Plychess vs Chess.com vs Lichess vs Chessigma: Which is Better?
A feature-by-feature comparison of the four biggest names in free chess game analysis — daily limits, signup requirements, privacy, and pricing, verified directly on each site.
Plychess is one of the products being compared here — read this as a vendor comparison, not an independent lab test. Every row is individually checkable on each platform's own pricing or help pages; free-tier limits change over time, so verify directly before you decide. Sources are linked at the bottom.
| Feature | Chess.com | Lichess | Chessigma | Plychess |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily game-review limit (free) | 1 / day | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Account required to analyze | Required | Not required | Not required | Not required |
| Engine runs client-side (privacy) | Optional | |||
| MultiPV (multiple candidate lines) | Paid tiers | Limited | (up to 5) | |
| Import Chess.com & Lichess games | Chess.com only | Lichess + PGN | ||
| Dedicated opening guides | Paid explorer | Free explorer (no guides) | (17 guides) | |
| Saved repertoire builder | Paid | (Studies) | (free tier capped at 3) | |
| Ads on free tier | Yes | No (donation-funded) | Not observed | Yes |
| Paid plan starting price | ~$4–15/mo | Free / donation | $14/mo (AI coach) | Pro tier available |
The Verdict for 2026
Chess.com is the best place for community events and live play, but its free Game Review is capped at one game per day — everything past that needs a Diamond membership. Lichess is fully free and open-source with a genuinely excellent opening explorer and no ads, but it doesn't ship dedicated, written opening guides or a repertoire trainer built around spaced repetition. Chessigma matches Plychess on unlimited, no-signup, client-side analysis, and layers on an AI coach (Coach Froggy) behind a $14/mo plan — a genuinely strong competitor worth trying.
Plychess stays fully free for unlimited Stockfish analysis, running entirely in your browser for privacy, and pairs that with 17 written, interactive opening guides and a repertoire builder — without requiring an account to get started.
Sources
- Chess.com free Game Review limit — chess.com support forum and help center, checked July 27, 2026.
- Lichess features and pricing — lichess.org (open-source, donation-funded, no paywalled features).
- Chessigma features and pricing — chessigma.com homepage and pricing page, checked July 27, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chess.com limit free game reviews?
Yes. As of July 27, 2026, Chess.com's free tier includes one Game Review per day; unlimited reviews require a Diamond membership. Plychess, Lichess, and Chessigma do not cap the number of games you can analyze for free.
Which of these tools runs Stockfish entirely in the browser?
Plychess and Chessigma both run Stockfish client-side via WebAssembly, so games never leave your device. Lichess offers a local/WASM analysis option alongside its default cloud evaluation. Chess.com's Game Review runs server-side.
Do any of these require an account to analyze a game?
No — Plychess, Lichess, and Chessigma all let you paste a PGN or pull a game by username without creating an account. Chess.com requires a free account to run Game Review at all.
Is this comparison sponsored or biased?
Plychess is one of the tools being compared, so treat the ratings as a vendor's self-comparison, not an independent audit. Every claim above is individually verifiable — pricing pages and daily limits are linked in the sources below — and we date-stamp the page because free-tier limits change often.
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