EasyWI 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?
FeatureEasyWILichess
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguagePHPScala
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM512 MB4,096 MB
Deploymentbare-metaldocker, source
GitHub stars★ 246★ 18,557
First released20232010
ReplacesChess.com

Why pick each one

Choose EasyWI if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Written in PHP
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
EasyWI details

Choose Lichess if…

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

Frequently asked questions

Is EasyWI or Lichess better?

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

Are EasyWI and Lichess free and open-source?

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

Can I run EasyWI and Lichess with Docker?

EasyWI: check the project docs for container support. Lichess: yes.

Related comparisons