# Chess vs ChessNewLife

The clearest difference is price: ChessNewLife at Free against Chess's $3.99. On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

ChessNewLife is free to download; Chess costs $3.99 up front. Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and ChessNewLife sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Chess ships an update fortnightly, ChessNewLife every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chess | ChessNewLife |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (118 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-studio/id684224545/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **118** | — |
| Positive reviews | 92.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 237 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Giordano Vicoli](https://appshunter.io/developer/460922805) | [ANSIROMAT S.R.L.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6782928678) |

## What reviewers say

### Chess

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

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


### ChessNewLife

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessnewlife/id6782928676)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ChessNewLife Premium | $2.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chess free?

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

### Is ChessNewLife free?

ChessNewLife is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Chess or ChessNewLife have ads?

Neither Chess nor ChessNewLife shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chess or ChessNewLife?

Chess ships an update fortnightly, and ChessNewLife every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 18, 2026 and ChessNewLife on October 5, 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.*
