Comparison

Pulsar Chess Engine vs Stockfish Chess Analysis

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

Stockfish Chess Analysis

Analyze chess positions from a photo or by inputting moves. Get AI-powered best move suggestions, learn tactics, and play against the engine with live tips. Ideal for players of all levels looking to improve their game.

Highlights
  • Scan chessboards from photos
  • AI-powered best move suggestions
  • Learn new chess tactics
  • Play against Stockfish engine
  • Live help and tips during play
  • Multiple difficulty levels
Features
Read full description

Chess Engine Analyzer is an easy app to help you get better at chess using the powerful Stockfish engine. What You Can Do Scan Any Board: Take a picture of a 2D chessboard and the app shows the exact position for analysis. Get Best Moves: See the smartest moves and learn new tactics. Challenge Stockfish: Play against the computer with live help and tips. Top Features Fast camera scanning Real-time move suggestions Play chess at different difficulty levels Simple, modern design Needs internet for scanning and analysis Who Is It For? Chess beginners and students Tournament players Coaches and teachers Anyone who wants to get better at chess Download Chess Engine Analyzer and make your chess learning simple! Terms of Use: https://rigorous-flamingo-539.notion.site/Chess-Engine-Analyzer-ToS-21d80b4a5c4d801ead9afbef0149c0ba Privacy Policy: https://rigorous-flamingo-539.notion.site/Chess-Engine-Analyzer-Privacy-Policy-21c80b4a5c4d801381acd6bc0f3f49bc

Screenshots

Pulsar Chess Engine4 screens
Stockfish Chess Analysis4 screens

Verdict

The call

Pulsar Chess Engine and Stockfish Chess Analysis both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 70% of Pulsar Chess Engine's written reviews are positive against 14% of Stockfish Chess Analysis's. Pulsar Chess Engine also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). Stockfish Chess Analysis's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Stockfish Chess Analysis is free to download; Pulsar Chess Engine costs $1.99 up front. Stockfish Chess Analysis sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days. Pulsar Chess Engine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Pulsar Chess Engine against 4.4 for Stockfish Chess Analysis. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stockfish Chess Analysis has 77 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Pulsar Chess Engine's written reviews are positive against 14% of Stockfish Chess Analysis's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pulsar Chess Engine ships an update every 2 months, Stockfish Chess Analysis fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Pulsar Chess Engine versus Stockfish Chess Analysis: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulsar Chess EngineStockfish Chess Analysis
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (12 ratings)4.4 (77 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better14.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1277 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael AdamsKrishna Sangeeth KS

Customer experience

Pulsar Chess Engine

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

Stockfish Chess Analysis

All ratings77 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral1.3%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive14.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative85.7%

In-app purchases

None

Pulsar Chess Engine

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Stockfish Chess Analysis

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Subscription$8.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription$17.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$69.991 Year

Questions

Is Pulsar Chess Engine free?
Pulsar Chess Engine costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stockfish Chess Analysis free?
Stockfish Chess Analysis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pulsar Chess Engine or Stockfish Chess Analysis?
Stockfish Chess Analysis is rated higher. Pulsar Chess Engine averages 4.3 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Stockfish Chess Analysis averages 4.4 from 77 ratings.
Do Pulsar Chess Engine or Stockfish Chess Analysis have ads?
Neither Pulsar Chess Engine nor Stockfish Chess Analysis shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pulsar Chess Engine or Stockfish Chess Analysis?
Pulsar Chess Engine ships an update every 2 months, and Stockfish Chess Analysis fortnightly. Most recently, Pulsar Chess Engine was updated on October 14, 2026 and Stockfish Chess Analysis on October 19, 2026.

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