# iTichu vs SmartGo One

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: iTichu at none against SmartGo One's 47. iTichu also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 77%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). SmartGo One's advantage is ratings volume (2K vs 10) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SmartGo One sells 47 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. iTichu asks for nothing beyond the download.

iTichu holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartGo One has 2K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of iTichu's written reviews are positive against 77% of SmartGo One's.

iTichu ships an update every 2 months, SmartGo One every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | iTichu | SmartGo One |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itichu/id866990401/reviews)** | [4.8 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartgo-one/id1465746992/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **2K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 76.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 6 MB | 154 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Spyridon Zarzonis](https://appshunter.io/developer/840387085) | [Smart Go, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/290948289) |

## What reviewers say

### iTichu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itichu/id866990401)

Easily track scores and statistics for Tichu games without needing pen and paper. Features include quick score submission, round undo, detailed round scores, game statistics, customizable team names and score limits, and automatic game saving.

**Highlights:** Score submission, Undo last round, Detailed round scores, Game statistics, Customizable team names, Automatic game saving

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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 iTichu free?

iTichu is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SmartGo One free?

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

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

iTichu is rated higher. iTichu averages 5.0 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while SmartGo One averages 4.8 from 2K ratings.

### Do iTichu or SmartGo One have ads?

Neither iTichu nor SmartGo One shows ads.

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

iTichu ships an update every 2 months, and SmartGo One every 2 weeks. Most recently, iTichu was updated on October 14, 2026 and SmartGo One on October 14, 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.*