Comparison

Chess Light vs Chess King

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

Head to head
About

Chess Light

A puzzle game inspired by chess, suitable for all skill levels. Solve over 180 unique puzzles by strategically placing pieces to illuminate every square on the board. Features adjustable difficulty and a helpful hint system.

Highlights
  • 180+ puzzles
  • 6 difficulty levels
  • Hint system
  • Place pieces to light up squares
  • Suitable for all skill levels
Features
Read full description

Chess Light is a puzzle game inspired by chess for everyone: from Beginner to Grandmaster. + 180 puzzles + 6 difficulty levels + Hint system Place the pieces on the board and light up all the squares!

About

Chess King

Master the game of chess with this comprehensive learning app. It offers interactive lessons, puzzles, and analysis for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. Improve your tactics and strategy with a personal chess trainer, available online and offline.

Highlights
  • 100+ learning courses
  • Interactive theoretical lessons
  • High-quality, double-checked puzzles
  • Personal chess trainer
  • Computer analysis
  • Offline support
  • Chess tasks for kids
Features
Read full description

Don't just play chess. Train like a master. Chess King teaches the game the way strong players are actually built — with a rigorous, structured curriculum, not a random feed of puzzles. 147 complete courses take you from your first move to advanced play, step by step. WHY CHESS KING IS DIFFERENT Most chess apps let you play. Chess King trains you. Every course is a real lesson built on classical training methods refined over 30 years — the same approach behind CT-ART, the tactics trainer used by serious players worldwide. You don't just solve a position and move on. Chess King gives you hints when you are stuck, explains the idea behind the right move, and shows you the striking refutation of the mistakes you might make. That is how understanding is built — not memorized. WHAT YOU GET - 147 structured courses covering tactics, strategy, openings, the middlegame, and endgames, organized by level from beginner to master. - Chess King University: 7 guided learning paths and 44 courses that give you a clear, ordered route to real improvement — no guessing what to study next. - Interactive theory: read the lesson, then play the moves on the board yourself. Learning by doing, not just reading. - Thousands of carefully selected exercises with graphic hints and full explanations. - Play against the computer to put what you have trained into practice. - A progress report for every lesson, so you always see how far you have come. TRAIN ON EVERY DEVICE Your subscription, purchases, progress, and rating sync automatically across web, iPhone, iPad, and Android. Train on your phone on the commute, continue on the web at home — your progress follows you. TRY IT FREE Preview courses before you commit. When you are ready, choose a monthly or yearly plan, or buy individual courses to keep forever. Chess King — train like a master. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Chess Light4 screens
Chess King4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chess Light at none against Chess King's shown. Chess King's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 18 months) and ratings volume (2.5K vs 6). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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. Chess Light sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess King sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess Light against 4.8 for Chess King. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess King has 2.5K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 79% and 78% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Light ships an update every 18 months, Chess King every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Chess Light versus Chess King: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess LightChess King
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6 ratings)4.8 (2.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better78.4% of reviews
Number of ratings62.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 18 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB109 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPyrosphere, LdaChess King

Customer experience

Chess Light

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative14.3%

Chess King

All ratings2,501 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews324 reviews
Positive78.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative16.4%

Bugs and requests

Chess Light

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Chess King

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes on M1 Macs
  • Doesnot work with iOS 13 dark mode
  • Doesnot show board and pieces in exercises
  • Cannot restore purchases
  • Doesnot sync progress across devices

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve user interface and design
  • Add more opening courses
  • Provide better explanations for moves
  • Allow resetting progress
Show 2 more
  • Improve syncing across devices
  • Add online chess mode

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Light

One-time1
  • 20 Hints$0.99
10 purchases

Chess King

Subscriptions6
  • CT-ART: The Best Tactics7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Chess King University7 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Chess King Courses3 Days trial$11.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Chess King Maximum Pack1 Month trial$17.991 Month
  • Chess King Courses3 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Chess King Maximum Pack1 Year trial$119.991 Year
One-time4
  • Chess: From Beginner to Club$12.99
  • Chess Tactics for Beginners$12.99
  • Chess Opening Blunders$12.99
Show 1 more
  • CT-ART 4.0 (Chess Tactics)$17.99

Questions

Is Chess Light free?
Chess Light is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess King free?
Chess King is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Light or Chess King?
Chess King is rated higher. Chess Light averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Chess King averages 4.8 from 2.5K ratings.
Do Chess Light or Chess King have ads?
Chess King shows ads; Chess Light does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess Light or Chess King?
Chess Light ships an update every 18 months, and Chess King every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chess Light was updated on November 1, 2026 and Chess King on November 4, 2026.

Other comparisons