Comparison

Chess vs Pulsar Chess Engine

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

Head to head
About

Chess

Engage in chess with a comprehensive suite of tools for analysis, annotation, and online play. Explore game trees with side-lines, add detailed comments, and enjoy a stable FICS server connection. Features include a robust database, opening/endgame browsers, and training videos.

Highlights
  • Game tree representation with side-lines
  • Detailed game annotation
  • Stable FICS server communication
  • Enhanced FICS interface
  • Improved database and setup screen
  • Opening and endgame browser
  • Links to training videos
Features
Read full description

With Chess-wise 3 you can play chess, analyse games, annotate game notations, play online, solve exercises, watch training videos and much more. - Games are represented as trees, so they can have side-lines. This means when analysing moves, this will not anymore overwrite the moves of the main game - On the new annotation screen, you can add comments and !! - or ?? to the moves - The communication with the FICS server has been complete rewritten and is now much more stable - The FICS interface has more features (support for multiple accounts, iMessage-like chatting, friend list) - Improved database (re-order games in a PGN file) and setup screen (move pieces on the board) - Landscape views for the opening and endgame browser, showing the possible moves next to the board - Over 250 links to free training videos - Separate screen to select the pieces orientation, when playing with 2 players - Help file with tutorial for each major use case Each screen has been re-designed to give a better user experience, focussing on the main actions that people want to do on that screen. Any suggestions for further improvements (as well as bug reports) are welcome at info@chess-wise.com

About

Pulsar Chess Engine

Play chess and six popular variants with adjustable AI difficulty levels. Review logged games, access master game collections, and utilize Crafty engine analysis for standard chess and Chess960. Offers accessibility features for blind users.

Highlights
  • Plays 7 chess variants
  • Adjustable AI difficulty levels
  • Game logging and review
  • Master game collections
  • Crafty engine analysis
  • VoiceOver accessibility
Features
Read full description

The Pulsar Chess Engine plays Chess and six variants all with multiple levels. The variants are Chess960, Crazyhouse, Loser's, Atomic, Three Checks and Giveaway. Rules included in-app. In addition, there is also a review mode to look at the user's log file with analysis available for non variants. 10 game collections of classic and modern master games are included to look at including Kasparov, Fischer, Carlsen, Capablanca and Morphy 1858 collections. These collections and the log file are searchable. Pulsar values mobility and active positions. In app there is an article with more on its playing style and how to train against it. With the variants, each has its own style. Chess960, Three Checks and Crazyhouse are the more chess like variants and adoptable to learn to play for anyone with interest. The rules of all games are in app. Pulsar has levels of play from beginner too advanced. Games with a time control are the hardest though Pulsar doesn't call the player's time. The time is more to handicap Pulsar's strength, but users will have a clock and can see if it's gone negative if they want to play the time control. The game button - configure game menu item, lets the user control the variant and difficulty. It defaults to Chess at Easy(lowest level) but remembers the current settings when the App restarts. There are choices of pieces and board color schemes. The Pulsar program was originally developed by me for computers starting in 1998 and came to mobile for the first time in 2014. Pulsar's board is accessible to the blind using Voice Over, a screen reader. Tap on a square and it will say whats on it and double tap to move or choose from three move methods. A screen reader can normally read anything with text like a button, but a board is a collection of images. To make it accessible, text must be returned to Voice Over when a tap is in the area of a square. Pulsar began as a chess program and later learned variants. It ran extensively on two servers for many years both at chess and variants. The ratings on the board reflect strength I saw in rated play on handicapped bots. They are not 100% exact but generalizations I made from the various bots I ran at different settings. If in the new game selector, Play vs. Computer is unchecked the user can move for both sides. This is to allow two people at same location to use the App as a board for a game and have the app enforce move legality and results for whatever variant is selected.

Screenshots

Chess3 screens
Pulsar Chess Engine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chess at Free against Pulsar Chess Engine's $1.99. Chess also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.6). Pulsar Chess Engine's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 3.6) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ratings volume, ads 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

Chess is free to download; Pulsar Chess Engine costs $1.99 up front. Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pulsar Chess Engine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pulsar Chess Engine holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 70% of Pulsar Chess Engine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update fortnightly, Pulsar Chess Engine every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Chess versus Pulsar Chess Engine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessPulsar Chess Engine
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating3.6 (16 ratings)4.3 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.7% of reviews70.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better12
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarcel NijmanMichael Adams

Customer experience

Chess

All ratings16 ratings
Positive68.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive40.7%
Neutral18.6%
Negative40.7%

Pulsar Chess Engine

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess

One-time1
  • Unlock PRO$5.99
None

Pulsar Chess Engine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pulsar Chess Engine free?
Pulsar Chess Engine costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess or Pulsar Chess Engine?
Pulsar Chess Engine is rated higher. Chess averages 3.6 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Pulsar Chess Engine averages 4.3 from 12 ratings.
Do Chess or Pulsar Chess Engine have ads?
Neither Chess nor Pulsar Chess Engine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess or Pulsar Chess Engine?
Chess ships an update fortnightly, and Pulsar Chess Engine every 2 months. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 15, 2026 and Pulsar Chess Engine on October 14, 2026.

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