# The Othello vs Smart Othello

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Othello | Smart Othello |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (40 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-othello/id785097678/reviews) | **[4.6 (535 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-othello/id1056367184/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 40 | **535** |
| Positive reviews | 55.3% of reviews | **65.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 63 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [UNBALANCE Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/358617691) | [Smart Go, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/290948289) |

## What reviewers say

### The Othello

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-othello/id785097678)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ad | $2.99 | one-time |


### Smart Othello

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-othello/id1056367184)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Pack | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🧠 Excellent AI with challenging difficulty levels
- 💡 Helpful hints and tips for learning
- ↩️ Undo button for reviewing mistakes
- 🎨 Clean, elegant, and intuitive interface
- 📚 Extensive expert database (126,000 matches)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
- 🔋 Excessive battery consumption
- 🌐 Online multiplayer doesn't work reliably
- 📧 Support email feature non-functional
- 🎮 Inconsistent difficulty scaling (too easy or too hard)

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Othello free?

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

### Is Smart Othello free?

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

### Which has better reviews, The Othello or Smart Othello?

Smart Othello is rated higher. The Othello averages 3.5 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Smart Othello averages 4.6 from 535 ratings.

### Do The Othello or Smart Othello have ads?

The Othello shows ads; Smart Othello does not.

### Which is updated more often, The Othello or Smart Othello?

The Othello ships an update every 3 months, and Smart Othello every 2 months. Most recently, The Othello was updated on September 20, 2026 and Smart Othello on September 27, 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.*