The Best Chess ELO Platforms!

Hello everyone! I am very excited to present you the top ten chess ELO platforms based on different things.

Here are the Top 10 most popular chess ELO/rating platforms based on active user base, reputation, and rating systems used:

🏆 Top 10 Chess Rating Platforms (2025)
Rank
Platform
Rating System Used
Key Features
1️⃣
Chess.com
Glicko-1
Largest global user base, variety of time controls, lessons, and events.
2️⃣
Lichess.org
Glicko-2
Free, open-source, ad-free, very strong engine support, clean UI.
3️⃣
FIDE Online Arena
Elo (FIDE variant)
Official FIDE ratings and titles (e.g., Arena GM), FIDE-endorsed platform.
4️⃣
Chess24
Elo (approximate)
Strong on live events, Grandmaster commentary, Chessable integration.
5️⃣
Internet Chess Club (ICC)
Elo
Historically popular, known for strong player base, now more niche.
6️⃣
Free Internet Chess Server (FICS)
Glicko-1
Long-running community server, free to use, less commercial.
7️⃣
Playchess.com (by ChessBase)
Elo
Strong with database tools and integration with ChessBase software.
8️⃣
GameKnot
Elo-like
Correspondence-style chess, no time pressure, community-driven.
9️⃣
Red Hot Pawn
Elo-like
Forum-based correspondence chess, slower pace, active community.
🔟
ChessTempo
Custom system
Focus on tactics training, endgame training, and puzzle-based rating.
 
📌 Notes:
Chess.com and Lichess are by far the most active, with millions of daily games played.
FIDE Online Arena is the only platform where online games affect your official FIDE rating.
Chess24, ICC, and Playchess are more popular among serious tournament players and those who follow live events.
Correspondence sites (GameKnot, Red Hot Pawn) appeal to users who prefer slower, deeper games with no clocks.

Here’s a ranking of the Top Chess Platforms by User Population:

🏆 Top Chess Platforms by Population
Rank
Platform
Estimated Users
Notes
1️⃣
Chess.com
~200 million
World's largest chess platform; ~11M daily active users.
2️⃣
Lichess.org
~10–15 million
Free, open-source; ~5M games daily; no ads.
3️⃣
FIDE Online Arena
~730,000
Only platform with official online FIDE ratings.
4️⃣
Chess24
~500,000+ (est.)
Strong in live events, videos, GM content; now under Chess.com.
5️⃣
Internet Chess Club (ICC)
~100,000+ (est.)
Historically elite; now niche with loyal base.
6️⃣
Free Internet Chess Server (FICS)
~50,000+ (est.)
Oldest free server; open-source spirit, less modern.
7️⃣
Playchess.com
~50,000+ (est.)
Tied to ChessBase; database access; less active in recent years.
8️⃣
GameKnot
~40,000+ (est.)
Correspondence-focused; casual, slower-paced games.
9️⃣
Red Hot Pawn
~30,000+ (est.)
Forum-based, slow-play community site.
🔟
CircleChess
~60,000
Newer platform from India; AI tools; mobile-focused.
 
📝 Notes:
Exact numbers for platforms below the top 3 are often estimates or based on older figures, as not all sites disclose statistics.
Platforms like ChessTempo and Chessable are growing fast, but are not traditional playing platforms (more training/puzzle-oriented).
Chess.com and Lichess dominate by a wide margin both in user base and active play.

Now, here is a ranking list based on the number of active members:

Top Chess Platforms by Active Users
Rank
Platform
Active Users (Daily/Monthly)
Notes
1️⃣
Chess.com
~11 million daily active users;
over 20 million games per day; monthly active estimated ~57 million (as of May 2024)
Vastest active community globally
2️⃣
Lichess.org
~4 million monthly active users (Jan 2023);
all-time peak ~147,000 concurrent users
Strong and growing community, especially for free play
3️⃣
FIDE Online Arena
Only ~600 players online at a time; peak weekly ~5,000 total players
Active user base is very small and declining
4️⃣
Free Internet Chess Server (FICS)
Historically ~50,000 active players in 2016; ~900 concurrent users around 2012–2014
Smaller, volunteer-run, long-established server
5️⃣
Internet Chess Club (ICC)
"Hundreds to ~900 players online at any given time" (as of 2020)
Niche but still maintains a loyal community
6️⃣
Chess24 (now closed)
Approx. 7,000 concurrent viewers (not players) during streams
Platform closed Jan 2024 — active user data only applies to archived or streaming content
 
Highlights & Context
Chess.com: Dominates the landscape with ~11 million daily active users and over 20 million games played daily. Its monthly active user base was around 57 million in May 2024
Lichess: While exact active counts are less reported, a Reddit mention puts it at around 4 million monthly actives in early 2023, with peaks hitting ~147,000 concurrent users. Still, it remains the second-largest platform by activity.
FIDE Online Arena: Once touted for its official FIDE titles and anti-cheating systems—but user engagement has dwindled significantly, with only ~600 online at peak times and total weekly players around 5,000.
FICS: Though hosting up to 50,000 active players in 2016 and around 900 concurrent users in earlier years, traffic today is far lower.
ICC: Still occasionally used, with reports of hundreds to ~900 users online as recently as 2020.
Chess24: Closed its player platform in January 2024 and has since been sunsetted. Prior active metrics mostly referred to streaming viewership rather than player activity.
 
Summary Ranking (by Active User Base)
Chess.com — ~11M daily, ~57M monthly
Lichess.org — ~4M monthly, up to ~147K concurrent
FIDE Online Arena — ~600–5,000 concurrent/week
FICS — Historically ~50K active, ~900 concurrent
ICC — ~100–900 concurrent
Chess24 — Platform closed; was streaming, not play-based

Hoping to have a new information for the next time to give you,

@IshaanJRagesh