ChessImprover vs ChessCam
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ChessImprover
Enhance your chess skills with a comprehensive training app. Play with an AI coach, solve thousands of puzzles, build opening repertoires, and master endgames. All features run offline on your device.
- AI coach with spoken commentary
- Adjustable engine strength (500-2900 Elo)
- Game review with plain English explanations
- 23,000 tactical puzzles
- Opening repertoire builder
- Endgame drills
- Offline functionality
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ChessImprover is a complete chess training app: play with a coach by your side, solve puzzles, build an opening repertoire, and master the endgames — powered by a strong engine that runs entirely on your device. PLAY WITH A COACH — NEW Relaxed, untimed games with a coach commenting on every move you make — in plain words, not chess notation. The coach speaks its advice out loud (you can turn the voice off), names the openings you play, and when something goes wrong it offers to take the move back and try again, with a hint if you're stuck. PLAY AT YOUR LEVEL Challenge the built-in engine anywhere from 500 to 2900 Elo. Climb the ladder of 25 rated bots, or play relaxed unrated games with no clock. Stuck? Ask for a hint. REVIEW EVERY GAME Every move explained in plain English — what worked, what didn't, and what your opponent's move set up. Inaccuracies, mistakes and blunders are flagged move by move, the summary shows the turning point and what to train next, and you can watch the whole game back as a narrated replay. See exactly where you left your opening prep, and explore alternatives on the analysis board. SOLVE 23,000 PUZZLES Tactics from real games, matched to your level. Rated mode tracks your own puzzle rating, timed mode races the clock in 3, 5, and 10-minute rushes, and custom mode lets you pick a difficulty and solve at your own pace. BUILD A REAL OPENING REPERTOIRE Answer a few questions and the wizard assembles an opening repertoire for White or Black — real lines with clear explanations, from simple beginner systems to a full club repertoire. Then drill your lines with spaced repetition so they stick. MASTER THE ENDGAMES THAT DECIDE GAMES Curated drills for the endgames every player must know: queen and rook checkmates, king-and-pawn opposition, and the Lucena and Philidor rook endings. Win the winning ones, hold the draws. LEARN FROM ZERO New to chess? A built-in guide teaches the rules from the very first move. Private by design: no account, no sign-up. Everything — the engine, the puzzles, even the coach's voice — runs offline on your device. Questions or feedback? chessimproverapp@gmail.com
ChessCam
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ChessCam turns your phone into a camera that follows a real chessboard. Point it at the board, scan the position and play: every move is recognized and recorded as you play. Play against Stockfish bots on your own board, connect your physical board to Lichess, or record over-the-board games with a friend. Share a live link so others can follow the game on another device, then review every game afterwards with engine analysis. KEY FEATURES • Camera recognition: your moves on a real board become digital moves in real time • Play bots: face Stockfish-based opponents at different levels on your own board • Play on Lichess: use your physical board for online games on Lichess • Record over-the-board games: player names, clocks and the full move history • Clocks: classical, rapid and blitz, with increment, delay and multi-period controls • Fix move: correct a misread move with one tap • Finish by hand: place both kings in the centre to record a win or a draw • Live watch links: let friends follow your game on another device • Analysis and review: key moments, engine evaluation and a mistake deck to practise • History: save, favourite, resume and export games as PGN or FEN • Voice: hear each move announced, hands-free PRIVACY Board recognition runs on your phone. Video is never uploaded, and your games are stored on your device. ChessCam sends anonymous diagnostics (crashes and performance, no moves or images) to help fix bugs; you can turn this off in Settings. If you choose to help improve recognition, ChessCam also sends moves and board images from your camera games without any account or device ID. This is off until you allow it. Game data is only sent to others when you share a game live or play on Lichess.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: ChessCam at 14.0 against ChessImprover's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ChessImprover ships an update fortnightly, ChessCam every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | ChessImprover | ChessCam |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 118 MB | 51 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MARTIN BERNT ANDERSSON | MARIUS EIDSNES PHILLIPS |
In-app purchases
ChessImprover
No in-app purchases
ChessCam
No in-app purchases









