Find the right chess app, without the listicle fluff.
A searchable, filterable directory of chess apps. Compare side-by-side, filter by feature, platform, price, and skill level. No affiliate-spam top-5s, no fake rankings.
- Every app hand-tested
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- Fresh prices, weekly
Featured
The apps we'd install first on a new device.
1. Chess.com
FeaturedThe default home of online chess.
Free · from $4.17/mo · Web · iOS · Android
2. ChessAtlas
FeaturedBuild an opening repertoire that survives spaced repetition.
Free · from $6.99/mo · Web · iOS · Android
3. Chessable
FeaturedMoveTrainer + spaced repetition for openings and tactics.
Free · from $11.99/mo · Web · iOS · Android
4. DarkSquares
FeaturedBlindfold chess training, broken into 7 progressive levels.
Free · from €39 one-time · Web · iOS · Android
5. Lichess
FeaturedFree, open-source chess. Forever.
Free · Web · iOS · Android
Guides, not listicles
Opinionated picks from a 2250 Lichess player who's actually used the apps.
Start here
The Best Chess Apps, Sorted by What You Actually Need
Offline, beginner, tactics, free: the best chess apps for each situation, every one installed and tested. One pick per need, with the honest runner-up.
Read the guideTactics, endgames, openings, game review: which chess app does each job best, a three-app stack that works, and what to pay from $0 to $40 a month.
The Best Chess Apps for Tactics TrainingWhich chess puzzle app actually builds pattern recognition and which one just farms your time? Tested picks from a directory run by a 2250 Lichess player.
Best Chess Apps for Opening PreparationOpening apps compared: what actually builds a repertoire vs. what just fills your subscription queue. Directory picks from a 2250 Lichess player.
Chess Openings for White: A Practical RepertoireThe best chess openings for White for a 1200-1800 improver, plus the app that drills them into memory. Opinionated picks from a 2250 Lichess player.
Chess Openings for Black: Defenses That HoldThe best chess openings for Black for a 1200-1800 improver, split by what White plays, plus the app that drills them. From a 2250 Lichess player.
Best Chess Apps for Beginners (2026): 5 Tested, Free FirstFive chess apps for beginners, installed and tested, sorted by starting point: learning the moves, first games, first improvement. Free-tier limits checked, every paid upgrade labeled.
Best Chess Apps for Club Players (1500-2000)Beyond the beginner stack: a tested set of chess apps for serious club players working toward 1800-2000. Tools that actually move the needle at this rating.
The Best Chess Apps for Endgame PracticeEndgame training is where most club players underinvest and lose ELO. A tested shortlist of chess apps that actually drill the technique that wins close games.
The Best Offline Chess Apps (No Wi-Fi Required)Lichess, Stockfish, SCID vs PC and more: the offline chess apps that still play, analyze and drill with no Wi-Fi. Each claim checked against the app's own documentation.
Offline Chess Apps for Android (No Internet Needed)Lichess, DroidFish, Chess King Learn, Shredder: the Android chess apps that play, analyze and drill with no internet, checked against their own listings. Plus the pre-flight checklist.
Does Chess.com Work Offline? What Needs Wi-Fi (2026)The Chess.com app plays the computer and analyses games offline once signed in. Puzzles, lessons, Game Review and online play need a connection, and the website needs one for everything.
Free Chess Apps With No Ads (2026): Tested PicksGenuinely free chess apps with no ads: Lichess, Listudy, Stockfish, SCID vs PC, ChessKid's free tier. Plus what Chess.com's free tier actually limits, and which 'free' apps are trials.
Lichess vs Chess.com vs FIDE Ratings: Conversion TableHow Lichess, Chess.com and FIDE ratings line up, per time control, from the ChessGoals rating comparison - with a converter that never guesses past the data.
Pick by what you want to do
Different apps for different stages of your chess journey.
You know the rules are a thing but you don't know them yet. You need an app that teaches piece movement, basic tactics, and gives you gentle bots to play against - in that order.
View apps Daily tactics trainingYou want a puzzle habit that compounds. What matters: a large, curated puzzle bank, spaced repetition, and a mobile UX that makes you come back.
View apps Opening preparationYou're serious about building a repertoire and drilling it until moves are muscle memory. Look for repertoire tools, spaced repetition, and engine depth.
View apps Endgame masteryThe phase most players neglect. You need a structured trainer with theoretical positions plus practical drills.
View apps Over-the-board preparationYou play in-person tournaments and need analysis, scanning of physical games, and opponent prep tools.
View apps Tools for chess coachesYou teach students. Pick apps with study/share, student tracking, and annotation features.
View apps Chess apps for kidsSafe environment, age-appropriate content, parental controls, game-like progression.
View apps Online tournament prepTactics, time management, opening prep against expected opponents.
View apps Casual playYou just want quick games against humans or bots without commitment to training.
View apps Deep game analysisSerious engine work, cloud evaluation, databases of master games, annotations.
View appsRecently reviewed
Fresh reviews from our editorial team.
ScanChess
Photograph a handwritten scoresheet and get a rule-checked PGN; photograph a board and get a FEN.
Free · from $4.99/mo · Web
Shredder Chess
A classic standalone chess engine for offline play.
From $8.99 one-time · iOS · Android · macOS
Magnus Trainer
Gamified learning with lessons featuring Magnus Carlsen.
Free · from $7.99/mo · iOS
ChessAlerts
A message on Telegram, WhatsApp or email the moment a US Chess or FIDE rating changes.
Free · from $4.99/mo · Web
TacticForge
Puzzles cut from your own Lichess and Chess.com games, tagged by motif and brought back until they stick.
Free · from $5/mo · Web · iOS
Chess Second
The FIDE side of chess: any rated player's rating history since 2001, before the round starts.
Free · Web
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