Comparison

Check’d vs Pulse Defense

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
Read full description

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

Pulse Defense

Features
Read full description

Feel the battle. The first tower defense you don't just watch - you FEEL it. Every tower pulses in your hands, every enemy has a heartbeat, every victory hits your fingertips. Plant towers, crush smarter waves, and read the battlefield through touch and sound - eyes open or eyes closed. Start playing free, right now. WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT - A real strategy game with a haptic twist no other tower defense has - Play looking at the screen, or with your eyes completely closed - Blind and sighted friends play the SAME game, side by side - one game for everyone - No ads. No subscriptions. No pay-to-win. Ever. FEEL EVERY MOVE - 104 unique vibration patterns, perfectly synced to sound - Each tower has its own pulse - know what you built without looking - Enemies "beat" faster as their health drops - feel them weaken - Tune haptic intensity and audio to exactly how you like it DEEP TOWER DEFENSE - 10 tower types with upgrades: Archer, Cannon, Magic, Ice, Fire, Tesla, Poison, Sniper, Mortar, Laser - 7 enemy types + 5 elite tricks: Speed Burst, Shield, Split on Death, Disable Tower, Boost Allies - 14 maps across 4 chapters, each with its own boss climax - 8 wave themes with bonus objectives (no-damage, fast-clear) - 37 achievements to chase - Adjustable game speed (0.5x-2x) and checkpoints to resume after a loss HEAR THE BATTLEFIELD - Stereo audio pinpoints where enemies are coming from - Adaptive music that swells with the action - A distinct sound for every action - learn it all in the built-in Audio Glossary and Haptic Sandbox BUILT FOR EVERYONE - Full VoiceOver support, plus an In-App Voice mode for eyes-free play - 4 color blind modes + high contrast mode - Large, high-contrast visuals for low vision - 9 languages: EN, PL, ES, DE, FR, IT, JA, PT-BR, ZH FAIR FROM THE START Play Chapters 1-2 (7 maps) FREE - no time limit, no account, no catch. Love it? One single purchase unlocks Chapters 3-4 forever. That's it. Free players get a complete, balanced game. We built Pulse Defense alongside blind gamers who waited years for a tower defense they could truly play. We didn't set out to make a "game for blind people." We set out to make a great game that everyone can play - and feel. Feel the battle. The first wave is on us.

Screenshots

Check’d4 screens
Pulse Defense4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pulse Defense at every 4 days against Check’d's every 2 weeks. Pulse Defense also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, 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. Check’d sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Pulse Defense sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Check’d ships an update every 2 weeks, Pulse Defense every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Check’d versus Pulse Defense: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCheck’dPulse Defense
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB4 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperMarco JanssenURBISOFT LTD

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Check’d

One-time1
  • Check'd Pro$4.99
1 purchases

Pulse Defense

One-time1
  • Full Game Unlock$4.99

Questions

Is Check’d free?
Check’d is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pulse Defense free?
Pulse Defense is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Check’d or Pulse Defense have ads?
Neither Check’d nor Pulse Defense shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Check’d or Pulse Defense?
Check’d ships an update every 2 weeks, and Pulse Defense every 4 days. Most recently, Check’d was updated on October 2, 2026 and Pulse Defense on October 6, 2026.

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