# Aeterna vs Chess Variants Studio

The clearest difference is ads: Chess Variants Studio at none against Aeterna's shown. Chess Variants Studio also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.2). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Aeterna ships an update weekly, Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Aeterna | Chess Variants Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 9 days |
| Size | 58 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mohamed Ali BEN MANSOUR](https://appshunter.io/developer/6775278899) | [Michael Adams](https://appshunter.io/developer/743520896) |

## What reviewers say

### Aeterna

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aeterna-ancient-board-games/id6775278897)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aeterna Premium | $0.99 | one-time |


### 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 Aeterna free?

Aeterna is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Chess Variants Studio free?

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

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

Aeterna shows ads; Chess Variants Studio does not.

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

Aeterna ships an update weekly, and Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. Most recently, Aeterna was updated on October 15, 2026 and Chess Variants Studio on October 12, 2026.

---

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