Comparison

Check’d vs Chesswise

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

Head to head
About

Check’d

Features
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Your move, in every message. Check'd brings real chess to iMessage. Start a match inside any conversation, send moves as interactive messages, and keep playing at your own pace. No accounts, no servers, no spam—just pure chess that lives in your chat history. WHAT'S NEW & FUN • Daily Puzzles — 4,462 unique puzzles, daily rotation, UTC‑based streaks, and fastest‑time leaderboards. • Tactical Alerts — Smart on‑board warnings for hanging pieces, forks, pins, and mate threats (consistent in iMessage + companion app). • Big UI refresh — Modern redesigns for Play vs Computer, iMessage, Tutorials, Opening Guide, and FEN export/import. • Seasonal magic — Halloween, Valentine, Easter, and Winter overlays with animated effects. • Name onboarding — A fun, animated “Chess Oracle” name reveal for new and existing players. • Promotion knows the script — Auto‑promotion follows the puzzle’s expected move (Q/R/B/N) when you’re on the correct line. WHY YOU'LL LOVE CHECK'D • Seamless iMessage play — Moves send as messages and update instantly for both players. • Play vs Computer — Practice anytime with smart difficulty and helpful hints. • Interactive tutorials — Learn castling, en passant, and checkmates with mini‑games. • Full chess rules — Castling, en passant, promotions, 50‑move rule, and threefold repetition. • Replay & history — Browse finished games, replay moves, and jump to key moments. • Shareable recap — Create a beautiful recap card with opening, result, rating change, and mini‑board. • Privacy‑first by design — All game state stays on‑device and in the message thread. • Seasonal flair — Snow, hearts, pumpkins, and Easter effects (toggleable). • Fully localized — Available in 12 languages. GET STARTED 1. Install Check'd from the iMessage App Store. 2. Open any conversation and tap the Check'd icon. 3. Make your first move and send. That’s it. PLAY YOUR WAY Enjoy quick casual games or long, thoughtful matches. Check'd is built for real‑life schedules—play when you can, keep the thread alive, and finish the game in days if you want. COMPANION APP Check'd also includes a companion app with extra info, guides, stats, analysis tools, and settings outside iMessage. ACCESSIBILITY Check'd is designed to be usable by everyone: • Full VoiceOver support — Every menu button, chess square, and piece is labeled for screen readers. • Dynamic Type — Text scales with your system font size preferences. • Haptic feedback — Feel confirmation on moves and alerts for invalid actions. • High contrast pieces — Clear distinction between white and black pieces on all board themes. PRO UPGRADE Unlock advanced insights and power features with Check'd Pro: • Takeback requests with smooth slide‑back animation. • Full analytics dashboard: win/loss/draw breakdown, activity heatmap (games & moves), Elo rating + peak + trend, win streaks, shortest/longest game, and piece‑balance records. • Performance insights: white/black performance split and favorite opponents. • Opening insights: full openings list and win‑rate breakdowns. • Critical moments + Journey replay: best move, blunder, and missed‑chance markers with quick playback. • Move assistance toggles: move hints, capture targets, move dots, last‑move highlight, and tactical alerts. • Board control: rotate board to your side. • Extra customization: additional board and piece themes. • FEN export and PGN tools for analysis in other chess apps. • Best Move requests — Ask the engine for help (3 per game) with visual arrows. • Live engine verdicts — See move strength (Best, Good, Blunder) and checkmate status. • Opening Trainer — Train openings right from the analysis list. Made with care in The Netherlands.

About

Chesswise

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AI Chess Coach is a focused chess app for learning while you play. Play against a Stockfish-powered opponent, choose your side, adjust engine strength, and get help from an AI chess mentor when you need it. The AI mentor can explain the current position, suggest plans, and highlight immediate threats using the board state, move history, and engine recommendation. Features: - Play as White or Black - Adjustable engine difficulty - Stockfish-powered move generation - AI mentor explanations

Screenshots

Check’d4 screens
Chesswise3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chesswise at none against Check’d's 1. Check’d's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.1). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Check’d sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chesswise asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Check’d ships an update every 2 weeks, Chesswise fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Check’d versus Chesswise: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCheck’dChesswise
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB93 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarco JanssenCuong Nguyen

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Check’d

One-time1
  • Check'd Pro$4.99
None

Chesswise

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Check’d free?
Check’d is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chesswise free?
Chesswise is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Check’d or Chesswise have ads?
Neither Check’d nor Chesswise shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Check’d or Chesswise?
Check’d ships an update every 2 weeks, and Chesswise fortnightly. Most recently, Check’d was updated on October 25, 2026 and Chesswise on October 12, 2026.

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