Deep Green vs check
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
check
A streamlined chess application for playing live games, practicing tactics, and reviewing matches. Offers customizable clocks and board themes for a focused experience.
- Live online games
- Computer challenges
- Local multiplayer
- Tactical puzzles
- Game review
- Customizable chess clock
- Board themes
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Deep Green at Free against check's $2.99. Deep Green also leads on ratings volume (77 vs 2) 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
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.
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 77 ratings behind it against 2, 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.
Deep Green ships an update every 4 months, check every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Deep Green | check |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 3.9 (77 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 77 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 88 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cocoa Stuff | Arjun Mahanti |
Customer experience
Deep Green
check
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
Deep Green
No in-app purchases
check
No in-app purchases









