# Habitica vs Checkmate

The clearest difference is rating: Checkmate at 5.0 against Habitica's 4.3. Checkmate also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 64%). Habitica's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (3.6K vs 3). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Habitica sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Checkmate sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Checkmate holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Habitica has 3.6K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Habitica's written reviews are positive against 100% of Checkmate's.

Habitica ships an update every 3 weeks, Checkmate fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Habitica | Checkmate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (3.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/habitica-gamified-taskmanager/id994882113/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/checkmate-ai-task-planner/id6767040246/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.6K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 64.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 69 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HabitRPG, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/994882112) | [Edge Case LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896354440) |

## What reviewers say

### Habitica

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/habitica-gamified-taskmanager/id994882113)

This app gamifies your life by turning tasks and goals into a retro RPG. Build your avatar, complete daily habits, to-dos, and chores to earn rewards and level up. Team up with friends for accountability and battle challenges together.

**Highlights:** Gamified task and goal management, Avatar customization and leveling, Daily, weekly, and one-time task tracking, Social features: parties, challenges, guilds, Collectable in-game items and gear, Cross-device syncing, Customizable themes and reminders

**Features:** Siri integration, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| 3 Months Subscription | $14.99 | per 3 months |
| 6 Months Subscription | $29.99 | per 6 months |
| 12 Months Subscription | $47.99 | per year |
| 4 Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| 21 Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| For 1 Month | $4.99 | one-time |
| 42 Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| 84 Gems | $19.99 | one-time |
| For 12 Months | $47.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for habit tracking and productivity
- 🎮 Gamified approach is motivating
- 🤝 Supportive community
- 💰 Reasonable subscription model

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy at times
- 🤔 Confusing navigation and UI
- 🔒 Issues with login and account sync
- 💸 Gems/rewards locked behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Tasks and habits not resetting properly
- Crashes and freezes on app launch
- Inconsistent behavior when rearranging tasks
- Sync issues between mobile and web versions

**Requested features**

- Calendar view for tasks and habits
- Ability to set custom difficulty levels for tasks
- Offline mode for tasks and habits
- Apple Watch app
- More social features and party functionality


### Checkmate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/checkmate-ai-task-planner/id6767040246)

This app offers a focused workspace for managing projects, tasks, reminders, notes, and files. It utilizes AI to assist in planning by drafting project structures and tasks from prompts. Organize your work visually with list, board, and calendar views, keeping all relevant details connected to each task.

**Highlights:** AI-assisted project planning, Task and subtask management, List, board, and calendar views, Integrated notes and files, Lightweight collaboration, Search and manage assigned work

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Checkmate | $4.99 | per month |
| Checkmate Pro (Annual) | $49.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads Forever | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Habitica free?

Habitica is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Checkmate free?

Checkmate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Habitica or Checkmate?

Checkmate is rated higher. Habitica averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.6K ratings, while Checkmate averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Habitica or Checkmate have ads?

Checkmate shows ads; Habitica does not.

### Which is updated more often, Habitica or Checkmate?

Habitica ships an update every 3 weeks, and Checkmate fortnightly. Most recently, Habitica was updated on October 27, 2026 and Checkmate on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*