Your own games · On-device Stockfish · No account
A Magnus Trainer alternative
that teaches from your own games.
Magnus Trainer turns lessons by Magnus Carlsen and a team of Grandmasters into bite-sized games with three-star scoring, and it asks you to sign in with a Chess.com account. Chessful has no account and teaches from your own games. Play its 40 opponents from 400 to 2400 Elo, or import games you played elsewhere, and Stockfish checks every move on your device. Each mistake is explained in plain language and comes back as a puzzle in your daily training. The 156 lessons are free.
How does Chessful compare to Magnus Trainer?
Both aim at players who want to improve. They differ in how they teach and what they cost.
Training source
Chessful: Today's Training builds a 5, 10, or 15 minute session from the mistakes in your analysed games, and spaced repetition brings misses back.
Magnus Trainer: 250+ pre-authored lessons by Magnus Carlsen and a team of Grandmasters, in a curriculum from foundations through endgames.
Magnus Trainer: 250+ pre-authored lessons by Magnus Carlsen and a team of Grandmasters, in a curriculum from foundations through endgames.
Lessons and content
Chessful: 156 free lessons, 15,000 puzzles in 53 themes, and 96 endgames against Stockfish. No named-coach content.
Magnus Trainer: Carlsen's name is the main draw, with bite-sized games and three-star scoring.
Magnus Trainer: Carlsen's name is the main draw, with bite-sized games and three-star scoring.
Account requirement
Chessful: No account.
Magnus Trainer: Chess.com account required (acquired by Chess.com / Play Magnus Group in 2022).
Magnus Trainer: Chess.com account required (acquired by Chess.com / Play Magnus Group in 2022).
Offline support
Chessful: Playing, analysis, lessons, puzzles, and endgames work offline. Purchases and Game Center need a connection.
Magnus Trainer: Cloud-backed, with an account login required.
Magnus Trainer: Cloud-backed, with an account login required.
Pricing
Chessful: Free with daily limits, or Premium at $2.99/mo or $17.99/yr (each with a 7-day free trial), or $29.99 lifetime.
Magnus Trainer: Free with IAPs. Premium costs $4.49 to $74.99/yr, or $299.99 lifetime.
Magnus Trainer: Free with IAPs. Premium costs $4.49 to $74.99/yr, or $299.99 lifetime.
Platforms
Chessful: iPhone, iPad, and Mac with Apple silicon (Universal Purchase).
Magnus Trainer: iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision.
Magnus Trainer: iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision.
Which one fits how you want to train
Pick Chessful if you want…
- Training that targets the mistakes you actually make
- Each mistake explained in plain language, worded for your level
- Your Chess.com or Lichess games reviewed from a PGN export
- 40 opponents from 400 to 2400 Elo, each with a play style
- No account, and a $29.99 lifetime option
Pick Magnus Trainer if you want…
- Lessons curated by Magnus Carlsen and Grandmasters
- Gamified bite-sized lessons with three-star scoring and mini-games
- Theory courses on foundations, openings, the middlegame, and endgames
- A famous name to keep you motivated
- To stay inside the Chess.com ecosystem, or to train on Apple Vision Pro
About Chessful
Questions
FAQ
What is the best Magnus Trainer alternative for iPhone?
Chessful suits a player who wants to learn from their own games without signing in to anything. Magnus Trainer ships 250+ pre-authored lessons by Magnus Carlsen and Grandmasters and requires a Chess.com account. Chessful has no account: you play its 40 opponents or import your games, Stockfish analyses them on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, each mistake is explained in plain language, and your daily training is built from those mistakes, with spaced review of the ones you miss.
Does Chessful have lessons by Magnus Carlsen?
No. Chessful has no celebrity content and no lessons by named Grandmasters. It has 156 lessons of its own, all free, from the board itself through checkmates, tactics, openings, endgames, thinking, and strategy. Its training comes from your own games: each mistake is tagged with one of 10 types, such as Hanging Piece, Missed Fork, Poor King Safety, or Endgame Error, and becomes a puzzle in your daily session.
How much does Chessful cost compared to Magnus Trainer?
Chessful is free with daily limits: 2 analyses, 3 puzzles, and 2 coach hints a day, the first 10 opponents, and all 156 lessons. Premium removes the limits for $2.99/month or $17.99/year, each with a 7-day free trial, or $29.99 once for lifetime access. Magnus Trainer is free with in-app purchases: Premium subscriptions from $4.49 to $74.99 a year and a $299.99 lifetime option.
Does Chessful need an account like Magnus Trainer?
No. Chessful has no sign-up and asks for no personal information. Purchases go through your Apple Account, and Restore Purchases brings Premium back on your other devices. Your games and progress stay on each device and don't sync. Magnus Trainer requires a Chess.com account (Chess.com / Play Magnus Group has owned it since 2022), and lesson progress and member content sit behind that account.
Can I use both Magnus Trainer and Chessful?
Yes, because they do different jobs. Magnus Trainer is a curriculum: you work through Carlsen's lessons and courses taught by named Grandmasters. Chessful fixes what goes wrong in your own games. When you keep losing the same way, those mistakes become the puzzles in your training, and spaced review brings back the ones you miss.
Try it
Open Chessful
Training built from the games you actually lose.
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