ChessMessChessMess vs Chess.com: what's free, what's paid, and which to use
Chess.com's free plan gives 1 game review a day and 1 Coach game a month. ChessMess gives unlimited reviews and coaching free. A fair, sourced comparison.
We 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.
Chess.com is the largest chess site in the world, with a free plan and three paid memberships. ChessMess is a new site where every tool is free. Here's what that means in practice.
Chess.com's plans at a glance
From Chess.com's help centre (updated 21 July 2026):
| Plan | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Basic (free) | 3 puzzles a day, 1 full game review a day, "New to Chess" lessons plus 1 lesson a day, 20+ bots, 1 game against the Coach a month |
| Gold | No ads, unlimited puzzles and lessons, all 100+ bots, unlimited Coach games, full opening explorer |
| Platinum | Unlimited game review and analysis |
| Diamond | Coach explanations on all your moves, Insights, advanced stats and Brilliant moves |
Prices vary by country, so check Chess.com's membership page for yours.
Feature by feature
| ChessMess (free) | Chess.com Basic (free) | Chess.com Diamond (paid) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ads | None | Yes | None |
| Full game reviews | Unlimited | 1 per day | Unlimited |
| Brilliant moves | Yes | No | Yes |
| Explanations on every move | Yes | No | Yes |
| Games with a coach | Unlimited | 1 per month | Unlimited |
| Bots | 19 characters + adaptive + Stockfish | 20+ | 100+ |
| Puzzles | Coming soon | 3 per day | Unlimited |
| Lessons | Coming soon | 1 per day + basics | Unlimited |
| Insights and stats | Game history and ratings | No Insights | Insights |
| Community, tournaments, variants | Small and growing | Huge | Huge |
What ChessMess does better
- Every review, every game. Accuracy, move labels, an evaluation graph, key moments and a performance estimate — for as many games as you play. How Game Review works.
- Coaching on every move, free. The coach grades each move and explains mistakes in plain words, with hints, threat arrows and takebacks. Coach mode.
- No ads and no account needed. Open the site and play. An account is optional.
- Play a friend in seconds by link, 6-digit code or QR code. Play with friends.
- Ten visual worlds, 24 boards and 14 piece sets, all free. Worlds, boards and pieces.
What Chess.com does better
- People. Chess.com has by far the most players, plus tournaments, clubs, variants and events. On ChessMess, until more players join, online games are against AI opponents at your level.
- Puzzles and lessons. Chess.com has a large lesson library and puzzle modes like Puzzle Rush (unlimited with Gold). Ours are coming soon.
- Apps and extras. Mobile apps, star coaches, Insights and an opening explorer.
Can I use both?
Yes, and many players do. Play on Chess.com, then download a game as PGN and paste it into the ChessMess analysis board for a free, unlimited review with explanations.
Sources
- Chess.com: what each membership level gets (updated 21 July 2026)
- Chess.com membership prices
Questions and answers
- How many free game reviews does Chess.com give?
- One full game review per day on the free Basic plan, according to Chess.com's help centre (July 2026). Unlimited reviews start with the Platinum plan.
- Does ChessMess show Brilliant moves for free?
- Yes. Every game review on ChessMess labels moves from Brilliant to Blunder, free and without limits. On Chess.com, Brilliant moves are listed as a Diamond feature.
- Can I review my Chess.com games on ChessMess?
- Yes. Download the game as PGN from Chess.com and paste it into the ChessMess analysis board.
- Is ChessMess a replacement for Chess.com?
- For reviews, coaching and bot games, yes. For a large community, tournaments, puzzles and lessons, Chess.com is ahead today.
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