Check’d vs Pulse Defense
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Check’d
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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.
Pulse Defense
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | Check’d | Pulse Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 59 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Marco Janssen | URBISOFT LTD |
In-app purchases
Check’d
- Check'd Pro$4.99
Pulse Defense
- Full Game Unlock$4.99
Questions
Is Check’d free?
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Do Check’d or Pulse Defense have ads?
Which is updated more often, Check’d or Pulse Defense?
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