Chessify vs Lichess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chessify
This app offers advanced chess analysis tools, including a real-time chessboard scanner, powerful cloud-based engines, and a unique video finder. Analyze games, puzzles, and learn chess theory with comprehensive features for players of all levels.
- Real chessboard scanner
- Superfast cloud chess engine analysis
- Video finder for chess positions
- Offline play against Stockfish
- Opening Explorer with Lichess database
- Import/export FEN/PGN
- Online real-time Blitz
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Chessify is an all-in-one chess platform built for players who want to improve with professional-level chess tools. Analyze with powerful cloud engines running on servers up to 1024 threads and 1 Billion NPS speed, explore databases of 12 million+ professional games, scan real chessboards and books, prepare openings, and review games from anywhere. Features that once required heavy desktop software are now available in a single mobile app designed for players of all levels. Whether you’re solving puzzles, training openings, or analyzing tournament games, Chessify combines advanced chess tools into one fast and easy-to-use experience. Features: ZIUK — YOUR AI CHESS ASSISTANT Ziuk is your AI chess assistant that helps you analyze games, understand positions, learn from mistakes, and explore openings. Unlike traditional chess engines that show you the best moves and evaluations, Ziuk explains the ideas behind them. Ask questions in your own language and get explanations that help you understand the game. Ziuk combines artificial intelligence, powerful chess engines, and Chessify’s analysis tools in one conversation. Connect your Chess.com or Lichess account to import your games and analyze them with Ziuk. - Powerful Cloud Engine Analysis Analyze with Stockfish 18, Lc0, Berserk, Caissa, Crystal, Patricia, Viridithas, AsmFish, ShashChess, Koivisto, RubiChess, and Sugar AI chess engines on cloud servers with up to 1024 threads, reaching up to 1BN/s speed. - Mega Database Search through 10 million+ professional FIDE-rated games with move statistics, player ratings, and opening trends. - Correspondence Chess Database Study the 2 Million+ official ICCF database games played with deep engine-assisted preparation. - Scan 2D & 3D Chessboards Scan real boards and diagrams from books or screens with high accuracy and instantly analyze the position with Stockfish 18. - Chess PDF Scanner Import chess PDF books and scan positions directly from pages for quick analysis and study. - Play Against Stockfish Challenge one of the world’s strongest chess engines with adjustable strength settings. Play from initial or any given position. - PGN & Move Notation Create analysis files with multiple variations and comments or import your existing files and review them with your phone at any time. - Save Games & Analysis Store your games, analysis, and studies locally or in the cloud and access them anytime. - Import, Export, and Share PGN/FEN Easily import your games or export positions and analysis to share with chess friends or students. Whether you’re a beginner, club player, coach, or grandmaster, Chessify provides powerful analysis and training tools for every stage of your chess journey. Privacy Policy: https://chessify.me/privacy-policy Terms of Use / End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Lichess
Play chess online with millions of users, participate in tournaments, solve puzzles, and analyze games. This free and open-source application offers a comprehensive chess experience for players of all levels, with features for learning and casual play.
- Real-time and correspondence chess
- Arena tournaments
- Chess puzzles
- Game analysis with Stockfish
- Interactive study feature
- Chess clock
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Lichess is a free/libre, open-source chess application powered by volunteers and donations. Today, Lichess users play more than five million games every day. Lichess is one of the most popular chess websites in the world while remaining 100% free. The following features are available right now: - play real time or correspondence chess - play arena tournaments - play against online bots - solve chess puzzles from a wide variety of themes, online or offline - race against the clock in Puzzle Storm - analyse your games with latest Stockfish locally or on the server - board editor - study chess with a collaborative and interactive study feature - learn board coordinates - play over the board with a friend - watch live chess broadcasts from all major chess tournaments - watch Lichess TV and online streamers - use a chess clock for your over the board games - many different board themes and piece sets - custom background themes - translated into 55 languages
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lichess at none against Chessify's 19. Lichess also leads on chart position (#55 vs unranked) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). Chessify's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.1). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Chessify sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Lichess asks for nothing beyond the download.
Chessify holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 398 and 662 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of Chessify's written reviews are positive against 52% of Lichess's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Chessify ships an update monthly, Lichess fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chessify | Lichess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (398 ratings) — better | 4.1 (662 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 46.2% of reviews | 51.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 398 | 662 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #55 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 140 MB | 86 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chessify Inc. | LICHESS.ORG |
Customer experience
Chessify
Lichess
User reviews
Chessify
From 398 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📸 Accurate chess board scanning from photos
- 🚀 Fast and efficient position analysis
- ☁️ Cloud-based powerful chess engine (Stockfish)
- 💾 Easy PGN export and saving functionality
- 📚 Perfect for studying chess books
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 📸 Inconsistent scanning accuracy
- ❌ App doesn't work on iOS 18 and older versions
- 💰 Expensive paywall with limited free features
- 🔥 Device overheating issues reported
Lichess
From 662 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great interface
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 💡 Useful resources for learning and analysis
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional UI issues
- 💡 Room for more customization options
Bugs and requests
Chessify
Reported bugs
12 issues- Black screen in camera view during scanning
- Scanning omits first or last rank of board
- App crashes when loading images
- Buttons not clickable on certain iOS versions
- Position not recognized from screenshots
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- App closes immediately after opening
- Board rotation lock resets to landscape
- Analysis not visible unless switching apps
- Scanning fails 3 out of 5 times
- Subscription billing issues (wrong tier shown)
- App doesn't load past starting screen
- Photo library order reversed for board photos
Requested features
12 requests- Add move comments and annotations capability
- Board flip option during gameplay
- Auto-save functionality to prevent position loss
- Ability to edit and extend saved games
- Tactics puzzle mode with move verification
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- Automatic analysis on position scan
- Lc0 engine option
- iPad version support
- Lichess app integration
- Move sound toggle persistence
- Better indication of which side has advantage
- Depth control for analysis (stop at specific depth)
Lichess
Reported bugs
1 issue- Swipe-to-go-back gesture interferes with piece placement
Requested features
3 requests- Name of opening in opening explorer
- Ability to add and subtract additional things on the homepage
- Reset/replay button on puzzles
In-app purchases
Chessify
- Bronze 1 Month$0.991 Month
- Silver 1 month$2.491 Month
- Gold 1 Month$7.991 Month
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- Bronze 12 months$7.991 Year
- Amateur$12.991 Month
- Silver 12 months$14.991 Year
- Gold 12 months$49.991 Year
- Master$59.991 Month
- Amateur Yearly$129.991 Year
- Master$559.991 Year
- SuperFast analysis - 1000 sec.$0.99
- SuperFast analysis - 10000sec.$3.99
- SuperFast analysis - 30000sec.$5.99
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- Starter Pack$5.99
- Standard Pack$11.49
- SuperFast analysis - 100000sec$13.99
- Popular Pack$29.49
- SuperFast analysis - unlimited$34.99
- Ultimate Pack$117.99
Lichess
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Chessify free?
Is Lichess free?
Which has better reviews, Chessify or Lichess?
Do Chessify or Lichess have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chessify or Lichess?
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