# Smart Marbles vs Starchess

Smart Marbles and Starchess both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Starchess's written reviews are positive against 83% of Smart Marbles's. Starchess also leads on device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Smart Marbles against 5.0 for Starchess. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Smart Marbles's written reviews are positive against 100% of Starchess's.

Smart Marbles ships an update every 3 months, Starchess every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Smart Marbles | Starchess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-marbles/id953897709/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starchess/id6446507272/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 5 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [David Johnson](https://appshunter.io/developer/591103398) | [Nathan Lane](https://appshunter.io/developer/1422920165) |

## What reviewers say

### Smart Marbles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-marbles/id953897709)

A classic marble solitaire puzzle game where the goal is to remove all marbles except one. Jump marbles over each other to clear the board. Offers a simple reset function to restart the game.

**Highlights:** Marble jumping mechanics, Clear marbles to solve puzzles, Single-player gameplay, Reset game function, Simple grid-based puzzles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Starchess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starchess/id6446507272)

Experience chess with a unique twist on a three-dimensional board. Pieces gain new movement capabilities, allowing for strategic plays in up, down, and diagonal directions. Enjoy a fresh challenge to your chess skills.

**Highlights:** Three-dimensional chess board, Traditional chess rules, Expanded piece movement (up, down, diagonal), Unique strategic gameplay

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Smart Marbles free?

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

### Is Starchess free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Smart Marbles or Starchess?

Smart Marbles and Starchess are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Smart Marbles or Starchess have ads?

Neither Smart Marbles nor Starchess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Smart Marbles or Starchess?

Smart Marbles ships an update every 3 months, and Starchess every 4 months. Most recently, Smart Marbles was updated on October 2, 2026 and Starchess on September 28, 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.*