# GoQuest vs SmartGo One

The clearest difference is ads: SmartGo One at none against GoQuest's shown. SmartGo One also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and review sentiment (77% vs 68%). GoQuest's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. GoQuest sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and SmartGo One sells 47 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for GoQuest against 4.8 for SmartGo One. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 573 and 2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of GoQuest's written reviews are positive against 77% of SmartGo One's.

GoQuest ships an update every 6 weeks, SmartGo One every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | GoQuest | SmartGo One |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (573 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goquest/id834841918/reviews) | **[4.8 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-one/id1465746992/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 573 | **2K** |
| Positive reviews | 68.1% of reviews | **76.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 63 MB | 154 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mindwalk Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/834841921) | [Smart Go, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/290948289) |

## What reviewers say

### GoQuest

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goquest/id834841918)

Play the ancient board game of Go online with players worldwide, from beginners to pros. Study live games, challenge friends, and improve your skills with AI-powered Tsumego problems. Offers multiple board sizes for varied gameplay.

**Highlights:** Online Go multiplayer, Play with beginners and bots, Watch live games, Study games, 9x9, 13x13, 19x19 boards, Tsumego Challenge, Play with friends

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Plan | $1.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Quick matchmaking
- 👍 Convenient for quick games
- 👍 Good for learning and improving
- 👍 Variety of player skill levels
- 👍 Simple and easy to use interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent scoring/results
- 🐛 Matchmaking issues - mismatched opponents
- 🔍 Lack of transparency in ranking/scoring system
- 🔍 Limited customization options (time controls, komi)
- 📢 Intrusive ads

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect scoring/result determination
- Disconnection issues causing lost games
- Placement issues - stones placed incorrectly
- Bugs with reporting/feedback system

**Requested features**

- Add chat functionality to connect with opponents
- Implement 19x19 board size option
- Provide detailed game history and analysis
- Allow players to add friends and challenge each other
- Improve time controls and add byo-yomi


### SmartGo One

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-one/id1465746992)

Learn, play, and improve at the ancient game of Go. This app offers adjustable board sizes, a strong AI opponent, and tools to study professional games and solve Go problems. It's designed for players of all skill levels, from beginners to masters.

**Highlights:** Adjustable board sizes (9x9 to 19x19), Strong KataGo game engine, Study professional game records, Solve Go problems and tutorials, Pattern matching for move suggestions, Territory estimator, Game recording and annotation

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

**In-app purchases (47)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SmartGo One Pro – Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Pro Games and Features | $29.99 | per year |
| Just Enough Japanese 1 | Free | one-time |
| Key Concepts in Life and Death | $2.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Master Collection | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Add-on 2: Medium | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Add-on 1: Easy | $3.99 | one-time |
| Go Problems Add-on 3: Hard | $3.99 | one-time |
| Counting Liberties | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Monkey Jump | $4.99 | one-time |
| Double Digit Kyu Games | $5.99 | one-time |
| Go: A Complete Introduction | $5.99 | one-time |
| How Not to Play Go | $5.99 | one-time |
| Encyclopedia of Go Principles | $5.99 | one-time |
| Want to Play Go? Level 1 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Black to Play 30-25 Kyu | $5.99 | one-time |
| The Workshop Lectures 1 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Rethinking Opening Strategy | $6.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 1 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 2 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 3 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Correct Joseki | $7.99 | one-time |
| “The Theory of Go” | $7.99 | one-time |
| Learn to Play Go 4 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Buddhist Philosophy Game of Go | $8.99 | one-time |
| Graded Go Problems 1 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Graded Go Problems 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Want to Play Go? Level 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Basic Techniques of Go | $9.99 | one-time |
| Graded Go Problems 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Get Strong at Life and Death | $9.99 | one-time |
| Mastering Mini Go by Mark Tomlinson | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fuseki Revolution | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fundamental Principles of Go | $11.99 | one-time |
| The Basics of Life and Death | $11.99 | one-time |
| Joseki Revolution | $11.99 | one-time |
| Life and Death | $11.99 | one-time |
| A Survey of the Basic Tesujis | $11.99 | one-time |
| Tesuji | $11.99 | one-time |
| Tesuji for Beginners | $14.99 | one-time |
| AlphaGo to Zero, vol. 4 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Trouble Master, volume 2 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Trouble Master, volume 1 | $14.99 | one-time |
| AlphaGo to Zero, Vol. 2 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Invincible | $24.99 | one-time |
| Essential Go Proverbs | $24.99 | one-time |
| Pro – Lifetime Unlock | $99.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Awesome app
- 👍 Great for playing and learning Go
- 📚 Excellent integration with Go books
- 🔍 Powerful analysis and review features
- 💻 Seamless experience across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Unintuitive user interface for beginners
- 💰 Paywall for full 19x19 board and some features
- 🤖 AI too strong for novice players

**Reported bugs**

- Illegal move detection issues on certain board positions
- Problems with missing variations or incorrect answers
- Inconsistent behavior when passing moves

**Requested features**

- Add read-only mode
- Improve move suggestion explanations
- Introduce difficulty settings for AI
- Integrate online play functionality
- Provide more randomness in AI moves


## Frequently asked questions

### Is GoQuest free?

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

### Is SmartGo One free?

SmartGo One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, GoQuest or SmartGo One?

SmartGo One is rated higher. GoQuest averages 4.7 out of 5 from 573 ratings, while SmartGo One averages 4.8 from 2K ratings.

### Do GoQuest or SmartGo One have ads?

GoQuest shows ads; SmartGo One does not.

### Which is updated more often, GoQuest or SmartGo One?

GoQuest ships an update every 6 weeks, and SmartGo One every 2 weeks. Most recently, GoQuest was updated on October 18, 2026 and SmartGo One on October 16, 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.*