# Chess vs Chess Strategy for Beginners

The clearest difference is price: Chess Strategy for Beginners at Free against Chess's $3.99. Chess Strategy for Beginners also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). Chess's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (92% vs 67%). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Chess Strategy for Beginners is free to download; Chess costs $3.99 up front. Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Chess Strategy for Beginners sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess against 4.8 for Chess Strategy for Beginners. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 118 and 134 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 67% of Chess Strategy for Beginners's.

Chess ships an update fortnightly, Chess Strategy for Beginners every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess | Chess Strategy for Beginners |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (118 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545/reviews) | **[4.8 (134 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-strategy-for-beginners/id1121720375/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 118 | **134** |
| Positive reviews | **92.0% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#173** | — |
| Size | 237 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Giordano Vicoli](https://appshunter.io/developer/460922805) | [Chess King](https://appshunter.io/developer/1096660597) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545)

**Currently charting:** #173 Top Paid · Board (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $8.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Chess Strategy for Beginners

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-strategy-for-beginners/id1121720375)

This interactive tutorial helps beginners and intermediate players improve their chess skills. It covers openings, middlegames, and endgames with over 1200 examples and exercises. The app acts as a coach, providing hints, explanations, and refutations for mistakes.

**Highlights:** Interactive lessons, 55 lessons with 1200+ examples, Opening, middlegame, and endgame strategy, Hints and mistake refutations, Play positions against computer, Tracks ELO rating

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full course | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess free?

Chess costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Chess Strategy for Beginners free?

Chess Strategy for Beginners is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Chess or Chess Strategy for Beginners?

Chess Strategy for Beginners is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 118 ratings, while Chess Strategy for Beginners averages 4.8 from 134 ratings.

### Do Chess or Chess Strategy for Beginners have ads?

Neither Chess nor Chess Strategy for Beginners shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess or Chess Strategy for Beginners?

Chess ships an update fortnightly, and Chess Strategy for Beginners every 3 months. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 18, 2026 and Chess Strategy for Beginners on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*