Comparison

Chess vs ChessView

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
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

ChessView

Scan chess positions from photos, books, or screenshots and instantly play them out on a digital board. Analyze PGN files, import your online games, and explore classic matches. Offers optional AI commentary for deeper insights.

Highlights
  • Scan positions from photos/screenshots
  • Import PGN and FEN files
  • Replay and branch off game moves
  • Full move validation
  • Import Chess.com games
  • Built-in classic games
  • Optional AI commentary
Features
Read full description

See a chess position anywhere — in a book, on another screen, on the table in front of you — and have it on a board you can play with, in seconds. ChessView is a study tool, not another place to play. Scan a position with the camera or from a screenshot, open a PGN file, or pull in your Chess.com games — then replay them, branch off, and work out what actually happened. Free, offline, no account, no ads, no tracking. SCAN A POSITION FROM A PHOTO Point the camera at a real board, or choose a screenshot from Chess.com, Lichess or a chess book. ChessView reads the position and puts it on your board. Anything it misreads, you fix in the position editor — then start playing it out. PLAY IT OUT ON A REAL BOARD Full move validation: legal moves, en passant, castling, promotion. Drag the pieces, step back and forth through the whole game, flip the board, and branch off wherever you want to see what would have happened. OPEN PGN AND FEN FROM ANYWHERE PGN files from Files, Mail, Messages or any app that can share them. Paste a FEN string and it loads. Export any position or game as PGN, FEN or a PNG image, and share it in one tap. YOUR CHESS.COM GAMES, OFFLINE Type your username, pick a month, and your games are in the library — ready to replay any time, with or without a connection. STUDY THE CLASSICS Famous games come built in — Byrne–Fischer, Morphy, Short–Timman, Lasker–Thomas — so there is always a position worth looking at. SEE THE EVALUATION Evaluations and main lines come from the Lichess cloud database: free, fast, no account needed. For positions the database doesn't know, ChessView offers a sensible continuation of its own. OPTIONAL: COMMENTARY IN PLAIN WORDS Add your own OpenAI API key and ChessView will explain a position or a whole game in sentences — the plan, the key ideas, the moment it turned. Entirely optional: everything above works without it. Your key is stored in the iOS Keychain, used only from your device, and never sent to us. PRIVACY, ACTUALLY No account. No ads. No analytics. No tracking. Your games and your settings stay on your iPhone and iPad. WHY I BUILT IT Getting a chess position onto my phone used to be absurdly hard. A diagram in a book, a screenshot from a game, a FEN string someone sent me — none of it could just be opened and played through on an iPhone. PGN files were worse. So I built the app I wanted: open anything, put it on a real board, move the pieces. — Pavel, solo developer Designed for iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

Chess4 screens
ChessView4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ChessView at Free against Chess's $3.99. ChessView also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Chess's advantage is ratings volume (117 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On 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

ChessView is free to download; Chess costs $3.99 up front. Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. ChessView asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ChessView holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess has 117 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update fortnightly, ChessView every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Chess versus ChessView: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessChessView
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (117 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings117 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size237 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGiordano VicoliPavel Gnatyuk

Customer experience

Chess

All ratings117 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral2.6%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews174 reviews
Positive92.0%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.2%

ChessView

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

ChessView

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Chess

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

ChessView

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is ChessView free?
ChessView is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess or ChessView?
ChessView is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 117 ratings, while ChessView averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Chess or ChessView have ads?
Neither Chess nor ChessView shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess or ChessView?
Chess ships an update fortnightly, and ChessView every 2 weeks. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 1, 2026 and ChessView on September 29, 2026.

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