Chessnut Next vs Blunder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Blunder
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | Chessnut Next | Blunder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (12 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 338 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Xenx Technology Limited | Lucas Raggers |
In-app purchases
Chessnut Next
No in-app purchases
Blunder
- Monthly$1.991 Month
- Yearly$6.991 Year
- Lifetime$9.99









