Compare
Best Chess App
Chess.com, Lichess and Zapp Chess compared on price, limits and game length
There is no single best chess app, because the three good ones are good at different things. Chess.com has the largest pool and a lesson path. Lichess gives everything away free. Zapp Chess finishes a game in under three minutes. Pick by the column that matters to you.
The short answer
Install Lichess if you want everything free and unlimited. Install Chess.com if you want the biggest player pool and a course to follow, and you accept that the free tier is capped. Install Zapp Chess if the real problem is time, because a game there takes under three minutes instead of twenty.
The apps
Best for unlimited free play
Free and open source, funded by donations and run by volunteers. No advertising, no paid tier, and nothing behind a paywall: puzzles, computer analysis, studies and tournaments are all unlimited. The app is plainer than its rival, and that is the whole trade.
Best for the largest player pool and structured lessons
The biggest chess site, with the most polished app, the widest event coverage and lessons in a fixed order. The free account limits daily puzzles and game reviews and carries advertising; the paid tiers start at $4.17 a month billed yearly.
Zapp Chess
Best for a real game in a spare minute
Chess with the slow parts removed. Every game starts in the middlegame, so no opening theory applies, and a game ends on checkmate or a two-point material lead. Free to install, and every game is free.
Side by side
| Criterion | Chess.com | Lichess | Zapp Chess |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier; plans from $4.17/mo billed yearly | Free; no paid tier exists | Free to install, every game free |
| Business model | Memberships, four tiers | Donations; no ads, no paywalls | Free app |
| Open source | No | Yes, the whole server | No |
| Typical game length | 3 to 30 minutes | 3 to 30 minutes | Under 3 minutes |
| Where a game starts | The opening | The opening | The middlegame |
| How you win | Checkmate, resignation or time | Checkmate, resignation or time | Checkmate or a 2-point material lead |
| Opening theory needed | Yes, from the first move | Yes, from the first move | None |
| Platforms | Web, Android, iPhone | Web, Android, iPhone | Android, iPhone |
✓Prices and features checked on 28 August 2026. Sources: Chess.com membership plans, About lichess.org.
What each costs
Lichess costs nothing and sells nothing: no paid tier, no advertising, and unlimited puzzles and analysis for every account. Zapp Chess is free to install and every game is free. Chess.com is the only one of the three with a paid product: four membership tiers, from $4.17 to $16.67 a month billed yearly, and the free account caps daily puzzles and game reviews and shows advertising.
The practical question is whether you use the capped features. If you solve puzzles or review games every day, the cap decides for you: pay for Chess.com, or use Lichess where neither is limited. If you mostly play games, the free Chess.com account is enough, because playing itself is not capped on any of the three.
How we picked
We compared on price, what the free tier actually allows, how long a game takes, whether opening theory is required, and which platforms the app runs on. We did not rank by store rating, because a store rating measures how many happy users an app has, not whether it suits you.
We left out apps that are shops, engines or course libraries rather than places to play, and we left out anything that promises money for playing.
If you are a beginner
Pick the app with the shortest gap between opening it and moving a piece. Beginners improve by playing many games and by checking every move for threats, not by studying opening lines, so the app that gets you to move fifteen most often is the one that will make you better. Start with how to play chess for beginners, then chess strategies for beginners.
Data and battery
Online play needs a connection, and a dropped connection loses games on time. If you play on a commute, prefer an app whose games are short enough to finish inside a stable patch of signal. Shorter games also cost less data and less battery, which is a real consideration on a phone.
Questions people ask
Which is the best chess app in India?
It depends on what you want. Chess.com has the largest player pool and structured lessons, Lichess gives everything away free, and Zapp Chess suits short sessions because a game finishes in under three minutes.
Which chess app is completely free?
Lichess is free with no paid tier at all. Zapp Chess is free to install and every game is free. Chess.com has a free tier with daily limits, and paid plans start at $4.17 a month billed yearly.
Which chess app is best for beginners?
One that gets you playing quickly. Beginners improve by playing many games and checking every move for threats, not by studying opening lines, so pick the app with the shortest gap between opening it and moving a piece.
Do I need an internet connection?
For online play, yes. Pass-and-play on one phone works with no connection at all, and shorter games are more likely to finish before a connection drops.
Which app has the shortest games?
Zapp Chess. Games start in the middlegame and end on checkmate or a two-point material lead, so a game takes under three minutes.
Prices and free-tier limits checked on 28 August 2026 against the Chess.com membership page and the Lichess about page.