# Pocket Chess vs Chess Deluxe

The clearest difference is rating: Chess Deluxe at 4.0 against Pocket Chess's 2.5. Chess Deluxe also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). Pocket Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (22 vs 6). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pocket Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chess Deluxe asks for nothing beyond the download.

Chess Deluxe holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Pocket Chess's written reviews are positive against 32% of Chess Deluxe's.

Pocket Chess ships an update every 10 months, Chess Deluxe every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pocket Chess | Chess Deluxe |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-chess/id699609579/reviews) | **[4.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-deluxe/id1401653236/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **22** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 24.5% of reviews | **32.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | **Every 7 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 10 MB | 115 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steven Barnegren](https://appshunter.io/developer/632311869) | [MOBILEFUSION APPS LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/517591945) |

## What reviewers say

### Pocket Chess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-chess/id699609579)

Engage in classic chess battles anywhere, anytime. Challenge a sophisticated AI with adjustable difficulty or play against a friend. The app offers helpful features like move highlighting and board rotation for an enhanced experience.

**Highlights:** Challenging AI engine, Three difficulty levels, Play as White or Black, Show legal moves, Special move support, Board rotation, Save game state

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Clean aesthetics
- 👍 Simple and good
- 🎮 Realistic graphics
- 😊 Great game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Computer cheats
- 👎 Bots are atrocious
- 👎 Too hard
- 👎 Too easy
- 👎 Little to do

**Reported bugs**

- Computer makes wrong moves
- Computer cheats by moving pieces
- Board flips for no reason
- Hard mode is too easy
- Option to castle is hard to find

**Requested features**

- Make medium difficulty easier
- Add undo button
- Add submit button
- Option to fix board orientation in 2 player mode
- More variety in AI moves


### Chess Deluxe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-deluxe/id1401653236)

Engage in classic chess matches against AI opponents across four difficulty levels, a local friend, or players worldwide. Beginners benefit from highlighted legal moves for each piece.

**Highlights:** Play against computer AI, Local multiplayer mode, Online multiplayer mode, Four AI difficulty levels, Highlight possible moves

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pocket Chess free?

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

### Is Chess Deluxe free?

Chess Deluxe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pocket Chess or Chess Deluxe?

Chess Deluxe is rated higher. Pocket Chess averages 2.5 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while Chess Deluxe averages 4.0 from 6 ratings.

### Do Pocket Chess or Chess Deluxe have ads?

Chess Deluxe shows ads; Pocket Chess does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pocket Chess or Chess Deluxe?

Pocket Chess ships an update every 10 months, and Chess Deluxe every 7 months. Most recently, Pocket Chess was updated on October 26, 2026 and Chess Deluxe on October 21, 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.*