Chess.com Subscription Cost

In that drop down list choose "custom" here on chess.com and you can pick any time control.

This entire thread can be summed up as follows:

"It would be nice if there were other subscriptions options in addition to 1 month or 1 year.  Not making other options available is regrettable, but ultimately the decision of the site owners."  

The one year option is the same as what video rental stores used to charge as a late fee.  The entire business model is predicated on you not returning videos on time and in Chess.com's case, not using the entire year.  In other words, they're counting on it.  

Is that unethical?  No.  They promise a service and they provide it.  

      To jdcannon; I'm with you sir; for what you get, its a bargain. I made the mistake last weekend of mentioning that I would pay $30 a month to get rid of the rude trools, and it became a bidding war. A hr later, somepeople wanted to pay $300 to get me off. I was waiting for Eric to drop the hammer, and say, SOLD!

I agree. But for me, I just want to choose the time of day. I have to sleep sometimes, I am wasting my money away if I don't actually make use of what I pay for.

I like ICC a lot. I've subbed there in the past and really enjoyed it. I'm debating whether or not to sign up for another month now that I'm playing chess again. That's kind of what led to my creating this thread: I'm trying to decide where to subscribe and Chess.com is the most expensive option out there. 

Try both for a month, and see which you like better! ICC has a free trial, and chess.com has a 30-day money back guarantee. If you do this, I would love to hear about it.

TheArtofWar82, the main difference for me in favour of chess.com is Chess Mentor, which is unique.

On ICC I can watch Dan Heisman's videos and the pool of players is very strong (which doesn't really matters to me), and all of them are paying members, which means fewer cheaters. There's probably more than that, but I am new on ICC.

If you are a beginner or intermediate player, I would advise you to try Chess Mentor. Follow one of the Study Plans available and take at least 5 hours of Chess Mentor a week. The only thing better than Chess Mentor online is a coach.

My choice? Both of them, if I had to choose, chess.com hands down, because I am learning and want to have the best tools available!

PS: ICC lets you play for a month, but that's about the only thing you can do, forget about the videos unless you pay.

What about a daily or hourly rate?  I'd pay 10 cents for 1 hour membership.  :-)

To pay for my diamond membership, I put all my loose change in a jug. When it gets fairly heavy, I cash it in at the bank and stop at the post office on the way home for a money order that gets sent out immediately. You don't even notice the absence of loose change from your budget, and all of a sudden you have a membership fee.

As to the comparison of chess.com vs. ICC, I have belonged to both. I could NEVER figure out the interface of ICC. It was unattractive and intimidating, and I never really enjoyed it. Yes, it's got some great features, but give me chess.com any day.

Ha! That is too funny.

I actually could afford the $100 1yr fee but choose to do the 14/month because I feel like the site deserves the extra money.

As far as the price options, I would assume based on the math that most users must keep a Pemium Membership for less than 7 months. Essentially, the 100$/yr is the same as paying for 14$/month for 7 months and getting the rest of the year free.

If we assume that the average premium account is held for 6 months: then by offering a full year for 100$ then chess.com has essentially guaruenteed themselves an extra month on average for everyone who pays the 100$, Netting Chess.com an extra $16 bucks.

If the avg permium account is held for longer than 7 months than Chess.com is actually cheating themselves by offering a year at $100.

Its makes for Chess.com to attempt to lengthen their average subscription as it increases revenue. Increased revenue for Chess.com is good for Chess.com users. It means 1.) the site stays! 2.) they have more money to add features and content. I bet Danny ain't funny for free. :) and I know servers aren't cheap.

Main reason why I went diamond.

Actually, I fully agree. I think that Chess Mentor is the most important tool available here. Is it worth $14 a month? Perhaps. 

And yes...ICC has really gone the route of microtransactions lately. They're selling all sorts of video lessons for $5 - $15 a piece now. 

That is a fair request that I would agree with. What would be a reasonable price point for a 6-month "activate by the month" that you would be willing to pay? As long as you recognize that it will be more than $50, I think you have a good idea that chess.com might consider.

Me to this is the best site ever it is good walue for the many..

They should have tournaments on here where subscription time is offered as a prize. 

And if you look at the difference between the Diamond price and the Platinum, chess.com agrees.

You can lower your annual price from $100 to $50 simply by limiting your self to only 5 Chess Montors/Day and limited "Computer Analysis".

The computer analysis isn't bad for beginners either because it actually explains what you should have done differently as opposed to using a more advanced engine for analysis where it's just going to offer alternative moves and lines. 

nobody is giving serious lessons for $3

The more you use, the more fun you have and hopefully the better at chess you become. Are those rewards not enough?

That is a great breakdown. I even think the 24 month could be $150.