Comparison

Darkball vs Stockfish 19 Chess Engine

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

Head to head
About

Darkball

Test your predictive abilities by tapping the screen at the precise moment a ball enters a target area. This game challenges your brain's capacity to anticipate events based on subtle cues, similar to how athletes predict ball trajectories.

Highlights
  • Predictive ball interception gameplay
  • Tests brain's anticipation skills
  • Simple tap-to-intercept mechanic
  • Challenges timing and prediction
  • Minimalist visual cues
Features
Read full description

Tap the screen when you think the ball will appear in the target. The ball will only flash twice. The first flash happens when the ball drops and the second flash happens on the line. You’re goal is to tap the screen when you think the ball will appear in the orange target area. Cristiano Ronaldo can famously volley a corner kick in total darkness. The magic behind this remarkable feat is hidden in Cristiano’s brain which enables him to use advance cues to plan upcoming actions. Darkball challenges your brain to do the same, distilling that scenario into its simplest form - intercept a ball in the dark. All you see is all you need. One of the brain’s fundamental functions is to use information from the past and present to predict the future. This function is key to how animals, from dragonflies to humans, navigate a dynamic and uncertain world. To make predictions, the brain must have an “internal model” of the system it interacts with. A basic form of this function is at play when we move our body. For example, to reach for a cup, the brain must have a model to predict how the hand would respond to various motor commands. Internal models are also thought to play a crucial role when we mentally predict future states of the environment, for example when we track a ball as it moves behind another object. Here, we have designed a simple task to understand how the nervous system makes such predictions. In this task, subjects have to intercept a ball when it reaches its final position. By changing the speed of the ball, the intervals when it is invisible, and the target position, we will test various hypotheses about the algorithms that are used to integrate information about past and present to make predictions about future.

About

Stockfish 19 Chess Engine

Engage in a straightforward chess experience against a top-tier AI. This application allows you to play offline without needing an account, offering a pure challenge against a powerful engine.

Highlights
  • Play against Stockfish AI
  • Offline chess gameplay
  • No account required
  • Choose your side (White/Black)
  • Simple interface
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Play chess against Stockfish, one of the world's strongest chess engines. Enjoy a simple and focused chess experience designed for players who want to challenge a powerful AI opponent without unnecessary features. PLAY AGAINST STOCKFISH Challenge the Stockfish chess engine and test your chess skills against the computer. Choose whether you or Stockfish plays as White or Black. PLAY OFFLINE Play chess without an internet connection. No online account is required to play against the Stockfish engine. SIMPLE CHESS EXPERIENCE Open the app, choose your side, and start playing. FEATURES * Stockfish chess engine * Play against AI * Offline chess gameplay * No account required Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy : https://sites.google.com/view/stockfish-chess-privacy/home

Screenshots

Darkball2 screens
Stockfish 19 Chess Engine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Darkball at Free against Stockfish 19 Chess Engine's $4.99. Darkball also leads on rating (4.1 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (15 vs 1). Stockfish 19 Chess Engine's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 68 months) and chart position (#198 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and 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

Darkball is free to download; Stockfish 19 Chess Engine costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Darkball holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Darkball has 15 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 0% and 0% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Darkball ships an update every 68 months, Stockfish 19 Chess Engine every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Darkball versus Stockfish 19 Chess Engine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDarkballStockfish 19 Chess Engine
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.1 (15 ratings) — better3.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 68 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#198 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size0 MB126 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCW&TIshrak khan

Customer experience

Darkball

All ratings15 ratings
Positive73.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Stockfish 19 Chess Engine

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Darkball

No in-app purchases

None

Stockfish 19 Chess Engine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Darkball free?
Darkball is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stockfish 19 Chess Engine free?
Stockfish 19 Chess Engine costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Darkball or Stockfish 19 Chess Engine?
Darkball is rated higher. Darkball averages 4.1 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Stockfish 19 Chess Engine averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Darkball or Stockfish 19 Chess Engine have ads?
Neither Darkball nor Stockfish 19 Chess Engine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Darkball or Stockfish 19 Chess Engine?
Darkball ships an update every 68 months, and Stockfish 19 Chess Engine every 5 days. Most recently, Darkball was updated on November 11, 2026 and Stockfish 19 Chess Engine on November 6, 2026.

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