Best Chess Bot?

🔍 Top Chess Bots / Engines
Bot / Engine
What it's especially good at
Trade-offs / What to watch out for Stockfish
Probably the best all-rounder. Very strong, open source, super accurate. It’s used for analysis and serious engine matches. 
Because it’s super precise, it can be brutal — small mistakes get punished. Might feel less “human-like” in style. Also needs decent hardware for max strength.
Leela Chess Zero (lc0)
Neural network based, plays more intuitively / positionally than brute force. Amazing for seeing different ideas, strange plans. 
Needs GPU / good hardware to run at high strength; sometimes misses super sharp tactical things because its search style is different. Can be slower in certain time controls.
AlphaZero
The legend: learned purely via self-play, very creative. Its games are inspiring for “style” and strategy. 
Not public / not freely usable in the same way as Stockfish / lc0 for most people. Hardware + access is a thing. Also, because it’s more about style, sometimes sacrifices or weird lines that are risky.
Komodo
Strong with a good mix of positional understanding & tactical awareness. Good for variety so you don’t always play against “cold engine strength.” Chess.com+1
It’s commercial/licensed sometimes, less “free” than others. Also may not be as dominating as Stockfish in raw calculation power.
Custom bots / “player style” bots (on chess.com, Lichess, etc.)
Good for training: bots that mimic human weaknesses, style, and typical mistakes. If you want more realistic practice (not always perfect moves), these are better.
They often aren’t consistent: sometimes they play weaker than their “rating,” they can blunder weirdly or just make odd moves. But that’s part of the charm (and realism).
 
🎯 Which Bot is Best Depending on Your Goal
If you want to learn & improve: Use a mix. For example, play some games vs bots like Stockfish at lower strength, then analyze with lc0 or Stockfish in analysis mode. Use “style bots” to practice defending weird attacks.
For analysis / puzzles / post-game review: Stockfish or lc0. Use them in analysis mode so you see what the engine thinks are best moves.
For fun / variety / creativity: Bots like lc0 or those that mimic human style open up surprising moves. You’ll see ideas you wouldn’t expect.
For tournament prep: Use the strongest engine you can access, with familiar opening books, so you’re preparing for “perfect” play (so when you face humans, you can spot where they deviate).