Armagetron Advanced 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?
FeatureArmagetron AdvancedLichess
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-2.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageC++Scala
Setup difficultyEasyHard
Min. RAM128 MB4,096 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binary, sourcedocker, source
GitHub stars★ 250★ 18,557
First released20012010
ReplacesTronChess.com

Why pick each one

Choose Armagetron Advanced if…

  • Tiny resource footprint
  • Easy to host
Armagetron Advanced details

Choose Lichess if…

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

Frequently asked questions

Is Armagetron Advanced or Lichess better?

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

Are Armagetron Advanced and Lichess free and open-source?

Yes. Armagetron Advanced is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Lichess under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Armagetron Advanced and Lichess with Docker?

Armagetron Advanced: check the project docs for container support. Lichess: yes.

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