Comparison

Chess vs Lichess

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • HD graphics
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • Hint option
  • Play against computer or friend
  • 2D and 3D themes
  • Unlimited undo moves
  • Time control options
Features
Read full description

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!

About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time and correspondence chess
  • Arena tournaments
  • Chess puzzles
  • Game analysis with Stockfish
  • Interactive study feature
  • Chess clock
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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

Chess4 screens
Lichess4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Chess sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Lichess asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update every 6 weeks, Lichess fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Chess versus Lichess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessLichess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (39K ratings) — better4.1 (662 ratings)
Positive reviews70.4% of reviews — better51.8% of reviews
Number of ratings39K — better662
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#41 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.4 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVintolo LtdLICHESS.ORG

Customer experience

Chess

All ratings38,795 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews571 reviews
Positive70.4%
Neutral11.2%
Negative18.4%

Lichess

All ratings662 ratings
Positive74.0%
Neutral5.3%
Negative20.7%
Written reviews552 reviews
Positive51.8%
Neutral10.5%
Negative37.7%

User reviews

Chess

From 39K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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

4 purchases

Chess

One-time4
  • 10 hints$4.99
  • 45 hints$19.99
  • 125 hints$49.99
Show 1 more
  • 200 hints$69.99
None

Lichess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lichess free?
Lichess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess or Lichess?
Chess is rated higher. Chess averages 4.7 out of 5 from 39K ratings, while Lichess averages 4.1 from 662 ratings.
Do Chess or Lichess have ads?
Neither Chess nor Lichess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess or Lichess?
Chess ships an update every 6 weeks, and Lichess fortnightly. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 16, 2026 and Lichess on October 14, 2026.

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