Comparison

Chess vs Chess Openings Explorer Pro

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

Head to head
About

Chess

Manage and study chess databases and games in PGN format with advanced analysis tools. Supports game creation, modification, and import from various sources. Includes engine analysis, opening book management, and puzzle training.

Highlights
  • PGN database and game management
  • Create, modify, and import games
  • Advanced engine analysis with Stockfish
  • Opening book and ChessBase support
  • Chess 960 (Fischer Random) support
  • Diagram recognition for PGN conversion
  • Puzzle training and online play
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Chess Studio is the first and only application for iPhone and iPad able to manage chess databases and games in PGN format in a complete and efficient way. Chess Studio is an application designed and built for those players who really want to deepen their knowledge in the field of chess, studying chess regularly and participate in tournaments. Chess Studio allows you to: • Read database and games in PGN format (also with extended notation of moves). • Create, delete and modify folders and databases. • View games with annotations and textual comments and keep track of the displayed games. • Use a double chessboard on the same screen for better game analysis. • Visualize moves and variants in compact mode or indented mode. • Modify existing games with move annotation and textual comments. • Insert new games and positions. • Insert, replay and analyze games in Chess 960 mode. • Insert moves with annotations and textual comments. • Insert variation, subvariations etc. • Insert and visualize graphical annotation (colored arrows and highlighted squares). • Share Databases and Games through Airdrop. • Download chess database from internet. • Download chess database directly from PGN Mentor site. • Import games, database and Opening Books from other applications. • Merge two or more databases. • Copy/Paste games and positions. • Analyze games with Stockfish 19 Engine with the support of the Neural Networks (up to 5 lines of analysis simultaneously) with the support of the Engine Evaluation Bar. • Replay games automatically. • Visualize Pawn structure. • Manage Variations and sub-variatons: delete and promote variations. • Read the weekly Magazine The New In Chess (TWIC) and download the games. • Uploading and Downloading PGN Database to/from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive. • Three different modes for moving pieces. • Analyze endgames with Endgame Tablebases. • Analyze and study Chess Openings in the Chess Openings Section. • Create and manage Opening Books in Polyglot format. • Import and manage ChessBase Opening Books (ctg format). • Automatically classify a database according to ECO code. • Replay, enter and analyze Chess 960 games (Fischer Random Chess). • Play against the engine both in standard mode and in Chess 960 mode. • Play online through the LiChess platform • Train by solving Puzzles • ChessBase Database support. • Diagram Recognition: this feature allows the user to take and/or upload photos of chess diagrams and convert them into PGN format positions. Other features and technical details: • Modify the board size. • Professional chess fonts and figurines for moves notation and annotation. • Preview of the game in the board tapping the Info button. • Quick search feature. • Advanced search feature. • Complete management of Null Moves with Tutorial. • Visualization of ECO code and Opening during game replay or game insertion. • Visualization of Book Openings during game replay or game insertion. • Portrait/Landscape mode for all devices. • Support of Slide Over and Split View mode. • Function to move up within variants and subvariants. • iOS 26 compatible and optimized for all the devices. • Sharing of databases across devices via iCloud Drive (also with Chess Studio for Mac OS). • Sound option. • Support for iPad Pro Keyboard or bluetooth keyboard. • VoiceOver/Accessibility support. • Direct contact via email with the developer to report problems, ask for explanation and suggestions (very quick answer!). • Languages: English, Italian, Spanish and German. Complete description at: https://chessstudio.wordpress.com/chess-studio/ To view the privacy policy and Terms of Use (EULA) visit https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ The application is continuously updated with new features and improvements. No registration! No advertising! No sharing of personal data!

About

Chess Openings Explorer Pro

Master chess openings with a comprehensive dictionary and analysis of over 2 million Grandmaster games. Test your knowledge with interactive quizzes and analyze positions using a powerful built-in engine.

Highlights
  • Chess opening dictionary
  • Grandmaster game analysis
  • Interactive quiz modes
  • Position win/loss/draw stats
  • Built-in chess engine
  • PGN export
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Explore chess openings and their variations through a simple and friendly interface, and learn the follow-ups from 2 million+ Grandmaster games! Main features: - Complete dictionary of chess openings and their variations - Browse Grandmaster games associated with each opening - Test your knowledge with various Quiz modes: The app picks an opening and your goal is to either find its name, find which move is best, or play the moves that leads to the opening - Accurate stats for each position: % of wins, losses, draws - Powerful built-in Chess engine (2800+ Elo) to analyze any position - Games can be exported to other apps (PGN format) - Search openings by name or ECO code - Easy to use, simple and clean interface - Full translations in French and German, including opening names - And of course, new features will be added over time!

Screenshots

Chess4 screens
Chess Openings Explorer Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

Chess and Chess Openings Explorer Pro both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 92% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 53% of Chess Openings Explorer Pro's. Chess Openings Explorer Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

Chess costs $3.99 and Chess Openings Explorer Pro $3.99 up front. Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Chess Openings Explorer Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess against 4.6 for Chess Openings Explorer Pro. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 118 and 349 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 53% of Chess Openings Explorer Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update fortnightly, Chess Openings Explorer Pro every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Chess versus Chess Openings Explorer Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessChess Openings Explorer Pro
Price$3.99$3.99
Rating4.7 (118 ratings) — better4.6 (349 ratings)
Positive reviews92.0% of reviews — better53.1% of reviews
Number of ratings118349 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#152#108 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size237 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGiordano VicoliEmmanuel Mathis

Customer experience

Chess

All ratings118 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral2.5%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews175 reviews
Positive92.0%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.1%

Chess Openings Explorer Pro

All ratings349 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral3.4%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive53.1%
Neutral10.9%
Negative35.9%

User reviews

Chess

From 118 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Powerful chess database features
  • 👍 Comprehensive analysis tools
  • 👍 Excellent PGN management
  • 👍 Great value for price
  • 👍 Frequent updates and improvements

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Steep learning curve
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes
  • 🐛 Unintuitive interface
  • 🐛 Some users find it confusing
  • 🐛 Missing dark mode

Chess Openings Explorer Pro

From 349 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📚 Extensive database of grandmaster games (2 million+)
  • 🎯 Intuitive opening explorer interface
  • 📊 Clear visualization of move statistics and win rates
  • 🎮 Easy access to replay master games
  • 💡 Practical and pedagogical approach to learning openings

Room to improve

  • ⚠️ Limited depth - only covers ~5 moves in most lines
  • ❌ Lacks built-in chess engine for analysis
  • 😕 Confusing user interface for beginners
  • 📖 Insufficient documentation and help instructions
  • 🤷 Unclear what statistics and percentages mean

Bugs and requests

Chess

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Problem saving updated game data
  • Engine stopped working after 30 seconds
  • App crashes when adding annotations without hitting 'edit mode' first
  • Crash opening .pgn in landscape mode
  • Crashes when selecting a cell with 0 games associated
Show 7 more
  • App freezes sometimes
  • Download stuck on 'downloading'
  • Dropbox issues on earlier iOS versions
  • Program not bulletproof upon saving work
  • Can't download cbv files
  • Graphical annotations drawing unwanted arrows
  • App doesn't work after iOS update

Requested features

20 requests
  • Add dark mode
  • Add board flip button
  • Improve interface for screen reader users
  • Add private game feature with code
  • Add computer whole game analysis with annotations
Show 15 more
  • Add coloring moves based on annotation
  • Add drawing arrows that are saved
  • Add bookmark feature
  • Add buttons/swipe to go forward/backwards to next/previous game
  • Add select all function for copying games
  • Add autoplay games
  • Remember last position/game opened in a database
  • Support Millennium boards
  • Support UCI engine compatibility
  • Optimize database game view
  • Make edit mode arrows slimmer and add more colors
  • Allow direct iCloud access to databases without export
  • Make graphical annotations optional/disableable
  • Improve font size adjustment for moves and annotations
  • Add search with multiple criteria

Chess Openings Explorer Pro

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Games fail to load with 'failed to load games' error
  • Wrong position displayed when accessing games from position
  • Text truncation on opening names (iPhone)
  • Incompatibility with older devices (iPad 4)
  • App crashes or freezes
Show 1 more
  • Recent update caused game loading issues

Requested features

12 requests
  • Built-in chess engine for position evaluation
  • Ability to play own moves and get engine feedback
  • Play openings against computer opponent
  • PGN import functionality
  • Quiz mode by opening
Show 7 more
  • Deeper variant coverage beyond move 5
  • Suggest new openings feature
  • Engine analysis when opening book ends
  • Better explanation of move choices
  • Expanded opening database
  • Improved text display for full opening names
  • More sophisticated sorting options

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Chess

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium Subscription3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium Subscription3 Days trial$8.991 Year
None

Chess Openings Explorer Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Chess Openings Explorer Pro free?
Chess Openings Explorer Pro costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess or Chess Openings Explorer Pro?
Chess is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 118 ratings, while Chess Openings Explorer Pro averages 4.6 from 349 ratings.
Do Chess or Chess Openings Explorer Pro have ads?
Neither Chess nor Chess Openings Explorer Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess or Chess Openings Explorer Pro?
Chess ships an update fortnightly, and Chess Openings Explorer Pro every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 18, 2026 and Chess Openings Explorer Pro on October 17, 2026.
Which is more popular, Chess or Chess Openings Explorer Pro?
Chess currently peaks at #152 in the App Store charts, and Chess Openings Explorer Pro at #108. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons