Comparison

The Globe and Mail vs CHEK Mobile

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

Head to head
About

The Globe and Mail

Access award-winning news, commentary, and analysis from Canada and around the world. Customize your news feed, enjoy audio articles, and save content for offline reading. Subscribers gain access to exclusive features and can gift articles.

Highlights
  • Customized news feed
  • Audio articles
  • Offline reading
  • Stock Watchlist
  • Article commenting
  • Newsletter subscriptions
  • Gift articles
Features
Read full description

Stay informed around-the-clock with world-class, award-winning news, commentary and analysis from The Globe and Mail. Featuring: • Sign up and receive The Globe's newsletters in the app. • 'For You' section featuring customized news feed, crossword puzzles, and horoscopes. • Globe subscribers can gift up to three articles a month to family and friends. • Improved stock profile pages with graphs and more news. • Watchlist: Create and edit custom Watchlists of key stocks directly in the app with all changes synced seamlessly to the website • Commenting: Join the conversation by commenting and discussing articles • Saved articles: Bookmark your favourite articles to read later • Audio articles: Listen to select articles via the dedicated audio player • All Globe and Mail articles and sections, including subscriber-only features with a digital subscription • Latest news and top stories • Alerts: Opt-in to be notified about breaking news • Offline reading: Save articles to read when you’re offline • In-app purchase: Purchase a digital subscription to unlock subscriber-only content Subscribe today to access all Globe and Mail content on all platforms. App Store Policy: • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase By subscribing to The Globe and Mail, you agree to our Terms and Conditions: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/appview/privacy-terms/terms-and-conditions/ and Privacy Policy: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/appview/privacy-terms/privacy-policy/ We hope you enjoy using the new Globe iOS app. If you have any questions or comments, tweet @GlobeHelp or visit http://support.globeandmail.com.

About

CHEK Mobile

Access local news, weather forecasts, sports updates, and community events. Stream live broadcasts and on-demand video content. Receive breaking news alerts for Vancouver Island communities.

Highlights
  • Local news updates
  • Weather forecasts
  • Sports highlights
  • Events calendar
  • Live streams
  • Video on demand
  • Breaking news notifications
Features
Read full description

The CHEK Mobile app is your source for local news and information, weather, sports, events calendar, livestreams, video on demand, and more! We’ve rolled CHEK+ live streams and on-demand video newscasts into this app as well. Get all your favourite CHEK shows and news in one app! Get push notifications of breaking news, watch video, and read the latest stories from Vancouver Island communities including: Victoria, Saanich, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Saanich Peninsula, West Shore, Sooke, Malahat, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Oceanside, Comox Valley, Campbell River, Alberni, Tofino, Sayward, Port McNeill, Port Hardy and everywhere in between. Get sports highlights from Donnie and Dhali, including the Canucks, WHL Royals, the BCHL, Shamrocks, Harbourcats, UVic Vikes and more. You can also find out how to contact us if you have breaking news, want to provide feedback or advertise.

Screenshots

The Globe and Mail4 screens
CHEK Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CHEK Mobile at none against The Globe and Mail's 2. CHEK Mobile also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). The Globe and Mail's advantage is review sentiment (45% vs 15%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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

Both are free to download. The Globe and Mail sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per month. CHEK Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CHEK Mobile holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Globe and Mail has 3K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of The Globe and Mail's written reviews are positive against 15% of CHEK Mobile's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Globe and Mail ships an update fortnightly, CHEK Mobile every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
The Globe and Mail versus CHEK Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Globe and MailCHEK Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.9% of reviews — better15.1% of reviews
Number of ratings3K — better1
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#78 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size100 MB4 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperThe Globe and Mail Inc.CHEK News

Customer experience

The Globe and Mail

All ratings3,022 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.7%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews321 reviews
Positive44.9%
Neutral13.1%
Negative42.1%

CHEK Mobile

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive15.1%
Neutral1.9%
Negative83.0%

Bugs and requests

The Globe and Mail

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Articles not loading properly or requiring internet connection
  • Notifications not working as expected
  • Syncing issues between app and website versions
  • Frequent login problems and account management difficulties

Requested features

5 requests
  • Automatic dark mode option
  • Improved offline reading capabilities
  • Better integration with user's portfolio and watchlists
  • Easier access to comments and ability to participate
  • More personalized news recommendations and content curation

CHEK Mobile

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

The Globe and Mail

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$24.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription1 Month trial$229.991 Year
None

CHEK Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Globe and Mail free?
The Globe and Mail is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CHEK Mobile free?
CHEK Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Globe and Mail or CHEK Mobile?
CHEK Mobile is rated higher. The Globe and Mail averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3K ratings, while CHEK Mobile averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do The Globe and Mail or CHEK Mobile have ads?
The Globe and Mail shows ads; CHEK Mobile does not.
Which is updated more often, The Globe and Mail or CHEK Mobile?
The Globe and Mail ships an update fortnightly, and CHEK Mobile every 3 months. Most recently, The Globe and Mail was updated on October 26, 2026 and CHEK Mobile on October 26, 2026.

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