Comparison

Chess Studio Lite vs BanksiaGUI

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

Head to head
About

Chess Studio Lite

Manage and analyze chess games and databases in PGN format. Study openings, practice against engines, and solve puzzles with advanced analysis tools. Supports multiple devices and cloud storage integration.

Highlights
  • PGN database management
  • Game analysis with Stockfish 18
  • Opening book creation and import
  • Diagram recognition
  • Cloud storage integration
  • Play against engine (standard & Chess 960)
Features
Read full description

Chess Studio is the first and only application for iPhone and iPad able to completely manage chess database and games in PGN format. 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 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 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) and see the results also through the Engine Evaluation Bar. • See graphic visualization of moves suggested by Stockfish 19 engine. • See Win-Draw-Loss (WDL) probabilities during engine analysis. • Replay games automatically. • Visualize Pawn structure. • Manage Variations and sub-variatons: delete and promote variations. • Read the weekly Magazine The Week In Chess and download the games. • Uploading and Downloading PGN database to/from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive. • Three different modes for moving pieces. • Analyse endgames with Endgame Tablebases. • Analyse and study Chess Openings. • Creation and management of Opening Books in Polyglot format. • Import and management of ChessBase Opening Books (ctg, cto, ctb 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. • Solving Puzzles. • 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 tapping on the board or through the Settings menu. • Professional chess fonts and figurines for moves notation and annotation. • Preview of the game in the board tapping the Info button. • Advanced search feature. • Visualization of ECO code and Opening during game replay or game insertion. • Visualization of Book Openings during game replay or game insertion. • Complete management of Null Moves with Tutorial. • Portrait/Landscape mode for all devices. • Support of Slide Over and Split View mode. • Function to move up within variants and subvariants. • Online manual frequently updated. • iOS 26 compatible and optimized for all the devices. • Sharing of databases across devices via iCloud Drive. • Sound option. • Support for iPad Pro Keyboard or bluetooth keyboard. • VoiceOver/Accessibility support. • Direct contact via email with the developer. • Languages: English, Italian, Spanish and German. Complete description at the following address: https://chessstudio.wordpress.com/chess-studio/ The application is continuously updated with new features and improvements. Chess Studio Lite is a smaller version of Chess Studio where some features are limited. To view the terms of service visit https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ No registration! No advertising! No sharing of personal data! If you own an iMac or a MacBook try the new Chess Lab!

About

BanksiaGUI

This app provides a robust chess experience, allowing users to play against multiple powerful engines, analyze games in real-time, and customize their visual interface. It supports various game modes and offers features like voice moves and an internal opening book.

Highlights
  • Play against multiple strong chess engines
  • Real-time game analysis
  • Customizable appearance modes
  • Voice and sound move notifications
  • Internal opening book
  • Edit board positions
  • Autosave/load game functionality
Features
Read full description

Engines: - Stockfish, version: 13Dev, author: Stockfish team - LeelaChessZero, version: 0.26.3, author: LeelaChessZero team - Ethereal, version: 12.50, author: Andrew Grant - Xiphos, version: 0.5, author: Milos Tatarevic - Defenchess, version: 2.2, author: Can Cetin, Dogac Eldenk - RubiChess, version: 1.8, author: Andreas Matthies - Laser, version: 1.6, author: Jeffrey An, Michael An - Igel, version: 2.6, author: Medvedev, Shcherbyna Features: - Play vs very strong Chinese chess engine - Setup time controller - Setup Skill level (to adjust playing strength) - Can take back - Support Analysing on fly mode - Display all computing info, show analysing arrow - Voice moves as well as simple sounds - Has an internal Opening book - Can run the benchmark - Custom chess pieces, board materials - Support both Light and Dark Appearance modes - Edit position - Autosave/load playing game - Paste FEN, PGN - Copy, email FEN, PGN, image - On, off or hybrid NNUE mode - Release with source-code (GPL license) thus anyone can check, verify and/or contribute

Screenshots

Chess Studio Lite4 screens
BanksiaGUI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chess Studio Lite at 4.4 against BanksiaGUI's 3.4. Chess Studio Lite also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Studio Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 11 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Chess Studio Lite's written reviews are positive against 54% of BanksiaGUI's.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Chess Studio Lite versus BanksiaGUI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Studio LiteBanksiaGUI
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (11 ratings) — better3.4 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews63.6% of reviews — better53.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1111
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size237 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGiordano VicoliNguyen Pham

Customer experience

Chess Studio Lite

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive63.6%
Neutral18.2%
Negative18.2%

BanksiaGUI

All ratings11 ratings
Positive63.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative36.4%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive53.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative38.5%

In-app purchases

None

Chess Studio Lite

No in-app purchases

None

BanksiaGUI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Studio Lite free?
Chess Studio Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BanksiaGUI free?
BanksiaGUI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess Studio Lite or BanksiaGUI?
Chess Studio Lite is rated higher. Chess Studio Lite averages 4.4 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while BanksiaGUI averages 3.4 from 11 ratings.
Do Chess Studio Lite or BanksiaGUI have ads?
BanksiaGUI shows ads; Chess Studio Lite does not.

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