Comparison

Check’d vs Cabin Chess

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

Cabin Chess

Features
Read full description

Cabin Chess is a friendly, offline chess app made for children and families. No account. No ads. No data collection. Just chess. FEATURES - Chess School: learn the game step by step, from moving pieces to winning your first game. - 3-star diploma: earn stars for progress and celebrate small victories. - Play offline: no internet needed after install. - 16 languages: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. - Adjustable difficulty: from beginner-friendly tutors to a stronger opponent as your skills grow. - Safe by design: no chat, no messaging, no way to interact with strangers. BUILT FOR FAMILIES Cabin Chess is designed to be a calm, distraction-free place to learn chess. No pop-ups, no in-app purchases, no notifications, no accounts. Once installed, the app works completely offline — perfect for tablets used by kids, quiet car rides, or a screen-free-ish afternoon on the couch. PRIVACY We collect no personal data. Everything — your progress, your profile, your settings — stays only on your device. See our privacy policy for details. Have questions or feedback? Write to us: cabinchess@gmail.com

Screenshots

Check’d4 screens
Cabin Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cabin Chess at none against Check’d's 1. Cabin Chess also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, 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. Cabin Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Check’d ships an update every 2 weeks, Cabin Chess daily. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
Check’d versus Cabin Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCheck’dCabin Chess
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarco JanssenFaruk Dinc

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Check’d

One-time1
  • Check'd Pro$4.99
None

Cabin Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Check’d free?
Check’d is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cabin Chess free?
Cabin Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Check’d or Cabin Chess have ads?
Neither Check’d nor Cabin Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Check’d or Cabin Chess?
Check’d ships an update every 2 weeks, and Cabin Chess daily. Most recently, Check’d was updated on October 2, 2026 and Cabin Chess on October 13, 2026.

Other comparisons