Fritz or Shredder

I have been useing Shredder what do you think?  is it a good compromise?  is it close to Fritz?

my Fritz 13 makes smart alac comments when I make a bad move (I am discovering that I mkae poor moves more often than I thought)

Houdini is rated higher than both of them, and is my personal choice for analysis.  It seems to best be able to calculate the effects of piece sacrifices, as well as being tactically oriented

Thank guys I will look at them all... does Houdini have a trial version? does Fritz?  I am not sure I want a program to make smart alac comments every time I make a bad move... I will never get through a game that way.. lol

Whichever engine you use, make certain that you get it with the latest Fritz interface (in other words, buy the ChessBase version).

On my pc, I use Hiarcs, Fritz, Stockfish, and older free versions of Houdini. On my iPad, I use Shredder and Hiarcs. If I had a Mac, Hiarcs would be the best choice.

I use Hiarcs 14 Chess Eplorer on the PC, I'm really happy with it. I also have Fritz 13 on my PC but I've stopped using it since I got Hiarcs.

On the iPad I use Shredder. I would love to see Hiarcs on my iPad but it's not available on the appstore in my region.

any engine users here? lol.

You can get a free version of Houdini, fully functioning, though it isnt the "most powerful" or most updated persay

@Mass09 Would you mind sharing why you prefer Hiarcs 14 over Fritz 13? I'm sure it would be of interest to many.

its still much better than rybka 4 and fritz 13 IMO

Hiracs 14 is also my favorite. I prefer it because it's more often human-like in the choices it makes. 

I like Hiarcs as it feels clutter free. It just feels like a pick up and go chess program, it's user friendly and has a clean interface with a very enjoyable engin.

I don't have any issues with Fritz, it's a very good program and probably the current best seller in the chess software category. It just might be a bit intimidating for new users.

I was pleasently surprised with Hiarcs, that's all. 

I don't understand the question. 

I agree!! Thus it is my main analysis engine

I have Shredder on my iPad but I don't think I am using all of its functionality -- beyond gameplay, how do I use the analysis feature?

In the past I used Fritz. However each time I saw that droken hobo tell me that I had made a bad move I had to change to shredder. I wanted to pick up the hobo, snatch the cigar from his mouth, and throw him into the shower. He also needed dental care; his breath ponged.

Now as a shredder user my anger towards drunken tramps has decreased; I am more tolerant towards them and even throw them a dollar.

I was looking for advice from a wonderful community of experienced chess players, not a personal attack.  iPad apps don't come with a "manual".  And, my mother just pressed 3 of my T-shirts and they look great!

There's some discussion of one Shredder feature at http://chessskill.blogspot.com/2011/11/tactics-training-shredder-ipad-app.html

You can start or stop analysis of the current board position from the menu that appears when you click the icon in the upper right corner.

Truly an inspirational story...

Thanks!