Gameap vs Lichess

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureGameapLichess
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseMITAGPL-3.0
LanguageGoScala
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM512 MB4,096 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, source
GitHub stars★ 43★ 18,557
First released20142010
ReplacesAMP, TCAdminChess.com

Why pick each one

Choose Gameap if…

  • Mature panel
  • Free and open
Gameap details

Choose Lichess if…

  • Full-featured chess platform
  • Completely ad-free
Lichess details

Frequently asked questions

Is Gameap or Lichess better?

Neither is universally better. Lichess has the larger community, while Gameap is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Gameap and Lichess free and open-source?

Yes. Gameap is licensed under MIT and Lichess under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Gameap and Lichess with Docker?

Gameap: yes. Lichess: yes.

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