Comparison

Deep Green vs check

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

Head to head
About

Deep Green

This app provides a classical chess experience with a clean, native interface and customizable piece designs. It supports open game formats, offers a unique chess engine with adjustable strength, and features a private, ad-free environment.

Highlights
  • Clean, native user interface
  • Customizable chess piece designs
  • Open game format (PGN/FEN)
  • Adjustable strength chess engine
  • Private and ad-free experience
  • System-level integration
Read full description

A no-nonsense classical chess app. - CLEAN UI: Deep Green offers a distraction-free experience in a clean, native user interface, with Liquid Glass on iOS 26 and later. - CUSTOM PIECE DESIGN: Beautiful chess set designed specifically for Deep Green and rendered at high resolution in both outline and 3D throughout the app. - MADE FOR IPAD: Dedicated menu bar, multiple windows, and refined trackpad, mouse, and Apple Pencil support. Squares highlight as you hover over the board. - MADE FOR IPHONE DUO: Adapts to both displays and every pose. The board centers on the fold like a folding chess board, and the game controls follow the system into the vertical bar. - TIGHT SYSTEM INTEGRATION: System-level sharing, drag and drop, AirDrop, undo/redo, contextual menus, Quick Look previews of chess files, Dark Mode, high contrast support and more. - OPEN GAME FORMAT: Games can be shared, saved, copied, pasted, imported, exported in the ubiquitous, open source PGN and FEN formats. Deep Green can open chess files straight from the Files app. - UNIQUE CHESS ENGINE: Enjoyable opponent with adjustable strength, praised for its humane gameplay, developed for Deep Green on the Apple Newton more than 25 years ago. - TWEAKABLE APPEARANCE: Engage the knights in the game by having them turn towards the center of the board, apply a humane, slightly random placement of the pieces. - IN YOUR LANGUAGE: Available in English, German, and Danish. - MODERN ARCHITECTURE: Written in Swift as a fully native app – modern, maintainable, and prepared for the future. - PRIVATE, AD-FREE: No ads, no tracking, no analytics, no nonsense. If you like Deep Green, please rate it favorably on the App Store.

About

check

A streamlined chess application for playing live games, practicing tactics, and reviewing matches. Offers customizable clocks and board themes for a focused experience.

Highlights
  • Live online games
  • Computer challenges
  • Local multiplayer
  • Tactical puzzles
  • Game review
  • Customizable chess clock
  • Board themes
Features
Read full description

chess, without the clutter. check is a focused place to play, practice, and review chess. start a live game, challenge the computer, share one device, solve a quick tactic, or use the built-in clock at the board. PLAY YOUR WAY • Find players, send invites, and play live online games with real-time moves. • Take on Stockfish with four strength choices, from beginner to expert. • Play local chess with another person on the same device. • Leave a computer, local, or online game and resume it from the main screen. SHARPEN YOUR TACTICS • Solve 600 tactical positions across mate, best-move, material, and defense challenges. • Choose a difficulty from beginner through expert. • Ask for a hint when you need a nudge. REVIEW THE GAME • Turn on move ratings during computer games for immediate feedback. • Replay computer and local games move by move with concise notes. • Revisit the board position behind every move. BRING YOUR OWN CLOCK • Use a dedicated digital or analog chess clock for over-the-board games. • Start with bullet, blitz, and rapid presets, or create your own. • Choose sudden death, Fischer increment, Bronstein delay, or US delay. MAKE IT YOURS • Choose from monochrome and color board themes. • Use light or dark mode while keeping the board front and center. No ads. No clutter. Just chess.

Screenshots

Deep Green4 screens
check4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Deep Green at Free against check's $2.99. Deep Green also leads on ratings volume (76 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). check's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.9) and review sentiment (100% vs 66%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Deep Green is free to download; check costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

check holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Deep Green has 76 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Deep Green's written reviews are positive against 100% of check's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Deep Green ships an update every 4 months, check every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Deep Green versus check: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeep Greencheck
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating3.9 (76 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings76 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCocoa StuffArjun Mahanti

Customer experience

Deep Green

All ratings76 ratings
Positive71.1%
Neutral5.3%
Negative23.7%
Written reviews212 reviews
Positive66.0%
Neutral9.9%
Negative24.1%

check

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Deep Green

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when promoting pawns
  • Board orientation issues when rotating device
  • Unresponsive UI elements
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Game saving and loading functionality
  • Online/multiplayer mode
  • Customizable board/piece themes
  • Difficulty settings for beginners
  • Indicators for check, checkmate, and draw

check

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Deep Green

No in-app purchases

None

check

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Deep Green free?
Deep Green is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is check free?
check costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Deep Green or check?
check is rated higher. Deep Green averages 3.9 out of 5 from 76 ratings, while check averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Deep Green or check have ads?
Neither Deep Green nor check shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Deep Green or check?
Deep Green ships an update every 4 months, and check every 2 weeks. Most recently, Deep Green was updated on October 14, 2026 and check on October 12, 2026.

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