Chess vs Lichess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chess
Engage in the classic game of chess with customizable graphics and multiple difficulty levels. Play against AI or a friend, with features like move undo, hints, and time controls. Enjoy a rich chess experience with detailed game history and board customization.
- HD graphics
- 5 difficulty levels
- Hint option
- Play against computer or friend
- 2D and 3D themes
- Unlimited undo moves
- Time control options
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Chess is #1 popular game in the world. According to FIDE, about 600 million people play chess and it is the most widespread game on the planet. "The Game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions..." (Benjamin Franklin, scientist) Game features: - HD graphics for iPhone 5 and the new iPad retina display - 5 levels of difficulty - hint option to find out the best next move - play either white or black - play against the computer or a friend - 2D and 3D themes for chess pieces - unlimited ability to undo moves - AI quick response time - time control (5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes) - animated moves - highlight legal moves - easy to use interface design - ability to go back to any previous position in the game - auto-save when exit or phone ring - view captured pieces - full game history with chess notation - change the appearance of the board - ability to listen music in background Play one of the oldest and most enjoyable games in the world!
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 rating: Chess at 4.7 against Lichess's 4.1. Chess also leads on ratings volume (39K vs 662) and review sentiment (70% vs 52%). Lichess's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads and device support 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. Chess sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Lichess asks for nothing beyond the download.
Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess has 39K ratings behind it against 662, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 52% of Lichess's.
Chess ships an update every 6 weeks, Lichess fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess | Lichess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (39K ratings) — better | 4.1 (662 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.4% of reviews — better | 51.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 39K — better | 662 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #41 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 86 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vintolo Ltd | LICHESS.ORG |
Customer experience
Chess
Lichess
User reviews
Chess
From 39K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great for beginners
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 💡 Helpful puzzles and hints
- 🎨 Customizable chess sets
- 🎮 Fun and challenging
Room to improve
- 🐛 Glitchy pawn movement
- 🤖 AI too easy even on hard mode
- ⏱️ Stalemate issues
- 💰 Paid hints for puzzles
- 🔁 Repetitive AI moves
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
Chess
Reported bugs
3 issues- Incorrect stalemate detection
- Pieces disappearing or moving incorrectly
- Compatibility issues on older devices
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to replay puzzles
- Undo/redo move functionality
- Online/multiplayer mode
- More advanced AI difficulty
- Improved stalemate detection
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
Chess
- 10 hints$4.99
- 45 hints$19.99
- 125 hints$49.99
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- 200 hints$69.99
Lichess
No in-app purchases








