Comparison

Chess Openings Coach vs ChessFlow

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

Head to head
About

Chess Openings Coach

Features
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ChessOpenings is a quiet, well-written reference for the classical chess opening repertoire โ€” Ruy Lopez, Sicilian, Queen's Gambit, King's Indian, and 21 more โ€” with an AI coach for the specific positions you get stuck in. WHAT IT DOES โ€ข 25 classical openings grouped by structure (Open Games, Semi-Open, Closed, Indian Defences, Flank) โ€ข Each opening: ECO code, main line, key strategic ideas, main variations with explanations, common traps, suitability ("Players who like long strategic battles") โ€ข AI coach answers specific "what should I do if my opponent plays X?" questions in the Silman / Rowson / King tradition โ€ข Private practice log โ€” every session logged with opening, question, AI feedback, your note โ€ข 3 free coach asks per day; Pro is unlimited DESIGN Warm walnut-and-cream aesthetic โ€” board-brown and ink on cream, serif typography. Apple-native SwiftUI. No third-party UI frameworks. PRIVACY โ€ข Every study note stays on your iPhone with SwiftData โ€ข No login, no email, no analytics SDKs โ€ข "Data Not Collected" verified in App Privacy โ€ข AI coach calls send only the opening name and your question โ€” no identifiers, no logs FREE Browse all 25 openings, every variation + 3 AI coach asks per day + unlimited practice log. PRO ($4.99/month or $19.99/year) โ€ข Unlimited AI coach asks WHY CHESSOPENINGS Most chess apps are puzzle-grinders or engine-evaluation tools. ChessOpenings gives you a structured reference for the classical openings โ€” the actual ideas, the actual traps, who they suit โ€” plus a coach who'll explain the move you didn't understand. Built for club players who want to understand why a position works, not just how the engine evaluates it. Built in Australia. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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. A seven-day forecast shows how many lines come due each day, so you always know when a backlog clears. 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 19, at a strength you choose. Explore variations in free analysis, with a slim evaluation bar beside the board, 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

Chess Openings Coach4 screens
ChessFlow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ChessFlow at every 4 days against Chess Openings Coach's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Chess Openings Coach sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month 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

Chess Openings Coach ships an update every 2 months, ChessFlow every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
Chess Openings Coach versus ChessFlow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Openings CoachChessFlow
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad โ€” better
Requires iOS18.017.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size3 MB201 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMitaanshu AgarwalGiorgio Donnoli

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Chess Openings Coach

Subscriptions2
  • Chess Openings Coach Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Chess Openings Coach Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.901 Year
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 Chess Openings Coach free?
Chess Openings Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChessFlow free?
ChessFlow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Chess Openings Coach or ChessFlow have ads?
Neither Chess Openings Coach nor ChessFlow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Openings Coach or ChessFlow?
Chess Openings Coach ships an update every 2 months, and ChessFlow every 4 days. Most recently, Chess Openings Coach was updated on October 1, 2026 and ChessFlow on October 6, 2026.

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