# Chesswise vs Chess Variants Studio

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chesswise at none against Chess Variants Studio's 1. Chess Variants Studio's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.1). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Chesswise ships an update fortnightly, Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chesswise | Chess Variants Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 9 days** |
| Size | 93 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cuong Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896763237) | [Michael Adams](https://appshunter.io/developer/743520896) |

## What reviewers say

### Chesswise

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesswise/id6773998682)

**In-app purchases:** none


### Chess Variants Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-variants-studio/id6789392443)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Plays and Views | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chesswise free?

Chesswise is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Chess Variants Studio free?

Chess Variants Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Chesswise or Chess Variants Studio have ads?

Neither Chesswise nor Chess Variants Studio shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chesswise or Chess Variants Studio?

Chesswise ships an update fortnightly, and Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. Most recently, Chesswise was updated on September 26, 2026 and Chess Variants Studio on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*