Slay the Spire vs Lichess
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
It's close: Slay the Spire edges it 9.0 to 8.9, so the right pick depends on what you need. Slay the Spire wins on 2 of the 5 scores, Lichess on 2, with 1 tied.
Strategy fans who enjoy planning a deck one careful pick at a time
Chess players who want serious tools without ads or subscriptions
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Slay the Spire | Lichess |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Card & Board Games | Card & Board Games |
| Category rank | #2 of 8 | #3 of 8 |
| Developer | Mega Crit | Lichess.org |
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| Usable for free | No | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | — |
| Windows | ✓ | — |
| Linux | ✓ | — |
| Web | — | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Slay the Spire better than Lichess?
It's close: Slay the Spire edges it 9.0 to 8.9, so the right pick depends on what you need. Slay the Spire wins on 2 of the 5 scores, Lichess on 2, with 1 tied.
Which is cheaper, Slay the Spire or Lichess?
Slay the Spire: $9.99 once on iOS and Android; Slay the Spire+ is included with Apple Arcade. Lichess: Completely free; funded by donations, with no ads or paid features. On value for money, Lichess scores higher.
Do Slay the Spire and Lichess work on the same devices?
Only Slay the Spire runs on Windows, Mac, Linux. Only Lichess runs on Web.
Which is more private, Slay the Spire or Lichess?
Slay the Spire scores higher on privacy (9.8/10). App Store label: Data Not Collected. The developer says the iOS version collects no data, so nothing is tracked or linked to you.
Strengths and weaknesses
Slay the Spire
- Deep strategy in every card pick
- No ads, no purchases and no data collection
- A fresh layout, enemies and bosses each run
- Updates are infrequent on mobile
- A steep learning curve for newcomers
Slay the Spire is the deckbuilder most others are measured against, and the mobile version holds up. Each climb offers new cards, relics and branching paths, so you're constantly weighing risk against reward, and no two runs play alike. It's a premium port with no ads, nothing extra to buy and no data collected. Updates are rare now, and the art is functional rather than pretty.
Full Slay the Spire review
Lichess
- Everything is free, with no ads or premium tier
- Open source and funded by donations
- Strong analysis and puzzles that work offline
- Fewer structured lessons than paid rivals
- The interface feels plainer than Chess.com's
Lichess gives you everything most chess apps charge for, and asks for nothing. Play live or correspondence games, join arena tournaments, grind themed puzzles or Puzzle Storm, and analyze games with the latest Stockfish, all without ads or a paywall. Offline bots now include Maia, which plays more like a human. The app is younger than Chess.com's and lighter on lessons, but it improves every few weeks.
Full Lichess review
