Comparison

Chessnut Next vs Blunder

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

Head to head
About

Chessnut Next

Enhance your chess experience by connecting a smart board to digitally record moves, play against AI, and analyze games. Offers tactical training, custom position creation, and voice input for hands-free play. Review your games with detailed reports and share your progress.

Highlights
  • Smart board connection
  • Play against chess engines
  • Automatic game recording
  • On-device Stockfish analysis
  • Tactical training and puzzles
  • Board editor and position recognition
  • Voice move input
Features
Read full description

Chessnut Next is the companion app for Chessnut smart chessboards, bringing physical chess and digital tools together in one seamless experience. Connect a compatible Chessnut board to play naturally with real pieces while the app synchronizes positions, records moves, and saves your games automatically. Whether you are playing against a computer, practicing tactics, reviewing a finished game, or playing face-to-face, Chessnut Next helps you get more from every move. Key Features • Smart Board Connection Connect a compatible Chessnut electronic chessboard and synchronize physical positions with the app in real time. • Play Against Chess Engines Challenge computer opponents with different strengths and playing styles using either a physical board or the on-screen board. • Online Chess Support Use a compatible physical board with supported online chess platforms for a more natural playing experience. • Automatic Game Recording Create and save complete PGN records, including moves, players, results, and time information. • Local Stockfish Analysis Review games with on-device Stockfish analysis to explore evaluations, recommended moves, and critical mistakes. • Maia and Personalized Practice Train against human-like chess engines designed to provide realistic play across different skill levels. • Game Review Reports Generate easy-to-understand reports that highlight strong moves, mistakes, turning points, and opportunities to improve. • Puzzles and Tactical Training Improve calculation, pattern recognition, and practical decision-making with chess puzzles and focused exercises. • Board Editor and Position Recognition Create custom positions manually or use supported image-recognition features to extract a chess position from a photo. • Voice Moves In supported game modes, speak origin and destination squares to enter moves hands-free. • Chess Clock and Over-the-Board Play Record face-to-face games and manage player time with compatible Chessnut devices. • Game Library and Sharing Browse saved games, filter records by source, refresh game data, and share games or review results. • Multiple Languages Choose from a range of interface and content languages. From your first move to detailed post-game review, Chessnut Next combines smart-board connectivity, game recording, engine analysis, and training tools in one app.

About

Blunder

Read full description

Take a photo, open it in Blunder, and start exploring a chess position. Super fast! Blunder turns photos and screenshots of chessboards into interactive positions, with quick access to the camera and your photo library. FROM PHOTO TO POSITION - Recognize boards in screenshots and photos, including photos taken at an angle. - Automatically detect the board orientation. - Infer whose turn it is from highlighted last-move squares when available, or change the side to move yourself. EXPLORE THE BEST MOVES - View Stockfish analysis powered by Lichess. - Choose how many alternative lines to show. - Tap moves in a line to explore the continuation. - Choose an analysis time and available engine options. - Switch between the Blunder analysis view and the Lichess view. BUILD YOUR CHESS LIBRARY - Revisit recent games in a visual board gallery. - Save favorites and organize positions into folders. - Sync your library with iCloud across iPhone and iPad. - Turn off automatic history while keeping your favorites and organized games. SHARE AND CONTINUE Share positions as FEN, or open them in Lichess or Chess.com. Blunder requires iOS 26 or later. Internet access is required for Lichess analysis. Recognition results can vary with image quality and board design. BLUNDER PRO Your first 20 scans are free. Blunder Pro unlocks unlimited scans with a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel them in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://lucas.io/privacy

Screenshots

Chessnut Next4 screens
Blunder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chessnut Next at none against Blunder's 3. Chessnut Next also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). Blunder's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Blunder sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Chessnut Next asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chessnut Next ships an update every 3 weeks, Blunder every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Chessnut Next versus Blunder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessnut NextBlunder
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (12 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings12 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size338 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperXenx Technology LimitedLucas Raggers

In-app purchases

None

Chessnut Next

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Blunder

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Yearly$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$9.99

Questions

Is Chessnut Next free?
Chessnut Next is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Blunder free?
Blunder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Chessnut Next or Blunder have ads?
Neither Chessnut Next nor Blunder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chessnut Next or Blunder?
Chessnut Next ships an update every 3 weeks, and Blunder every 3 days. Most recently, Chessnut Next was updated on October 4, 2026 and Blunder on October 13, 2026.

Other comparisons