AFFiNE vs Checkmate
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AFFiNE
This app combines an infinite whiteboard with notes, documents, and tasks, enhanced by AI. Effortlessly convert visual ideas into text and manage all your projects in one unified workspace. It's designed for visual thinkers and teams to streamline workflows and organize information effectively.
- Infinite whiteboard for visual brainstorming
- Convert sketches to organized notes/documents
- All-in-one project, task, and document management
- AI assistance for writing, summarizing, and answering
- Real-time collaboration on docs and whiteboards
- Cross-device synchronization
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AFFiNE is an open-source, local-first workspace for notes, docs, whiteboards, tasks, knowledge bases, Markdown, and AI. Built in public and trusted by a global open-source community with around 70K GitHub stars and more than 7 million downloads, AFFiNE gives you one place to write, draw, plan, organize knowledge, and keep control of your work. Whether you're capturing personal ideas, organizing class notes, planning a project with a team, building a second brain, or mapping a complex workflow, AFFiNE helps you move from scattered thoughts to structured work without switching between separate note, whiteboard, and task apps. WHY AFFiNE? OPEN-SOURCE AND LOCAL-FIRST AFFiNE started as an open-source project and continues to focus on transparent, user-owned knowledge work. - Work with a product built around openness and data control - Use local-first workflows for personal knowledge and project planning - Choose AFFiNE Cloud or self-hosted workflows for your workspace - Keep Markdown and portability at the center of your writing system NOTES & DOCS Write everything from quick notes to long-form documents. - Capture ideas, journals, meeting notes, class notes, and project plans - Structure information with flexible blocks and connected pages - Use Markdown for clear, portable writing - Turn rough thoughts into organized documents with AI WHITEBOARDS & VISUAL THINKING Switch from structured documents to an infinite canvas whenever ideas need space. - Create mind maps, diagrams, visual notes, and brainstorming boards - Plan product ideas, research flows, study maps, or team workflows - Connect visual thinking with written notes instead of keeping them in separate tools TASKS & PROJECTS Bring planning and execution into the same workspace. - Track to-dos, project notes, decisions, and next steps - Keep tasks close to the documents and whiteboards that explain the work - Organize personal workflows, student projects, creator work, and team planning AI FOR KNOWLEDGE WORK Use AI to help you write, summarize, and structure ideas. - Draft notes and documents faster - Summarize messy information into clearer outlines - Turn brainstorming into structured next steps - Use AI inside the workspace where your context already lives FOR PERSONAL USE AFFiNE works for notes, journals, study planning, research, reading lists, personal knowledge management, and second-brain workflows. FOR TEAMS AND SELF-HOSTED WORKFLOWS Use AFFiNE for shared project knowledge, planning, docs, visual collaboration, and self-hosted workspace needs. SYNC ACROSS DEVICES Keep working across iPhone, iPad, desktop, and web. Start with a thought on mobile, expand it on a canvas, and turn it into organized knowledge when you're back at your desk. AFFiNE is for people who want the flexibility of documents, the freedom of a whiteboard, the structure of tasks, and the trust of open-source software in one workspace. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Checkmate
This app offers a focused workspace for managing projects, tasks, reminders, notes, and files. It utilizes AI to assist in planning by drafting project structures and tasks from prompts. Organize your work visually with list, board, and calendar views, keeping all relevant details connected to each task.
- AI-assisted project planning
- Task and subtask management
- List, board, and calendar views
- Integrated notes and files
- Lightweight collaboration
- Search and manage assigned work
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Checkmate is a focused workspace for projects, tasks, reminders, notes, files, and lightweight collaboration. Organize work the way you think: - Plan projects with tasks and subtasks - View work in list, board, and calendar layouts - Keep due dates, assignees, comments, and files connected to each task - Store private notes beside the work - Use reminders for dated tasks and follow-ups - Search and manage assigned work from one place Build momentum faster with AI-assisted planning: -Draft project structures from a short prompt - Review proposed tasks, subtasks, assumptions, and notes before saving anything - Keep the right context for personal, project, or team work Designed to stay readable and fast to scan, Checkmate helps you keep the important context close to the work instead of split across tabs and tools. Use it for launch plans, client work, internal projects, personal task tracking, and day-to-day coordination. Terms of Use (EULA): https://checkmate.edgecase.works/terms Privacy Policy: https://checkmate.edgecase.works/privacy OPTIONAL AD-FREE ACCESS Ads help support the free app. Remove Ads Forever is a one-time in-app purchase with no renewal. Restore Purchases is included. Active paid subscribers remain ad-free.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Checkmate at 100% against AFFiNE's 42%. Checkmate also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3). AFFiNE's advantage is ratings volume (36 vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. AFFiNE sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Checkmate sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Checkmate holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AFFiNE has 36 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of AFFiNE's written reviews are positive against 100% of Checkmate's.
AFFiNE ships an update every 3 weeks, Checkmate fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | AFFiNE | Checkmate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (36 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 42.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 36 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.5 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 239 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ToEverything | Edge Case LLC |
Customer experience
AFFiNE
Checkmate
In-app purchases
AFFiNE
- AFFiNE Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
- AFFiNE Pro Yearly$81.001 Year
- AFFiNE AI Yearly$106.991 Year
Checkmate
- Checkmate$4.991 Month
- Checkmate Pro (Annual)$49.991 Year
- Remove Ads Forever$4.99








