ChessMessWe make ChessMess. We checked every fact about other sites on their own pages on 29 October 2026, and we say where they're ahead. Plans change, so follow the source links for the latest details.
The short answer
- ChessMess is best if you want unlimited game reviews and a coach that explains your moves, free, with no ads and no account needed.
- Lichess is best if you want a large free community: tournaments, unlimited puzzles, variants and studies. It's also free and ad-free.
- Chess.com is best if you want the biggest community, events and lessons, and you're happy to pay for full access.
What you get without paying
| Feature, free | ChessMess | Chess.com (free Basic plan) | Lichess |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free plan; Gold, Platinum and Diamond are paid | Free; Patron is an optional donation |
| Ads | None | Free plan has ads | None |
| Full game reviews | Unlimited | 1 per day | Unlimited local analysis; 40 server analyses a day |
| "Brilliant" and "Great" move labels | Yes | Diamond plan | No (labels inaccuracies, mistakes and blunders) |
| Coach while you play | Every game | 1 Coach game per month | No |
| Plain-language explanations of your moves | Yes | Diamond plan | Short engine notes and "Learn from your mistakes" |
| Bots | 19 characters, an adaptive bot and full Stockfish | 20+ personalities (100+ with Gold) | Stockfish levels |
| Puzzles | Coming soon | 3 per day | Unlimited |
| Lessons | Coming soon | "New to Chess" plus 1 lesson a day | Free basics, practice and studies |
| Tournaments | Not yet | Yes | Unlimited arenas and Swiss |
| Variants | Not yet | Yes | 8 variants |
| Opening explorer and tablebase | Opening names only | Full opening explorer with Gold | Yes, both |
| Play a friend | Link, 6-digit code or QR; no account needed | Challenges and links | Challenge links |
| Online games with strangers | AI opponents at your level while the community grows | Millions of players | Large community |
| Apps | Runs in any browser | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
Where ChessMess is ahead
- Reviews without limits. Every game gets accuracy, move labels from Brilliant to Blunder, an evaluation graph, key moments and a performance estimate. Chess.com's free plan includes 1 full review a day; unlimited reviews start at Platinum.
- A coach in every game. Coach mode grades each move and explains mistakes in plain words while you play. Chess.com's free plan includes 1 Coach game a month.
- No paywall on the good labels. Brilliant moves and move-by-move explanations are part of Chess.com's Diamond plan; on ChessMess they're free.
- Friends in seconds. Share a link, a 6-digit code or a QR code. Your friend doesn't need an account.
Where other sites are ahead
- Puzzles and lessons. Lichess has unlimited puzzles and Chess.com has a large lesson library. Ours are coming soon.
- Community. Chess.com and Lichess have millions of real players, tournaments and variants. ChessMess is new: until more players join, online games are against AI opponents at your level.
- Apps and study tools. Both have mobile apps; Lichess also has studies, an opening explorer, a tablebase and Insights for free.
Many players use more than one site. You can paste a game from anywhere into the ChessMess analysis board and review it free.
Sources
- Chess.com: what each membership level gets (help centre, updated 21 July 2026)
- Chess.com membership prices (prices vary by country)
- Lichess features and Lichess Patron