Comparison

Checkmate vs Heatmap Chess

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

Head to head
About

Checkmate

Sharpen your chess tactics with a daily "Mate in X" puzzle. Each challenge is drawn from real games and offers instant feedback on your moves. Perfect for quick daily practice or in-depth tactical training.

Highlights
  • Daily Mate in X challenges
  • Instant move feedback
  • AI Trainer for scenarios
  • Real chess positions
  • Tactical vision sharpening
Features
Read full description

One move. One idea. One checkmate. Every day. Train your chess skills with a Mate in X puzzle every day—drawn from real games and designed to be solved, not grinded. Level up your Endgame. Open the app and you’re immediately in the position. Tap a piece to reveal its possibilities, commit to your move, and discover whether you’ve seen the winning idea. Play the correct move and the board responds instantly, take any route you like as long as you stay within the limit. Why you’ll love it - A fresh daily Mate in X challenge - Instant feedback on every move - AI Trainer for different scenarios - Built from real, high-quality chess positions - Perfect for quick daily learning or deep focus and polishing your tactics Whether you’re warming up before a game or sharpening your tactical vision over time, this is chess distilled to its most decisive moments. Find the mate. Own the day.

About

Heatmap Chess

Features
Read full description

Heatmap.Chess teaches you to read a chess board the way grandmasters do — as a map of control, not a list of pieces. EVERY NUMBER IS A THREAT Each square shows how many pieces want to attack it. A "3" means three pieces are converging on that square. Drop your dock pieces in the right places, and every correct placement cools the heat by one. Get all numbers to zero — puzzle solved. WHAT'S INSIDE • Hand-crafted themed rooms with graduated difficulty • Fresh daily puzzles — keep your streak alive • Heart system + combo bonuses • Cross-device sync — pick up where you left off • Quiet, focused dark UI built for one hand • One-time purchase removes ads + unlocks every room SHARPEN YOUR CHESS VISION No openings to memorize, no notation to decode. You start seeing what grandmasters see when they sit down at a board — the geometry of attacks. A training tool for beginners and experienced players alike. DESIGNED FOR FOCUS No social feeds. No leaderboards screaming at you. Just numbers, pieces, and the small satisfaction of every count dropping to zero.

Screenshots

Checkmate1 screens
Heatmap Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Checkmate at none against Heatmap Chess's shown. Checkmate also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Heatmap Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 18.2). On price, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Checkmate sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Heatmap Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Checkmate ships an update fortnightly, Heatmap Chess every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Checkmate versus Heatmap Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCheckmateHeatmap Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.213.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB19 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperEmotion ComputerUtku Kucu

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Checkmate

One-time4
  • Coin Bundle Small$2.99
  • Coin Bundle Medium$4.99
  • Coin Bundle Large$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Coin Bundle Extreme$19.99
1 purchases

Heatmap Chess

One-time1
  • Unlock Everything$4.99

Questions

Is Checkmate free?
Checkmate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Heatmap Chess free?
Heatmap Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Checkmate or Heatmap Chess have ads?
Heatmap Chess shows ads; Checkmate does not.
Which is updated more often, Checkmate or Heatmap Chess?
Checkmate ships an update fortnightly, and Heatmap Chess every 2 months. Most recently, Checkmate was updated on October 7, 2026 and Heatmap Chess on October 13, 2026.

Other comparisons