Best Free Chess Apps 2026: 6 Options Compared
Best free Chess Apps compared: Lichess, Chess.com, ChessKid, Stockfish and 2 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 24, 2026.
•3 min read•Learning & Everyday Apps
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lichess | Free (100% free per lichess.org/about: no ads, no data selling, no paywalls; funded by donations) | Web, Android, iOS | Playing and puzzles with no paywall | Docs only |
| Chess.com | Free (Free to download with in-app purchases; see the app listing for free-tier limits) | iOS, Web | Finding opponents at every level | Docs only |
| ChessKid | Free (Site title says '100% Safe and Free'; it does not say which features need the paid Gold Membership) | iOS, Android, Web | Children learning chess safely | Docs only |
| Stockfish | Free (Free: open-source under GPL-3.0; no paid plan on the license page) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Engine analysis of your games | Docs only |
| En Croissant | Free (Free: open-source under GPL-3.0; no paid plan on the license page) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Reviewing games with an engine | Docs only |
| Lucas Chess | Free (Free: open-source under GPL-3.0; no paid plan on the license page) | Windows | Offline practice against computers | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want rated games and puzzles for free (Lichess is the pick)
- You want structured lessons with a big community (Chess.com is the pick)
- Your child is learning (ChessKid is the pick)
- You want to analyse your own games offline (En Croissant is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
A chess app can mean three things: a place to play people, a place to learn, or an engine for analysis, and the free options split along those lines. Lichess is the benchmark for playing online: it is 100% free with no ads and no paywalls, open source, and funded by donations. Chess.com has more players and lessons, but its free tier is limited and its Gold, Platinum and Diamond memberships are sold as in-app purchases from $4.99 on the App Store. ChessKid is the child-friendly sibling, with a Gold membership for unlimited extras. For analysis offline, Stockfish is among the strongest engines available under GPL-3.0, but it is only an engine and needs a graphical front end; En Croissant is a modern open-source database and analysis board that pairs with it. Lucas Chess is a GPL training program that lets you play against engines with adjustable strength. The trade-off is community versus control. Online platforms give you opponents, ratings and puzzles instantly, while offline tools give you privacy and deep analysis but no matchmaking. Most improving players use Lichess for games and puzzles and keep an engine front end for reviewing their own mistakes.
Lichess
AGPL-3.0, no ads and no paywalls, free on the web and mobile apps and funded by donations. Fewer structured video lessons than Chess.com.
Price: Free (100% free per lichess.org/about: no ads, no data selling, no paywalls; funded by donations) (Lichess pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Web, Android, iOS. AGPL-3.0 (server code, lila) (open source).
Project activity: 18.9k GitHub stars · latest release v1.1.0 (Aug 31, 2017) · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Best for: Playing and puzzles with no paywall.
Chess.com
Free to download and play, but memberships (Gold from $4.99 listed on the App Store) unlock lessons and unlimited puzzles. Largest player base.
Price: Free (Free to download with in-app purchases; see the app listing for free-tier limits) (Chess.com pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: iOS, Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Finding opponents at every level.
ChessKid
Described as 100% safe and free, aimed at children, with a paid Gold Membership for unlimited puzzles and lessons. Check the pricing page for current paid plans.
Price: Free (Site title says '100% Safe and Free'; it does not say which features need the paid Gold Membership) (ChessKid pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: iOS, Android, Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Children learning chess safely.
Stockfish
GPL-3.0 chess engine, among the strongest available. It has no board of its own, so you pair it with a GUI.
Price: Free (Free: open-source under GPL-3.0; no paid plan on the license page) (Stockfish pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android. GPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 17.1k GitHub stars · latest release sf_19 (Sep 5, 2026) · last commit Oct 25, 2026
Best for: Engine analysis of your games.
En Croissant
GPL-3.0 desktop chess database and analysis board that connects to engines. Windows, macOS and Linux.
Price: Free (Free: open-source under GPL-3.0; no paid plan on the license page) (En Croissant pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. GPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 2k GitHub stars · latest release v0.15.1 (Sep 5, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Best for: Reviewing games with an engine.
Lucas Chess
GPL-3.0 training program with engines of adjustable strength and learning tools. Interface is dated compared with web apps.
Price: Free (Free: open-source under GPL-3.0; no paid plan on the license page) (Lucas Chess pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Windows. GPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 408 GitHub stars · latest release R2.21-FP20 (Sep 19, 2025) · Archived on GitHub
Best for: Offline practice against computers.
Which one to pick
- You want rated games and puzzles for free: Lichess
- You want structured lessons with a big community: Chess.com
- Your child is learning: ChessKid
- You want to analyse your own games offline: En Croissant
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Lichess, Chess.com, ChessKid, Stockfish, En Croissant, Lucas Chess: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked 2026-10-24: Lichess, Chess.com, ChessKid, Stockfish, En Croissant, Lucas Chess. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.