Comparison

Blundr vs Serene Chess

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

Head to head
About

Blundr

Features
Read full description

Blundr is the chess training app built around YOUR weaknesses. Play, learn, and improve with an AI coach that watches every move and tells you what you missed — grounded in real Stockfish analysis, not vibes. WHAT'S INSIDE • Play vs AI bots tuned from beginner-friendly (≈400 ELO) all the way up to grandmaster strength. • Ranked play against real opponents with ELO-based matchmaking after a 5-game calibration window. • Friends — search by username, send game challenges, see who's online. • In-game chat (consent-gated, with one-tap reporting). • Tactics — hundreds of curated puzzles by theme and difficulty, with retry support. • Practice drills — middlegame plans, endgame technique, opening continuations. Free for everyone. • Opening explorer — full move-by-move PGN replay for the most-played lines. • Post-game AI review — engine analysis, blunder detection, and an annotated game story (3 free per month). BLUNDR PRO For serious improvers, Pro unlocks: • Unlimited AI Coach chat with grounded game context. • Unlimited post-game AI reviews and engine analysis. • Live coaching after every practice drill and opening line — your AI coach narrates every move you make against the engine. • Climb — a personalised training roadmap that targets your weaknesses with daily tactics, opening drills, and ladder game goals. • Date Mode — discover compatible chess players, send invitations, play move-by-move date games. Pro is purchased on the web at blundr.co/pricing and powers your account across both web and iOS. Cancel any time. WHY BLUNDR Most chess apps drown you in courses. Blundr does the opposite — it watches you play, finds the patterns where you lose ELO, and feeds you exactly the position-shapes you need to drill. The AI coach is grounded in your actual games, not a generic curriculum. GROWN-UP MODERATION Chat is opt-in and consent-gated. Every chat surface has a Report button that goes straight to a human moderation queue. Repeat offenders get muted or removed. QUESTIONS / FEEDBACK We read every email at support@blundr.co. Pull-to-refresh on the dashboard is the fastest way to recover from a flaky connection. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.blundr.co/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.blundr.co/privacy Subscriptions: - Blundr Pro Monthly — auto-renewing monthly subscription - Blundr Pro Annual — auto-renewing annual subscription Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed and auto-renewal turned off in your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. — Built for serious improvers.

About

Serene Chess

Engage in deep chess play with a powerful engine and thousands of tactics puzzles. Analyze your games with detailed reviews and practice specific chess concepts. Enjoy a calm, offline experience with no ads or data collection.

Highlights
  • Tunable chess engine opponent
  • Thousands of tactics puzzles
  • Detailed game review and analysis
  • Offline play with no account required
  • Practice specific chess tactics
  • Calm and distraction-free interface
Features
Read full description

Serene Chess is a calm space for deep play: a strong engine, four thousand tactics puzzles, and a review that shows you where the game actually turned. Everything works offline, with no account, no ads, and no data collected. PLAY • A tunable opponent, from a gentle club player to full strength • Three playing styles: Defender, Balanced, Aggressor • Hints, takebacks, draw offers, resignation, and PGN sharing • Your opening named as you play it, from the standard ECO tables PUZZLES • 4,000 tactics puzzles bundled in the app and playable anywhere • Four difficulty bands, from Gentle to Severe • Choose the idea you want to practise: forks, pins, skewers, deflection, back-rank mates, endgames • A new puzzle every day, with streaks and honest progress REVIEW • The engine walks back through your finished game, move by move • Accuracy for both sides, and the moments that decided the result • See what the engine would have played instead • Tap any moment to jump straight to that position on the board QUIET BY DESIGN Soft wood tones, an evaluation bar you can switch off, gentle haptics, and a dark mode that stays dark. Nothing flashes, nothing nags, nothing is sold to you. Stockfish runs entirely on your device. No account, no network, no analytics: your games never leave your phone.

Screenshots

Blundr4 screens
Serene Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Serene Chess at none against Blundr's 2. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Blundr sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Serene Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Blundr versus Serene Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlundrSerene Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB11 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperChristopher MacierWilliam Alston

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Blundr

Subscriptions2
  • Blundr Pro$12.991 Month
  • Blundr Pro$104.991 Year
None

Serene Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Blundr free?
Blundr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Serene Chess free?
Serene Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Blundr or Serene Chess have ads?
Neither Blundr nor Serene Chess shows ads.

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