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A PlayOK xiangqi alternative
for when you'd rather improve than queue.
PlayOK has been a free home for classic board and card games since 2002, and its xiangqi room does exactly what it says: open a browser, join as a guest or sign up, and play a live opponent within moments, with rankings and game records to follow. Xiangqiful does the other half of the job. You play 40 AI opponents with their own styles, Pikafish reviews every move on your device and names each mistake in xiangqi's own terms, and lessons, drills, and mate problems work on what the review found. You need no account and no connection.
How does Xiangqiful compare to PlayOK?
PlayOK is for a quick online game; Xiangqiful is a training app.
Core purpose
Xiangqiful: Single-player training: play, get every game reviewed, then train what the review found.
PlayOK: Live xiangqi against people, in game rooms, as part of a site with dozens of other classic games.
PlayOK: Live xiangqi against people, in game rooms, as part of a site with dozens of other classic games.
Getting started
Xiangqiful: Install, open, and play, with no account at any point. The first 10 of the 40 opponents are free, and 80 lessons begin with the board and the pieces.
PlayOK: Open the page in any browser and play as a guest, or sign up for free to keep a profile, stats, and game records.
PlayOK: Open the page in any browser and play as a guest, or sign up for free to keep a profile, stats, and game records.
Analysis & coaching
Xiangqiful: Pikafish grades every move from best to blunder, with accuracy for both sides, and names mistakes in xiangqi terms: a screenless cannon, a trapped horse, broken advisors, a missed Iron Bolt mate.
PlayOK: Rankings, stats, and game records; engine analysis and coaching are not among the listed features.
PlayOK: Rankings, stats, and game records; engine analysis and coaching are not among the listed features.
Puzzles & lessons
Xiangqiful: 902 mate problems from mate-in-1 to mate-in-7, 150+ drills in nine modules, and 80 lessons in 8 tracks.
PlayOK: Not the focus. PlayOK links to the rules and gets you into a game.
PlayOK: Not the focus. PlayOK links to the rules and gets you into a game.
Offline & privacy
Xiangqiful: Works offline, with no account, ads, or tracking. The app collects no data.
PlayOK: Online only. Guest play needs no sign-up; an account adds profiles, contact lists, and private messaging.
PlayOK: Online only. Guest play needs no sign-up; an account adds profiles, contact lists, and private messaging.
Price & platforms
Xiangqiful: Free; Premium $1.99/month or $9.99/year (each with a 7-day free trial), or $19.99 once. On iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
PlayOK: Free. Plays in the browser, on desktop or mobile.
PlayOK: Free. Plays in the browser, on desktop or mobile.
| Feature | Xiangqiful | PlayOK |
|---|---|---|
| Core mechanic | Play, review, and train against 40 AI opponents | Live games against people in game rooms |
| Online play against people | No (intentional) | Yes |
| Works offline | Yes, everything runs on device | No |
| Account | None | Optional, guest play available |
| Engine analysis of your games | Pikafish on device, every game | Not a listed feature |
| Mistakes named in xiangqi terms | Yes | No |
| Mate problems, drills, lessons | 902 / 150+ / 80 | Not the focus |
| Rankings & stats | Estimated rating; skill profile, weakness trends, and this week against last (Premium); optional Game Center leaderboards | Yes, rankings and extensive stats |
| Other games | Xiangqi only (siblings: Chessful, Shogiful) | Dozens of board and card games |
| Price | Free; Premium $1.99/mo or $9.99/yr (each with a 7-day free trial), or $19.99 lifetime | Free |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, and Mac | Web browser, desktop or mobile |
| Best for | Finding out why you lose, and fixing it | A quick live game against a person, from any browser |
PlayOK details were checked on 1 October 2026 against its public xiangqi page (playok.com/en/xiangqi) and can change, so check the site for current features before relying on them.
Our verdict: PlayOK for a game, Xiangqiful for the lesson
Pick Xiangqiful if you want…
- Every game reviewed by Pikafish, with each mistake named in xiangqi terms
- Lessons, drills, and mate problems that follow your weaknesses
- Western and hybrid piece sets while you learn the characters
- Works offline, with no account or ads, and nothing collected
- Versions for iPhone, iPad, and Mac
Pick PlayOK if you want…
- A live opponent within moments, no install needed
- Guest play without signing up
- Rankings and stats against real people
- Lots of other classic games on the same site, free
For a quick game against a person, PlayOK is hard to beat; for working out what to do differently next time, use Xiangqiful.
About Xiangqiful
Questions
FAQ
What is a good PlayOK xiangqi alternative?
It depends on what you're after. For more games against people, Xiangqi.com, PyChess, and Club Xiangqi are the other free online options. If you want to improve, Xiangqiful is an iPhone, iPad, and Mac app that reviews every game you play against its 40 AI opponents with the Pikafish engine, names each mistake in xiangqi terms, and builds drills and mate problems from what you missed. It works offline, with no account.
Can I play people on Xiangqiful like on PlayOK?
No. Xiangqiful has no multiplayer and no online play, by design. You play 40 AI opponents in eight tiers, from Novice to Master, each with its own style, on Xiangqiful's own strength scale (not Elo). The first 10 are free with unlimited games, Premium opens all 40, and beating an opponent twice marks it defeated.
Does PlayOK analyze xiangqi games?
PlayOK's xiangqi page lists rankings, stats, profiles, and game records; engine analysis is not among its listed features. Xiangqiful analyzes every game on your device with Pikafish, grading each move from best to blunder and naming mistakes such as a screenless cannon, a trapped horse, or a missed Iron Bolt mate.
Is Xiangqiful free like PlayOK?
Xiangqiful is free to download and its free tier has no time limit: unlimited games against the first 10 of its 40 opponents, all 80 lessons, the first drill set in every drill module, 2 game analyses, 3 training puzzles, and 2 coach hints a day, with no ads. Premium is $1.99/month or $9.99/year (each with a 7-day free trial), or $19.99 once. All three Premium plans support Family Sharing. PlayOK is free, so on price alone PlayOK wins.
Can I learn xiangqi from zero in Xiangqiful?
Yes. The 80 lessons in 8 tracks start with the board and the pieces, and the opponent ladder starts in the Novice tier with a kid who has just learned the moves. If the characters on the pieces put you off, start with the western-symbol set or the hybrid set, which shows each symbol with its character.
Can I analyze my PlayOK games in Xiangqiful?
If you have a game's moves as WXF or ICCS movetext, you can import it into Xiangqiful and analyze it like any other game. Other formats such as XQF are not supported.
Try it
Open Xiangqiful
After the game, find out why it went the way it did. Free to try, with no account, and it works offline.
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