Alternatives to Arena Chess GUI
Veteran free GUI for running 250+ chess engines. If that's not for you - or you want to try something different - here are apps that overlap on features and use cases.
8 alternatives at a glance
Ordered by weighted overlap with Arena Chess GUI across use cases, features and platforms - not a quality ranking.
| App | Free tier | Paid from | Offline mode | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scid vs. PC | Free only | Windows, macOS, Linux | ||
| Chess.com | $4.17/mo | Not listed | Web, iOS, Android | |
| Stockfish Chess | Free only | iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, Android | ||
| Lichess | Free only | Web, iOS, Android | ||
| Forward Chess | See review | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS | ||
| Chess Position Trainer | See review | Windows | ||
| ChessBase | €199.90 one-time | Not listed | Windows, Web, macOS | |
| Chessnut Air | $249.99 one-time | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS |
Scid vs. PC
Steven Atkinson and contributors
Open-source database and analysis powerhouse.
Chess.com
Chess.com, LLC
The default home of online chess.
Stockfish Chess
Stockfish contributors (app by Daylen Yang)
The world's strongest engine, free and open source.
Lichess
Lichess (charity)
Free, open-source chess. Forever.
Forward Chess
Forward Chess, LLC
Interactive chess ebook reader with embedded engine.
Chess Position Trainer
Stefan Renzewitz
Veteran flash-card repertoire trainer for desktop.
ChessBase
ChessBase GmbH
The professional's database and analysis suite.
Chessnut Air
Pendo Technology Ltd. (Chessnut)
Affordable electronic board with multi-app support.