Which chess opening trainer should you use in 2026?
We make Chessreps. This page says where each tool is the better pick.
For most players learning openings, Chessreps is the pick. It plays like a game, its courses are by titled players and checked against real Lichess games, Arena tests each opening in short rated games, and every course costs $34.99 a year on the web. If you want a famous grandmaster's long book instead, use Chessable. If you'd rather build every move of your repertoire yourself from game data, use Chessbook. If GothamChess videos are how you learn, use Chessly, and if you won't pay anything, use Lichess studies with Listudy or Chessdriller. The pages below compare eleven trainers on how each one teaches, where its lines come from, how it drills you and what it costs.
By Ethan Netz, founder of Chessreps · Updated
Which chess opening trainer is best for you in 2026?
Chessreps for learning openings by playing them, and when Chessable, Chessbook, Chessly or a free tool fits you better.
Which chess opening trainers are free to use in 2026?
What Lichess, Listudy, Chessdriller and Chesstempo give you for nothing, and where each paid app's free plan stops.
Which Chessable alternative should you use in 2026?
Chessreps to learn every course by playing it for one yearly price, the other alternatives by what you want to change, and when to keep Chessable.
Chessreps vs Chessable in 2026: play openings or study them?
Chessreps to learn courses by playing them, all for one price. Chessable for a grandmaster's long book.
Chessreps vs Chessly in 2026: which opening app fits you?
Chessreps for courses by many titled players. Chessly for GothamChess on video.
Chessreps vs Chessbook in 2026: a course or build your own?
Chessreps for lines a titled player has already written. Chessbook to build every move yourself from data.
Chessreps vs Lichess in 2026: which to use for openings?
Chessreps if you'd rather drill lines than write them first. Lichess if free matters most.
How we compare
These pages are written by the people who make Chessreps, so read them as a comparison from someone with a stake in the answer. I'm Ethan Netz, the founder. I've used Chessable, Chessly, Chessbook and Lichess myself, and for the other tools I rely on their own pages.
Every competitor price and feature comes from that product's website, help pages or store listing, and each page lists the links and the date we read them. Store ratings come from the US App Store and the US Google Play store on the same day. No page ranks the tools by number, and each head-to-head page has a section on where the rival is the better pick.
Where we use our own numbers, we publish them in full. Our count of the opening moves in 2.80 billion rated Lichess games, split by rating, is on what chess players actually play at every rating, with the method and a download.
Prices and features change. If something here is out of date, email ethan@chessreps.com, and I'll fix it and change the date on the page.
Chessable, Chessly, Chessbook, Lichess and the other names and logos on this page belong to their owners. Chessreps isn't affiliated with them.
Frequently asked questions
Who makes Chessreps?
Chessreps is made by CHESSREPS, LLC, founded by Ethan Netz. Every comparison says at the top that we make Chessreps, and "How we compare" above explains where each price and feature comes from.
Which chess opening trainer should I use?
For most players learning openings, use Chessreps, where you learn courses by titled players by playing them, for $34.99 a year on the web. If you want a grandmaster's long book instead, use Chessable. Use Chessbook to build your own repertoire from game data, Chessly for GothamChess videos, and Lichess studies with Listudy or Chessdriller to pay nothing. Our guide to every opening trainer covers eleven tools.