ET: Legacy 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?
FeatureET: LegacyLichess
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageCScala
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM256 MB4,096 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, binarydocker, source
GitHub stars★ 707★ 18,557
First released20122010
ReplacesWolfenstein: Enemy Territory originalChess.com

Why pick each one

Choose ET: Legacy if…

  • Keeps a classic alive
  • Free and open
ET: Legacy details

Choose Lichess if…

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

Frequently asked questions

Is ET: Legacy or Lichess better?

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

Are ET: Legacy and Lichess free and open-source?

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

Can I run ET: Legacy and Lichess with Docker?

ET: Legacy: yes. Lichess: yes.

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