Historical review from 2026-09-12. Current price and availability are unconfirmed; check the original marketplace.

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#20

Chess: Learn & Play Puzzles

EducationListed on TrustMRR· Sep 9
$2.5K
Asking Price
$136/mo
Monthly Revenue
$136/mo
Monthly Profit
1.5x
Profit Multiple
2 months
Business Age
✨

Why We Picked This

Chess: Learn & Play Puzzles is a verified iOS chess-learning app generating approximately $136/mo in profit on $136/mo revenue at a very attractive 1.53x annual profit multiple — just $2,500 asking price. The near-100% margin is notable, though the revenue figure and profit figure being essentially identical warrants clarification on whether expenses like Apple developer fees or ad spend are accounted for. At only 2 months old and with the seller acknowledging zero active distribution, the business is almost entirely pre-traction, and the $136–168 MRR appears to be organic App Store discovery alone. The low multiple partially compensates for the early stage and thin operating history.

👍

Strengths

  • ✓Extremely low 1.53x annual profit multiple — well below the 2.5–3.5x typical range for app acquisitions
  • ✓Verified financials on TrustMRR provide baseline confidence in the revenue figures
  • ✓Organic MRR of $136–168/mo with zero paid distribution suggests genuine App Store discoverability
  • ✓Duolingo-inspired gamified learning format targets a large, sustained global interest in chess
  • ✓Low $2,500 entry price limits absolute downside for a buyer testing app acquisition as an asset class
🔎

Details to confirm

  • •Confirm the expense structure: with profit matching revenue at ~100% margin, clarify whether Apple's 30% App Store cut, developer account fees, and any backend costs are already reflected in the stated profit figure
  • •Request monthly revenue trend data across the full 2-month history to understand whether MRR is stable, growing, or declining from an initial spike
  • •Ask for App Store analytics including downloads, retention rate, and average session length to assess whether engaged users underpin the revenue
  • •Clarify the revenue model (subscriptions vs. one-time purchases) and whether any subscription cohort churn data is available, given the 2-month operating window

Additional details to confirm

Evidence 74/100
Very short track record: under 6 monthsUnusually high reported profit margin

Buy vs Build: BUILD

42
AI-native cash cost
$800–$2.5K
Estimated time
6 weeks
Asking price
$2.5K

The primary asset being acquired here is a verified but very early MRR stream of ~$136/mo and an App Store listing with 2 months of organic history — not yet a durable, proven distribution channel. A capable solo founder using an AI coding subscription and SwiftUI templates could reproduce an MVP-equivalent chess learning app with puzzle mechanics, onboarding flows, and subscription integration in roughly 4–6 weeks at $800–$2,500 in out-of-pocket costs (Apple developer account $99/yr, AI subscription ~$200, design assets and third-party chess engine libraries). Given the app's age of 2 months, negligible operating history, unconfirmed retention metrics, and the seller's own admission of no active distribution, the verified traction does not yet clear the bar needed to favor acquisition over building. The asking price is low enough to be tempting, but the build cost is comparably low, making this a build verdict until retention and sustained MRR growth are confirmed.

Cash estimate includes the AI tools, APIs and infrastructure needed for a solo founder to recreate the software. Build time is informational and lightly weighted. The verdict is driven mainly by customers, users, verified earnings, retention, distribution, brand, data and operating history.

📊

Financial Snapshot

$2K
Annual Revenue
$2K
Annual Profit
$0.1K
Monthly Revenue
18 mo
Est. Payback
Profit Margin100%
📋

Business Overview

A learning chess iOS app inspired in Duolingo. I haven't distributed this app, I don't have time and money to distribute it but organically the app has its $168 MRR. This app is beautifully designed,

📌

Quick Facts

🏢
Type
Education
📅
Age
2 months
🏪
Source
TrustMRR
📌
Listed
Sep 9, 2026

Deal Score

56
Interesting
Evidence confidence74/100
1.5x
Excellent Multiple
Asking$2.5K
MRR$136/mo
Profit$136/mo
Profit Multiple1.5x
Age2 months
View on TrustMRR→

Opens the original listing on TrustMRR

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Preliminary screening based on marketplace and public data. Verify all financial, legal, technical, customer, and operational claims independently before making an acquisition decision. This is not financial or legal advice.