Comparison

Chess Clock by Chess.com vs Chess Duel

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

Head to head
About

Chess Clock by Chess.com

This free app functions as a digital chess clock, offering customizable time controls for any game. It supports various increment and delay types, multiple stages, and handicapping, making it ideal for casual play and tournaments. Adjust time on the fly and enjoy clear displays and audio alerts.

Highlights
  • Customizable time controls
  • Fischer and Bronstein increments
  • Multiple-stage time controls
  • Handicapping support
  • On-the-fly time adjustments
  • Pause and interruption support
  • Audio alerts
Features
Read full description

Replace your chess clock with this free game timer! It's easy to use, yet fully featured to handle any time control. 100% free: no in-app purchases, no ads! Choose your time control and you're ready to play. The 2nd player presses her button to start the 1st player's clock - and the game is on! FEATURES - Large, easy-to-read buttons - Works in landscape and portrait on all devices - Quickly customize the app for one-tap access to all your favorite time controls - Time controls include base minutes per player and optional per-move delays or bonus time. The app supports both Fischer and Bronstein increments, as well as simple delays. The duration is up to you! - Supports multiple-stage time controls commonly seen in tournaments, such as "40 moves in 2 hours + game in 60 minutes." A glance at the clock shows your current stage! - Support for handicapping lets you set different time controls for each player! - You can adjust the time remaining on the fly, in the middle of your game, for either or both players! - Clock pauses automatically if the app is interrupted; manually pause the clock at any time - Pleasant sounds for buttons and "time's up" alert At Chess.com, we really do love chess, and *sometimes* we even play it offline! For times like that, we created this clock - and we hope you love it as much as we do.

About

Chess Duel

Engage in a classic game of chess with a friend using only a local WiFi connection. Each player views the board from their perspective on their own device. No internet or external servers are required for gameplay.

Highlights
  • Play chess with nearby friends
  • Direct peer-to-peer WiFi connection
  • Automatic WiFi connection
  • Automatic game resume
  • Legal move highlighting
  • Customizable chess clock
  • Request takebacks
Features
Read full description

Play chess with nearby friends via local WiFi. Play with your iPhone against a friend with an iPhone. Each player is seeing the board from his point of view (white / black) on the own device. Works on iPhone, iPad and iPod. To use the app, you need two devices with iOS 9.3 or newer. There is no engine included, which means that you can not play chess vs. this app. When you start chess duel on two devices, the devices do connect automatically. If WiFi is activated and the devices are nearby or they are on the same WiFi network. You don't need an account. Connection over the internet is not possible. Features - play chess with nearby friends - direct nearby peer to peer connection via WiFi or WiFi network, no chess server involved - automatically connects via wifi - you can safely close the app during a game, chess duel automatically resumes the game when reconnected - on interruption due to a phone call or an incoming message, the game is paused on both devices and resumes when you get back to the app - shows legal moves when you tap a chess piece - does not use gamecenter - no internet connection required - time control: you can setup the chess clock arbitrary for white and black, increment is supported as well - request takebacks, the opponent can accept or decline - give opponent additional time - universal app: iPhone / iPod / iPad - best chess app for nearby connections documentation: snugdev.de/chessduel/documentation.html

Screenshots

Chess Clock by Chess.com4 screens
Chess Duel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chess Clock by Chess.com at 4.6 against Chess Duel's 3.3. Chess Clock by Chess.com also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 68%) and ratings volume (338 vs 7). Chess Duel's advantage is iOS requirement (9.3 vs 14.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Clock by Chess.com holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Clock by Chess.com has 338 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Chess Clock by Chess.com's written reviews are positive against 68% of Chess Duel's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Clock by Chess.com ships an update every 3 months, Chess Duel every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Chess Clock by Chess.com versus Chess Duel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Clock by Chess.comChess Duel
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (338 ratings) — better3.3 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews90.6% of reviews — better67.6% of reviews
Number of ratings338 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#157 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.09.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChess.comLothar Heinrich

Customer experience

Chess Clock by Chess.com

All ratings338 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews212 reviews
Positive90.6%
Neutral5.7%
Negative3.8%

Chess Duel

All ratings7 ratings
Positive57.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive67.6%
Neutral5.9%
Negative26.5%

Bugs and requests

Chess Clock by Chess.com

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Time not always reduced when pressing the clock quickly
  • Custom time settings not always saved properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add warning/countdown alerts for time running out
  • Allow setting different times for each player
  • Provide more theme/color options
  • Add vibration feedback when pressing the clock

Chess Duel

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess Clock by Chess.com

No in-app purchases

None

Chess Duel

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Clock by Chess.com free?
Chess Clock by Chess.com is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Duel free?
Chess Duel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess Clock by Chess.com or Chess Duel?
Chess Clock by Chess.com is rated higher. Chess Clock by Chess.com averages 4.6 out of 5 from 338 ratings, while Chess Duel averages 3.3 from 7 ratings.
Do Chess Clock by Chess.com or Chess Duel have ads?
Neither Chess Clock by Chess.com nor Chess Duel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Clock by Chess.com or Chess Duel?
Chess Clock by Chess.com ships an update every 3 months, and Chess Duel every 5 months. Most recently, Chess Clock by Chess.com was updated on October 12, 2026 and Chess Duel on October 7, 2026.

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