Both Lichess and Chess.com are excellent places to play online chess. Lichess is 100% free with no premium tier, every feature is available to every user. Chess.com runs a freemium model with optional paid plans and a larger library of structured lessons. The right choice depends on your budget and what you want from the platform. This guide breaks down exactly where each one wins.
Key Differences at a Glance
| Feature | Lichess | Chess.com |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (forever) | Free tier + paid plans from $8.99/mo |
| Registered users | ~5 million active | 100 million+ |
| Analysis board | Free (Stockfish) | Free (limited depth) |
| Puzzles | Unlimited, free | Limited on free tier |
| Video lessons | Community studies | Extensive, gated behind premium |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Account required to play | No | No |
Lichess: Free and Open Source
Lichess launched in 2010, built and maintained by Thibault Duplessis as a nonprofit, open-source project. It has no ads, no premium subscription, and no paid features. Everything the platform offers is available to every user, no account required to start playing.
That full feature list is substantial. Stockfish analysis is available on every completed game at no cost. The puzzle trainer draws from a large, community-curated database. Tournaments, Swiss, arena, and team formats, run around the clock. The Lichess Broadcasts section covers major FIDE events in real time, including the Candidates Tournament.
Studies, the platform’s collaborative annotation tool, let you build and share opening repertoires, annotated games, and training material. All of this is free.
The interface is clean and functional rather than visually polished. Some beginners find it sparse compared to Chess.com. But for players who prioritize substance over presentation, or who simply do not want a paywall, Lichess is the obvious answer. The open-source codebase also means the community actively contributes features and fixes. No other major chess platform operates this way.
For players interested in formal titles and ratings, Lichess uses its own rating system, separate from FIDE ratings. Lichess ratings tend to run higher than FIDE Elo, so be aware of that when comparing.
Chess.com: Best for Beginners
Chess.com was founded in 2007 and has grown to over 100 million registered users, making it the largest chess platform in the world by a wide margin. The free tier includes casual games, a limited daily puzzle, and basic game analysis.
The real draw for beginners is the structured learning content. Chess.com’s “Learn” section includes video lessons, courses, and interactive exercises organized by skill level. Much of this content is gated behind a paid plan: Gold at $8.99 per month, Platinum at $14.99 per month, and Diamond at $29.99 per month. Magnus Carlsen’s instructional content is available on the platform under a partnership deal.
For players new to the game, this structure is genuinely useful. The interface is more polished and visually approachable than Lichess, and the sheer number of active users means shorter matchmaking wait times across all time controls.
Chess.com also has a stronger presence in content and community, streamers, titled player participation, and official event partnerships. If you want to become a chess grandmaster, Chess.com’s learning paths give you a clearer structured route to follow, provided you are willing to pay for a premium plan.
Head-to-Head: Features That Matter
Puzzles: Lichess offers unlimited puzzles for free. Chess.com limits daily puzzles on the free tier. Advantage: Lichess.
Analysis: Lichess provides full Stockfish analysis on every game at no cost. Chess.com restricts engine depth on free accounts. Advantage: Lichess.
Live games and tournaments: Both platforms offer strong live play. Chess.com has more users, so finding opponents at specific time controls is faster. Lichess arena and Swiss tournaments run continuously. Roughly even, with Chess.com ahead on raw user volume.
Broadcast coverage: Lichess Broadcasts stream major FIDE events including the Candidates and the World Chess Championship. For live tournament data and FIDE top player ratings, Shatranj Live tracks standings in real time alongside Lichess.
Learning content: Chess.com wins here with video lessons and structured courses, though most of the best content requires a paid plan.
“Lichess is what the internet should be — free, open, and community-driven. Chess.com is what a business can do when it invests in user experience at scale. Both are legitimate answers to ‘where should I play chess online.’” — Danny Rensch, Chief Chess Officer at Chess.com, speaking on the state of online chess platforms
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Lichess if you want a fully free experience with no feature restrictions, unlimited puzzles, and complete Stockfish analysis. It is the better choice for budget-conscious players and for anyone who values open-source software.
Choose Chess.com if you are a beginner who benefits from structured video lessons and does not mind paying for a subscription, or if you want access to the largest player community and shortest matchmaking queues.
Many players use both: Lichess for daily puzzles and analysis, Chess.com for community and lessons.
Follow Live Chess on Shatranj Live
For live tournament coverage, neither platform matches what Shatranj Live offers. Track live standings, round results, and player ratings for every major FIDE event, including the Candidates Tournament 2026, at no cost, with no account required. Follow live tournament standings and see results update in real time.
