Chess.com

The largest online chess site, for playing, puzzles, lessons and watching top events.

Verified facts: 5 of 5
Alternatives ranked: 3
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Chess.com

Chess.com is a commercial chess platform for playing games online against people or bots at any time control, from bullet to daily correspondence. Beyond play it offers puzzles, video and interactive lessons, a coach mode that comments on your moves, game review with engine analysis, news, and live coverage of top tournaments. It has a very large player base, so you find opponents quickly at any rating, plus clubs, forums and its own events like Titled Tuesday. Playing is free with ads, while a Premium membership removes ads and unlocks unlimited game review, puzzles and lessons; there is a free trial. It works in the browser and through apps for iPhone and Android. The trade-off against free sites is that many study tools are capped on the free tier.

Best for: Players who want the biggest pool of opponents plus structured lessons and coaching.

What works

Huge player base means fast pairings at any level
Lessons, bots and a coach mode for beginners
Live coverage of top tournaments and news
Polished mobile apps

Why people leave

Free tier shows ads and limits game review, puzzles and lessons
Key improvement tools need a paid Premium membership
Closed platform; you can't self-host or audit the code

Top Chess.com alternatives

See all 3

1
PlayOK
Simple, light site for quick chess games alongside many other classic board and card games.
79.8
2
Lichess
Every feature free with no ads, including unlimited engine analysis, and the code is open source.
66.5
3
Board Game Arena
Play chess in the browser and switch to hundreds of other board games with the same friends.
61.8

Why people left Chess.com

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Chess.com: common questions

Is Chess.com free?

Chess.com has a free plan and paid plans.

Is Chess.com open source?

No, Chess.com is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Lichess.

What platforms does Chess.com run on?

Chess.com is available for Web, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Chess.com?

The highest-ranked Chess.com alternatives right now are PlayOK, Lichess and Board Game Arena. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 3 Chess.com alternatives

Chess.com facts

5 of 5 verified

Players: 250+ million; Checked Nov 1, 2026chess.com(opens source in a new tab); “Join 250+ million players”
Ad-free: Premium only; Checked Nov 1, 2026chess.com(opens source in a new tab); “Choose a Plan Play With No Distractions No Ads Premium members enjoy Chess.com without ads.”
Puzzles: 500,000+; Checked Nov 1, 2026chess.com(opens source in a new tab); “Choose a Plan Solve over 500,000 Puzzles”
Free trial: Yes; Checked Nov 1, 2026chess.com(opens source in a new tab); “Remind You Before Your Free Trial Ends”
Mobile apps: iOS and Android; Checked Nov 1, 2026chess.com(opens source in a new tab); “Play Anywhere with the Chess.com App Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play Learn, Play, and Have Fun!”