The best chess app depends on whether you want to play, learn or analyse. Look at how easily you find opponents your level, what training is free, and how good the analysis tools are. Ten apps follow in no particular order, from big platforms to small training tools, plus a simple improvement routine.
Chess has never been easier to play. You can find an opponent in seconds at any hour, solve puzzles on the bus and have an engine explain your mistakes afterwards. The hard part is choosing, because the apps overlap and each one wants you to stay inside it.
The ten below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and several are small independent or open source projects. Each description comes from the app's own website or store listing, re-checked today. If you'd rather play without a connection, my list of offline chess and board games for Android covers that.
Chess apps compared
In the free plan column, Yes means the app's own site or store listing describes a free app or free tier, Trial only means a time-limited trial and No means neither is stated. Free chess apps often limit lessons or analysis, with a membership for more.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aimchess | Game analysis coach | Personal improvement reports | Yes |
| Chess Tempo | Tactics training site | Rated tactics and endgames | Yes |
| Chess.com | Play and learn platform | Playing opponents at any hour | Yes |
| ChessBase | Chess database software | Opening prep with master databases | No |
| Chessify | Cloud engine analysis | Strong engine analysis in the cloud | Yes |
| ChessKid | Kids chess platform | Children learning safely | Yes |
| Chessvision.ai | Position scanner app | Scanning positions from books and screens | Yes |
| DecodeChess | AI chess explainer | Explanations in plain language | Yes |
| Lichess | Open source chess server | Ad-free play with every feature | Yes |
| Listudy | Spaced repetition trainer | Memorising your opening repertoire | Yes |
Ten chess apps and tools
Aimchess
Best for: Club players who want their online games analysed and a weekly plan built around their real weaknesses.
Chess Tempo
Best for: Serious improvers who want rated tactics, endgame training and a big game database in one place.
Chess.com
Best for: Players who want a quick game against someone their level at any time, plus lessons and puzzles.
ChessBase
Best for: Tournament players preparing openings who want deep database search and engine analysis on a Windows PC.
Chessify
Best for: Anyone on a modest laptop who wants strong cloud engines and a board scanner without heavy software.
ChessKid
Best for: Parents and schools who want children to learn and play chess online with child-safe settings.
Chessvision.ai
Best for: Readers of chess books who want to scan a diagram or screen and analyse that position straight away.
DecodeChess
Best for: Improvers who find raw engine lines confusing and want the reasons behind the best move explained in words.
Lichess
Best for: Fans of open source who want every feature for free, with no adverts, from puzzles to tournaments and analysis.
Listudy
Best for: Players who keep forgetting their openings and want spaced repetition drills built from their own repertoire.
The phone rule at over-the-board events
If online chess leads you to a club or tournament, there's one rule worth knowing early. Article 11.3.2 of the FIDE Laws of Chess says that during a game a player is forbidden to have any electronic device not specifically approved by the arbiter in the playing venue, although an event's rules may allow a switched-off device stored in a bag.
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What that means for you: when you move from apps to real boards, switch your phone off and put it away before the clocks start. A ringing phone can lose you the game, however well you're playing.
Play, train or analyse: what each kind of app does
Playing platforms match you with opponents and add puzzles, lessons and tournaments. Training tools focus on one job, such as rated tactics, openings or spaced repetition, and they're often made by small teams. Analysis tools take a position or a whole game and show where it went wrong, sometimes in plain language rather than engine lines.
Most players do best with one playing app and one training tool. Use the first for games and the second for twenty focused minutes a day.
A simple routine to improve with an app
- Play a few longer games each week rather than lots of very fast ones.
- After each game, find your biggest mistake before turning on the engine.
- Then use the analysis to check whether you were right.
- Do a short set of tactics puzzles most days.
- Learn one opening for white and one reply for black, and stick with them.
- Review your losses once a month to spot patterns.
Keeping chess fun as you improve
- Mix in puzzles. Short tactics keep the pattern-spotting sharp; logic puzzles for a sharper mind do a similar job.
- Play people as well as engines. Real opponents make human mistakes you can learn to punish.
- Try team games. Co-op board games are a gentle way to get friends playing together.
- Take breaks after losses. Tilt is real, and one more game rarely fixes it.
Do you make a chess app? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice for choosing a chess app
If you're starting out, pick a free app with lessons and opponents at your level, and play slower games so you've time to think. If you've played for years, add a training tool for tactics or openings and use it for a short spell each day.
For children, choose a platform built for kids with safe chat settings. And for anyone heading to a club, practise on a real board too; seeing the pieces in three dimensions feels very different from a screen.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free chess app?
Several apps here are free to play with optional memberships, and one is a free, open source server with every feature included.
Which chess app is best for beginners?
Choose one with lessons, puzzles and matchmaking at your level, so you're not crushed in every game.
Can a chess app explain my mistakes?
Some analysis tools explain the reasons behind engine moves in plain language, which helps more than a list of variations.
Is there a safe chess app for children?
Yes. Some platforms are built for kids, with child-safe settings and lessons designed for younger players.
Can I use my phone during a chess tournament?
No. FIDE's Laws say you can't have an electronic device in the playing venue unless the arbiter approves it.
How do I scan a chess position from a book?
Some apps let you photograph a diagram or screen and then analyse that exact position.
