Comparison

Pulsar Chess Engine vs ChezBot

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

Head to head
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.

About

ChezBot

Master chess with an AI tutor offering step-by-step lessons, challenging puzzles, and in-depth game analysis. Practice against an adaptive AI and track your progress to improve your skills from beginner to grandmaster levels.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step chess lessons
  • Hand-picked puzzles
  • AI game analysis
  • Import games from PGN/Lichess/Chess.com
  • Adaptive AI opponent
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

ChezBot is your AI-powered chess coach - learn, practice, and analyze chess anywhere. Whether you are a complete beginner or an advanced player, ChezBot guides you from basic principles to grandmaster-level tactics. WHAT YOU GET - Step-by-step chess lessons: openings, middlegame plans, tactics, and endgames - Hand-picked puzzles that sharpen pattern recognition and calculation - AI game analysis: review any game move-by-move with accuracy scores and better-move suggestions - Import games from PGN, Lichess, and Chess.com for instant analysis - Play against an adaptive AI that matches your skill level - Track streaks, progress, and accuracy over time WHY CHEZBOT - Bite-sized daily lessons designed for focused practice - Clean, distraction-free board optimized for iPhone and iPad - Works on-the-go, no login required to start learning SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS ChezBot offers optional monthly and annual auto-renewable subscriptions that unlock: - Full access to all lessons, puzzles, and advanced analysis - Ad-free experience - Priority updates and new content - Prices vary by region and are shown on the subscription screen before purchase. - Payment is charged to your Apple ID account upon confirmation of purchase. - Subscriptions auto-renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. - You can manage subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal in your Apple ID Account Settings after purchase. - Any unused portion of a free trial, if offered, is forfeited when a subscription is purchased. Privacy Policy: https://gekigastudio.net/privacy_policy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Questions or feedback? Visit https://gekigastudio.net/

Screenshots

Pulsar Chess Engine4 screens
ChezBot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ChezBot at Free against Pulsar Chess Engine's $1.99. ChezBot also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). Pulsar Chess Engine's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

ChezBot is free to download; Pulsar Chess Engine costs $1.99 up front. ChezBot sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.00 per month. Pulsar Chess Engine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ChezBot holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pulsar Chess Engine has 12 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of Pulsar Chess Engine's written reviews are positive against 50% of ChezBot's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pulsar Chess Engine ships an update every 2 months, ChezBot every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 1 level
Pulsar Chess Engine versus ChezBot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulsar Chess EngineChezBot
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (12 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael AdamsGEKIGA GENIOUS KID GAME STUDIO COMPANY LIMITED

Customer experience

Pulsar Chess Engine

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

ChezBot

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Pulsar Chess Engine

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

ChezBot

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly14 Days trial$5.001 Month
  • One Year14 Days trial$30.001 Year

Questions

Is Pulsar Chess Engine free?
Pulsar Chess Engine costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ChezBot free?
ChezBot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pulsar Chess Engine or ChezBot?
ChezBot is rated higher. Pulsar Chess Engine averages 4.3 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while ChezBot averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Pulsar Chess Engine or ChezBot have ads?
ChezBot shows ads; Pulsar Chess Engine does not.
Which is updated more often, Pulsar Chess Engine or ChezBot?
Pulsar Chess Engine ships an update every 2 months, and ChezBot every 2 days. Most recently, Pulsar Chess Engine was updated on October 22, 2026 and ChezBot on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons