The best chess analysis tools, compared
The best chess analysis tool depends on your question. For one game: Lichess analysis, chess.com Game Review or Chessigma. For statistics on all your games: chess.com or Lichess Insights. For explanations in words: DecodeChess. For the mistakes you repeat across your games, as lessons: Chess X-Ray or Aimchess.
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Qh5
How it works
- Type your usernamechess.com or Lichess. No password, nothing to install: we read your public games.
- Stockfish reads your gamesYour recent games, every time control, and what each of your moves cost.
- Your repeats come outThe positions you keep reaching, where you play the same losing move again and again.
- You replay them as lessonsYour exact position, your usual move in red, your turn to find better, then the right line and the point to remember.
The tools at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Games read | Sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lichess analysis | One game, free and unlimited | One | Lichess, any PGN |
| chess.com Game Review | One game, the most polished review | One | chess.com |
| Chessigma | Free unlimited reviews and training tools | One; many for members | chess.com, Lichess, PGN |
| DecodeChess | Explanations in plain words | One | PGN, FEN |
| Chess insights tools | Statistics on all your games | All | chess.com or Lichess |
| Aimchess | Skill scores and training | Many | chess.com, Lichess |
| Chess X-Ray | The mistakes you repeat, as lessons | Your recent games | chess.com, Lichess |
| ChessBase | Serious study on desktop | Your database | Any PGN |
Facts checked on each tool’s own website on 2026-10-13. Features change: check their site before you decide. All the tools compared.
To review the game you just played
The Lichess analysis board runs Stockfish on any game, for free and without limit. chess.com Game Review is the most polished: an accuracy score, a label for every move, the key moments and a coach, with one full review a day on a free account. Chessigma copies that format for free and adds puzzles, bots and an opening trainer. The Chess X-Ray game review also runs Stockfish on one game, free.
Read our comparison: chess.com Game Review alternatives.
To understand why a move is good
Engines give a number and a line. DecodeChess turns them into words: threats, plans, what each piece does. It works one game at a time, from a PGN or FEN. Read our comparison: DecodeChess alternative.
To see statistics on all your games
chess.com Insights (Diamond membership) and Lichess Insights (free) turn all your games into charts: openings, accuracy, time, tactics found or missed. chessinsights.xyz does the same for chess.com, free and open source. Read our comparison: Chess insights alternatives.
To find the mistakes you repeat
This is the question that pays back most: a mistake you make every week costs more than any blunder you make once. Aimchess scores you on six skills and builds training from your games. Chess X-Ray finds the exact positions where you keep playing the same losing move, ranks them by what they cost you, and turns the top 10 into lessons you replay. Read our comparison: Aimchess alternative.
For serious study
ChessBase remains the desktop standard for strong players and coaches: databases, deep engine analysis, preparation against a given opponent. It asks more time than an online tool, and gives more back.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free chess analysis tool?
For one game, the Lichess analysis board: Stockfish, free and unlimited. Chessigma and the Chess X-Ray game review are also free for a single game.
Which chess analysis tool reads all my games at once?
chess.com Insights and Lichess Insights give statistics on all your games. Aimchess scores your skills across many games. Chess X-Ray reads your recent games together and shows the positions where you repeat the same mistake.
Which tool explains chess moves in words?
DecodeChess explains engine moves in plain language, one game at a time. chess.com’s Game Review coach also comments on moves. Chess X-Ray gives the right line and one idea to remember for each of your repeated mistakes.
Do you need my chess.com or Lichess password?
No. Chess X-Ray reads your games through the public chess.com or Lichess API, using your username. We never ask for your password and never sign in to your account.
Can I see a Chess X-Ray lesson before I start?
Yes. The streamers’ courses are built exactly like yours, from their public games, and open without an account.
Your blunders are already in your games.
Enter your chess.com or Lichess username: we turn them into lessons you replay until you stop making them.