No openings to memorize, no notation to decode. You start seeing what grandmasters see when they sit down at a board โ€” the geometry of attacks. A training tool for beginners and experienced players alike. DESIGNED FOR FOCUS No social feeds. No leaderboards screaming at you. Just numbers, pieces, and the small satisfaction of every count dropping to zero.

About

Chess Codex

Features
Read full description

Chess Codex is a calm, beautiful place to get sharper at chess. 20000+ hand graded puzzles take you from your very first checkmate to tactics that will test a club player. Every puzzle is a real position with one best move to find. Spot the fork, land the pin, set up the mate. Play offline, anywhere. No account, no sign up, no clutter. Chess Codex is part of Penrose Park Puzzles, a family of premium puzzle games.

Screenshots

Heatmap Chess4 screens
Chess Codex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess Codex at none against Heatmap Chess's 1. Chess Codex also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). Heatmap Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Heatmap Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chess Codex asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Heatmap Chess ships an update every 2 months, Chess Codex every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Heatmap Chess versus Chess Codex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeatmap ChessChess Codex
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days โ€” better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.4 โ€” better15.1
Further details โ€” not scored
Size19 MB36 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperUtku KucuVince Lubbers

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Heatmap Chess

One-time1
  • Unlock Everything$4.99
None

Chess Codex

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Heatmap Chess free?
Heatmap Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Codex free?
Chess Codex is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Heatmap Chess or Chess Codex have ads?
Both Heatmap Chess and Chess Codex show ads.
Which is updated more often, Heatmap Chess or Chess Codex?
Heatmap Chess ships an update every 2 months, and Chess Codex every 3 days. Most recently, Heatmap Chess was updated on October 13, 2026 and Chess Codex on September 30, 2026.

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