Comparison

Zenmate vs Chess Variants Studio

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

Head to head
About

Zenmate

Features
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Zenmate is a calm, beautifully designed chess app built for focused play. Play a quiet game against the AI, start a match with friends through Game Center, or pass-and-play on one device. Zenmate keeps the interface simple and refined so the board stays central and every move has room to breathe. Features: - Play vs AI with multiple difficulty levels - Play with friends using Game Center - Local 2-player pass-and-play - Light and dark mode - Optional board coordinates - Flip board support - Clean timers and move-focused gameplay A quiet game of kings. Designed to slow you down, one move at a time.

About

Chess Variants Studio

Features
Read full description

Play any of nine variants of chess with 8 levels, 1200-2100, against the custom Pulsar engine. Review games with variant engine analysis. Styles supported are Chess960, Crazyhouse, Atomic, Losers, Giveaway, Three Checks, Advanced Pawns, Reversed Pawns and Random Pieces. The rules are included in-app. No signup. Ad Free. Works Offline. The playing program is one i've designed and tested at different levels on internet chess servers in order to come up with the ratings on the board. Ratings range from 1200 to 2100 or 2200 depending on variant. Try the app for free. There's 10 free plays of pure variants like atomic, crazyhouse and loser's and 10 free plays of chessic variants like chess960 and 30 free views of played games with analysis. A single one-time purchase unlocks unlimited play and variant engine analysis. Played games are logged and can also be viewed/analyzed. When reviewing the player's games, users can override the moves and start making their own moves. Back up to main line to undo. If the user goes looks at the Moves while reviewing, the game can be copied to the clipboard. The app comes with two skin themes, a reddish wood and a teal. Also here are multiple board and piece choices to choose from in settings.

Screenshots

Zenmate4 screens
Chess Variants Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Zenmate at none against Chess Variants Studio's 1. Chess Variants Studio's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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 Variants Studio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Zenmate asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zenmate ships an update every 6 weeks, Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Zenmate versus Chess Variants Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZenmateChess Variants Studio
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 9 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS17.015.6 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size4 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTimothy NiceMichael Adams

In-app purchases

None

Zenmate

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Variants Studio

One-time1
  • Unlimited Plays and Views$3.99

Questions

Is Zenmate free?
Zenmate 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 Zenmate or Chess Variants Studio have ads?
Neither Zenmate nor Chess Variants Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zenmate or Chess Variants Studio?
Zenmate ships an update every 6 weeks, and Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. Most recently, Zenmate was updated on September 13, 2026 and Chess Variants Studio on September 9, 2026.

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