Comparison

PuzzleMate vs Just Chess Puzzles

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

Head to head
About

PuzzleMate

Features
Read full description

PuzzleMate is a chess trainer with 500,000 chess puzzles offline - for players who want to study chess tactics seriously. No trackers, no ad banners, no data collection. The complete chess puzzle database ships inside the app. After download, you never need an internet connection again. Nothing leaves your device. Learn chess, solve mate puzzles, crack chess problems, master endgames and openings - all in an app that looks like a well-made book instead of a typical mobile game. PERSONAL COACH Your coach gets to know your game over a 50-puzzle assessment It builds an individual training plan around your six weakest tactical motifs Set a daily target, keep your streak, get a gentle daily reminder A detailed summary after every session shows exactly what improved Difficulty stays right at your level and adapts as your rating climbs DAILY CHESS PUZZLE A new chess puzzle every day Seven-day streak indicator Daily puzzle stays available in your history ADAPTIVE CHESS ELO TRAINING Glicko-2 ratings per tactical theme and opening category Dynamic difficulty matched to your chess skill level Transparent ELO changes after every solved chess puzzle No black box - every rating change is explainable GHOST MODE - CHESS FROM MEMORY Memorize the position for ten seconds, then the pieces vanish Solve the chess puzzle from memory alone Ten chess puzzles per session Daily updated leaderboard Didn't catch everything? Five-second peek budget per puzzle CHESS BOARD VISION TRAINER Identify chess squares instantly on the board Unlimited practice mode 60-second mode with its own daily leaderboard Sharpens board awareness for real chess games WEAKNESS ANALYSIS Your six weakest tactical motifs at a glance ELO and solve rate per chess theme Tap any theme to start targeted chess training instantly PROFILE AND CHESS HISTORY ELO progression graph over time Calendar view of daily chess results Complete history of every solved chess puzzle Replay any daily puzzle with a single tap TWO TIERS OF ACCESS Free version: 1,000 chess puzzles, daily allowance for puzzles, Ghost rounds and Vision practice Pro version unlocks over 500,000 chess puzzles, unlimited Ghost mode and unlimited Vision trainer, plus weekly and monthly recaps, sparklines, manual theme boost, achievements and data export No ad banners, no advertising IDs, no in-app advertising No sign-up, no account, no email address required DESIGN WITH CHARACTER Editorial style instead of generic app aesthetics Warm cream tones on near-black background Georgia as both display and body font Hairline separators instead of cards, no rounded corners A chess app that reads like a 1970s textbook OFFLINE AND DATA-MINIMAL Complete chess puzzle database bundled with the app No internet connection required after install No trackers, no advertising IDs, no personal data shared with third parties WHO IS PUZZLEMATE FOR? For chess beginners who want a structured way to learn chess tactics. For club players between 1200 and 2000 ELO who want to close their tactical gaps. For advanced players who want to train visualization through Ghost mode. For anyone looking for a quiet, focused chess trainer without noise. HOW DOES THE CHESS TRAINING WORK? You start with an ELO rating per tactical theme (fork, skewer, discovered attack, mating nets, and more). After every solved chess puzzle, PuzzleMate adjusts the difficulty - correct solutions raise your ELO, mistakes lower it slightly. This way you always get chess puzzles right at your learning edge: hard enough to challenge you, manageable enough to see progress. The Glicko-2 calculation considers not only success or failure, but also your confidence while solving. Solving a puzzle quickly and cleanly earns more ELO than reaching the solution after several failed attempts. Languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese.

About

Just Chess Puzzles

Features
Read full description

20 free puzzles a day, forever. 100,000+ chess puzzles that work with zero internet. One purchase, $4.99, unlocks everything for good. No subscription accounts, ads, or push notifications. • Play it out: When you solve a puzzle, keep playing the position against the engine instead of stopping at the answer. • See the evaluation: A live eval bar shows how winning or losing each position really is. • Train your weak spots: Filters puzzles from a library of 20+ categories (checkmate, opening, middlegame, forks, pins, caro-kann, etc.) • Track everything: Full puzzle history and a rating graph, stored on your device. • Private by design: The app is fully offline. No account, no sign-up, no analytics, and no data leaves your phone. Having trouble? Please reach out to support@justchesspuzzles.com

Screenshots

PuzzleMate4 screens
Just Chess Puzzles4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Just Chess Puzzles at every 3 days against PuzzleMate's weekly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. PuzzleMate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Just Chess Puzzles sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PuzzleMate ships an update weekly, Just Chess Puzzles every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
PuzzleMate versus Just Chess Puzzles: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPuzzleMateJust Chess Puzzles
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size131 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRonny StasiakClayton Marshall

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PuzzleMate

One-time1
  • PuzzleMate Pro$5.99
1 purchases

Just Chess Puzzles

One-time1
  • Unlock everything$4.99

Questions

Is PuzzleMate free?
PuzzleMate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Just Chess Puzzles free?
Just Chess Puzzles is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PuzzleMate or Just Chess Puzzles have ads?
Neither PuzzleMate nor Just Chess Puzzles shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PuzzleMate or Just Chess Puzzles?
PuzzleMate ships an update weekly, and Just Chess Puzzles every 3 days. Most recently, PuzzleMate was updated on October 28, 2026 and Just Chess Puzzles on October 29, 2026.

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