Openings.gg vs Chessable

Both tools help you learn chess openings with spaced repetition. But they take fundamentally different approaches. Here's an honest comparison to help you decide.

The short version

Choose Openings.gg if you...
  • Want to build your own custom repertoire
  • Learn openings from YouTube videos
  • Already have Lichess studies you want to drill
  • Don't want to pay $30-100 per opening course
  • Want to annotate your own lines with your own notes
Choose Chessable if you...
  • Want GM-authored courses with video explanations
  • Prefer a curated learning path over DIY
  • Need a native mobile app
  • Are willing to pay per course
  • Want the largest library of opening content

Feature-by-feature comparison

Feature
Openings.gg
Chessable
Price
Free tier + $5/mo Pro
Free tier + $7-100+ per course
Custom repertoire lines
Yes — build your own lines
No — must use published courses
YouTube video import
Yes — AI extracts lines from any chess video
No
Lichess study import
Yes — direct OAuth import
No
PGN import
Yes
Yes (via course creation)
Spaced repetition
SM-2 algorithm (Anki-style)
MoveTrainer (proprietary)
Course library
50 built-in openings + your own
Thousands of GM-authored courses
Opening explorer
Built-in Lichess database explorer
No
Engine analysis
On-device Stockfish (no cloud needed)
Cloud engine analysis
Annotations
Per-move annotations on your lines
Author annotations only
Video explanations
No (but import from any video source)
Yes — embedded in courses
Mobile app
Progressive web app (works on any device)
Native iOS and Android apps

Pricing breakdown

Openings.gg has a generous free tier (unlimited Lichess and PGN imports, 3 YouTube imports, up to 5 repertoires). Pro is a flat $5/month for unlimited everything. That's it.

Chessable charges per course. Free "Short & Sweet" courses exist, but the full-length GM courses that most serious players want cost $30-100+ each. A complete opening repertoire (White + Black) can easily run $100-200+. They also offer a Pro membership ($99/year) that unlocks some courses.

If you already have your lines from YouTube, Lichess studies, or your own PGNs, Openings.gg lets you drill them without buying anything. Chessable requires you to use their published courses or create your own (which lacks the import tools Openings.gg provides).

The fundamental difference

Chessable is a marketplace. You buy expert-curated courses and train them. The content is high quality, but you're locked into what's published. Want to train a specific line your coach showed you? A variation from a YouTube video? You can't easily do that.

Openings.gg is a toolkit. Paste a YouTube URL and get drillable lines extracted automatically. Import your Lichess studies with one click. Build exactly the repertoire you want, annotate it with your own notes, and drill it with spaced repetition.

Many players use both: Chessable for deep GM courses in their main openings, and Openings.gg for everything else - the YouTube lines, the coach's recommendations, the Lichess studies, the custom sidelines.

Ready to build your own repertoire?

Import from YouTube, Lichess, or PGN. Drill with spaced repetition. Free to start.