Comparison

CheckMate vs FocusQuest

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

Head to head
About

CheckMate

This app gamifies habit tracking by turning routines into quests and friends into a raid party. It focuses on positive reinforcement and comeback bonuses, making progress visible without guilt.

Highlights
  • Habits as quests with rarity tiers
  • Co-op challenges with friends (Raids)
  • Pomodoro-style co-working rooms
  • Mood and activity journaling
  • Community quest discovery
  • Customizable pixel-art avatars
Features
Read full description

Turn the habits you want to build into daily quests. Complete a task, earn XP, and make progress with friends. Miss a day? Your progress waits for you. DAILY QUESTS, REAL HABITS Turn morning runs, journaling, study sessions, water intake, anything - into quests with XP rewards. Build streaks at your own pace. Rest days are encouraged, not punished. CheckMate is the habit tracker that respects your downtime. CO-OP RAIDS WITH FRIENDS The only habit RPG with multiplayer raids. Team up with friends, fight bosses by checking off your real habits, and win together. Accountability without the pressure. Four raid types: take down a boss with shared HP, grow a tree (cherry, birch, or oak) in a co-op grove, compete 5v5 in tug-of-war, or settle it in pure endurance. This is what makes CheckMate different from every other habit tracker on the store - your party carries you, you carry them. ADVENTURING POMODORO Focus sessions wrapped in a fantasy adventure. 25-minute focus + 5-minute rest by default, fully customizable. Ambient soundscapes (rain, crickets, fireplace, ocean, forest) play in the background while your screen is locked. Perfect for deep work, study sessions, or grinding through a long project. MOOD JOURNAL Track your mood, sleep, and energy alongside your habits, view trends in your life. Face ID locked for privacy. WHY CHECKMATE OVER OTHER HABIT TRACKERS - No HP loss when you miss a day - Rest days celebrated, not punished - Co-op multiplayer raids - accountability with friends or strangers - Privacy-first journal locked behind Face ID or fingerprint - Respects your time - no manipulative streak guilt CheckMate is the habit RPG for people who want gamification without the anxiety. The RPG nerds, the burnt-out productivity hackers, and the friends-keep-each-other-going crews. Ready to start your quest? Download, build with your party. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

FocusQuest

Features
Read full description

Your focus timer is now an RPG. Start a session and your pixel-art hero sets off on a quest that lasts exactly as long as you stay focused — every minute of real concentration moves them forward. FocusQuest turns the hardest part of deep work — actually starting — into the best part of your day. No guilt-trip charts. No streak-shaming. Just a quest board, a hero, and a world that grows a little every time you focus. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick a quest from the daily board and set your timer. 2. Focus. Your hero adventures through scrolling pixel-art worlds while you work. 3. Finish and collect XP, gold, gear, and a longer streak. WHY YOU'LL ACTUALLY OPEN IT • A focus timer you look forward to — Pomodoro sessions reimagined as quests • Real progression — earn XP, gold, and armor every single session • Level up a character that mirrors your focus habit, with no level cap • Build daily streaks and see your whole focus history at a glance • Five hand-crafted pixel-art worlds to journey through • Calming soundscapes to drop into deep work fast • Group quests — focus side by side with friends in real time • Works fully offline — your focus shouldn't depend on a signal BUILT TO HELP YOU FOCUS, NOT DISTRACT YOU During a quest the world goes quiet: slow scrolling, nothing to tap, no noise. The game gets out of the way so you can do the work — then celebrates you the moment you're done. NO PUNISHMENT, EVER Miss a day? Abandon a session? You never lose XP, gold, or gear you've already earned. FocusQuest only rewards you for showing up. MADE FOR Studying, deep work, writing, coding, reading, side projects, beating procrastination — and anyone who's bounced off plain productivity timers. GOLD CARD MEMBERSHIP Go further with an optional Gold Card subscription: a monthly Guild Marks stipend, your complete focus history, daily perks, and the ability to host group quests. • Monthly: $4.99 USD per month • Annual: $39.99 USD per year (best value) FocusQuest is free to download and play. Payment will be charged to your Apple account at the time of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for the renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription by going to your Account Settings in the App Store after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://focus-quest.app/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://focus-quest.app/terms/ Start your first quest today — your focus has never looked this good.

Screenshots

CheckMate4 screens
FocusQuest4 screens

Verdict

The call

CheckMate and FocusQuest are too close to call on the numbers: across 7 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and ads among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and FocusQuest sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for CheckMate against 5.0 for FocusQuest. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
CheckMate versus FocusQuest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCheckMateFocusQuest
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB279 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperCIOCHINARU IONUT-DANIEL PERSOANA FIZICA AUTORIZATAKaumon Aung

In-app purchases

3 purchases

CheckMate

Subscriptions2
  • CheckMate Pro Monthly14 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • CheckMate Pro Annual14 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • CheckMate Pro Lifetime$89.99
7 purchases

FocusQuest

Subscriptions2
  • Gold Card – Monthly Membership$4.991 Month
  • Gold Card – Annual Membership$39.991 Year
One-time5
  • Pouch of Guild Marks$1.99
  • Satchel of Guild Marks$3.99
  • Chest of Guild Marks$7.99
Show 2 more
  • Vault of Guild Marks$16.99
  • Dragon's Hoard of Guild Marks$34.99

Questions

Is CheckMate free?
CheckMate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FocusQuest free?
FocusQuest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CheckMate or FocusQuest?
CheckMate and FocusQuest are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do CheckMate or FocusQuest have ads?
Neither CheckMate nor FocusQuest shows ads.

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