Comparison

Play Chess & Master Games vs CherryChess

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

Head to head
About

Play Chess & Master Games

Play chess against a customizable engine or study the games of chess legends. Features include engine analysis, an opening explorer, and offline play. Unlock unlimited access with a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Play against 8 skill levels of Pulsar engine
  • Study games of 20 chess masters
  • Over 800 World Championship games
  • Engine analysis and opening explorer
  • Offline play, no sign-up required
  • Searchable game lists
Features
Read full description

Play chess against the custom Pulsar engine with 8 skill levels (approximately 1200–2100). Explore the games of 20 of history's greatest chess masters during their peak years, including over 800 World Championship games. Includes engine analysis, an opening explorer, searchable game lists, and autoplay. No sign-up, no ads, and 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. Users get 12 plays and can view 30 chess games for free. These are separate counters. There is a single one time in-app purchase to unlock both unlimited chess play and viewing. There are about 400 games per player on average with fully searchable lists. Just search world when viewing a player for the world championships. Chess masters included are Carlsen, Anand, Kramnik, Kapsparov, Karpov, Korchnoi, Fischer, Spassky Petrosian, Smyslov, Tal, Keres, Botvinnik, Fine, Alekhine, Capablanca, Lasker, Pillsbury, Steinitz and Morphy. Played games are logged and can also be viewed/analyzed. When reviewing master or player's games, users can override the moves and start making their own moves. The engine analysis has a move now option for users to test their moves against the engine. Back up to main line to undo. After a few moves, the opening name is given. When reviewing there is an opening explorer and engine analysis options on the board. The explorer is built from over 600k high rated, mostly over the board games. The full game's text/moves can be seen and copied to the clipboard to share with others apps when viewing Moves.

About

CherryChess

Features
Read full description

Cherry Chess is a beautifully simple chess app that helps you actually get better. Play against honestly calibrated bots or a friend, then let a full-strength Stockfish engine show you exactly where the game was won or lost – all on your device, no account, no internet required. EVERY MOVE RATED • Each move gets a verdict, from Brilliant and Best Move to Mistake and Blunder • See instantly what your move was worth – or switch it off and just play • Optional evaluation bar right next to the board OPPONENTS AT YOUR LEVEL • Bots from 300 to 2200 in steps of 100, each step measured against real playing strength • They play like humans at their level – including the mistakes – and they finish won games • Max: the engine at full strength, for when you want to see perfect chess • Rated games always put you against the bot at your own level PLAY YOUR WAY • Rated, free or against a friend on the same device, with an optional board flip • With or without a clock, from 1 to 60 minutes plus increment, with a low-time warning • Move list while you play and hints when you get stuck • Focus mode hides everything but the board SEE WHERE YOUR GAME TURNED • Full game review with the evaluation graph and the best move for every position • The move list highlights only the moves worth finding • Accuracy and a performance rating for every game • Free analysis board to explore any position with the engine A RATING THAT MEANS SOMETHING • Every rated game moves your rating, on the same scale as the bots • Track your rating curve, accuracy, streaks and activity in your profile • Your complete game history, ready to replay and review LEARN WITH A PLAN • A learning path of 42 lessons in six units: board and pieces, check and mate, material, tactics, endgames and openings • Free practice whenever you like: board coordinates, checkmate puzzles and an opening trainer with 22 opening families MADE WITH CARE • Clean, distinctive design in dark and light themes • Two piece sets: the custom-made Cherry pieces and a timeless classic set • Smooth animations, haptic feedback and VoiceOver support • Available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese and Chinese PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no sign-up, no tracking. Your games and progress stay on your device, and the engine runs completely offline. Whether you're learning how the knight moves or chasing your next rating milestone, Cherry Chess meets you at your level – and helps you go further.

Screenshots

Play Chess & Master Games4 screens
CherryChess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CherryChess at none against Play Chess & Master Games's 1. Play Chess & Master Games's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Play Chess & Master Games sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CherryChess asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Play Chess & Master Games versus CherryChess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlay Chess & Master GamesCherryChess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael AdamsMilan Swillus

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Play Chess & Master Games

One-time1
  • Play-Watch-Unlimited$3.99
None

CherryChess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Play Chess & Master Games free?
Play Chess & Master Games is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CherryChess free?
CherryChess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Play Chess & Master Games or CherryChess have ads?
Neither Play Chess & Master Games nor CherryChess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Play Chess & Master Games or CherryChess?
Play Chess & Master Games ships an update every 5 days, and CherryChess every 5 days. Most recently, Play Chess & Master Games was updated on October 31, 2026 and CherryChess on October 19, 2026.

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