The Othello vs Smart Othello
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Othello
Experience a visually stunning Othello game with 30 difficulty levels for all skill sets. Challenge the computer to unlock special boards and stones, or play with friends on a single device. Save your progress, get hints, and even share game records via email.
- 30 difficulty levels
- Unlockable special boards and stones
- Human vs Computer play
- Human vs Human play (single device)
- Handicap game option
- Save/Load game records
- Email game record transmission
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If you are looking for a real Othello app with beautiful graphics and animation, this is it! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The Othello" is a wonderful version. With this single app alone, you can play with all of iPhone/iPod touch/iPad ! And... Enjoy "real" Othello whenever you like, wherever you want. *30 difficulty levels from beginner to expert. You will find the most suitable strength among the 30 levels for "head-to-head" game. *Challenge to win the special style boards by defeating computer! If you defeat computer under the given conditions, you will get the new surprising boards and stones to replace. *Other features: - Human vs Computer, Human vs Human (sharing a single device) - Handicap game(a game starting with 1-4 black handicap-stones) - Save/Load game record - Hint - transmit game record by e-mail - play this game while listening iPhone music
Smart Othello
Experience the classic strategy board game with this app. Play against friends or a computer with five difficulty levels. Improve your skills with a tutorial and helpful aids, making it easy to learn but challenging to master.
- Five computer play levels
- Real-time matches via Game Center
- Achievements and leaderboards
- Blunder Guard
- Hint, undo, and replay functions
- Collection of top player games
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Play Othello against your friends or the computer. Created by the 1992 US Othello Champion, this is the Othello app you’ve been waiting for. A powerful engine wrapped in a clean user interface. With five levels to choose from, you’ll find the level that gives you the right challenge. The built-in tutorial and teaching aids will help you improve your game — advance to the next level and give your friends a good fight. — A MINUTE TO LEARN … A LIFETIME TO MASTER — Othello has simple rules: just bracket opponent discs and flip them to your color. But proper strategy is more complex than you might think. Smart Othello makes the game enjoyable while improving your play. Features: • Five levels of computer play, from novice to master. • Real-time matches using Game Center. • Achievements and leaderboards to challenge you. • Blunder Guard to keep you from making bad mistakes. • Random openings that give both players an equal chance. • Hint, undo, and easy game replay. • Collection of games by top players for replay and study. Smart Othello was created by the 1992 US Othello Champion, who also developed the acclaimed SmartGo apps for the game of Go. Othello® is a registered trademark of MegaHouse Corporation. Used with permission.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Smart Othello at 4.6 against The Othello's 3.5. Smart Othello also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (535 vs 40). The Othello's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. The Othello sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Smart Othello sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Smart Othello holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smart Othello has 535 ratings behind it against 40, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of The Othello's written reviews are positive against 65% of Smart Othello's.
The Othello ships an update every 3 months, Smart Othello every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Othello | Smart Othello |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (40 ratings) | 4.6 (535 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.3% of reviews | 65.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 40 | 535 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | UNBALANCE Corporation | Smart Go, Inc. |
Customer experience
The Othello
Smart Othello
Bugs and requests
The Othello
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Smart Othello
Reported bugs
9 issues- App freezes on launch when Game Center is enabled
- Game crashes mid-play on certain difficulty levels
- Online play fails to find opponents or pair players
- App locks up when switching to other applications
- Game Center notifications excessive and intrusive
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- Online games create duplicate concurrent matches
- Game sync fails between multiple devices
- Support email from within app doesn't work
- Game becomes unresponsive during online play
Requested features
9 requests- Fix online multiplayer functionality
- Add local 2-player head-to-head mode
- Implement time limits for online moves
- Add option to remove/customize player avatars
- Improve Game Center integration and sync
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- Better online mode instructions and documentation
- Auto-play engine for replay functionality
- Restore previous purchases
- Improve difficulty level progression
In-app purchases
The Othello
- Remove Ad$2.99
Smart Othello
- Pro Pack$2.99







