ChessHelper Extension Review: Honest Pros, Cons and Pricing

ChessHelper (chesshelper.ai) is the extension we rank first for learning and analysis: it draws engine suggestions, an evaluation bar and alternative lines on Chess.com and Lichess boards, and lets you set the engine anywhere from 800 to 3200 Elo. It is also our own product. This review states plainly what it does well, what it does badly, and how to use it within the rules.

What ChessHelper is

ChessHelper is a Chrome extension with a companion website. On the Chrome Web Store it is listed as "ChessHelper.ai", version 1.0.10, updated November 7, 2026, with 5,000 users on the day we checked. The store files it under "Just for Fun" and notes that it offers in-app purchases. It works on two sites only: Chess.com and Lichess.

Once installed and connected to a ChessHelper account, it analyzes the position on a supported board and shows the result as an overlay: arrows for suggested moves, an evaluation bar, and alternative lines. The website adds a dashboard with game history, move-by-move analytics and a rating progression chart, plus opening pages (Sicilian Defense, Italian Game, London System, French Defense, Ruy Lopez and Caro-Kann Defense) and beginner and intermediate guides.

Your ChessHelper account is separate from your chess accounts. The site's FAQ says one ChessHelper account can be used with several Chess.com or Lichess accounts and that they are not linked.

The feature that sets it apart: adjustable strength

Most analysis tools show full-strength engine output. That is correct but often unhelpful: a full-strength engine will happily recommend a move whose point only appears eight moves later. ChessHelper lets you pick a target strength from 800 to 3200 Elo for its suggestions. A 1100-rated player can set it to around 1400 to 1600 and see moves that follow ideas they can actually absorb, then raise the setting as they improve.

We think this is the right way to use an engine for learning, and it is the main reason ChessHelper ranks first on our list. The setting is a learning aid, not a measure of accuracy: lower settings deliberately do not show the strongest move in every position, so when you need the objective truth about a position, set it high or check with full-strength analysis.

Alternative lines in practice

Seeing several candidate moves side by side teaches more than a single arrow. The position below comes from the Two Knights Defense, a common opening at club level. Black has just been asked to choose after 5.exd5.

A tool that shows only the top move would display 5...Na5 and stop. Seeing the three best options together tells a fuller story: the knight move to the rim is best because it hits the bishop on c4, while the instinctive recapture 5...Nxd5 does not appear among the top choices, and the reason is the sacrifice 6.Nxf7, known as the Fried Liver Attack. Lines like these, checked against the engine on an analysis board after a game, are where an analysis extension earns its place.

Pricing

Prices as listed on chesshelper.ai in November 2026:

The introductory prices are available once per user, and subscriptions are managed and canceled through a Stripe customer portal in the account settings, with access kept until the end of the paid period. One honest criticism: in November 2026 the pricing section on chesshelper.ai listed both "3 games per day" and "Unlimited games" under the Free plan. The store listing is clearer: free is limited, Pro is unlimited.

Compared with the alternatives, the free tier is tight. If you only want full-strength analysis of finished Chess.com games, Chess.com Analysis at Lichess or Free Chess Analysis sends them to the free Lichess board without any limit.

Permissions and privacy

We read the manifest of version 1.0.10. ChessHelper requests site access to chess.com, lichess.org and chesshelper.ai, and the API permissions activeTab, storage and notifications. The install prompt therefore shows read-and-change access for the two chess sites and "Display notifications". It does not request access to all websites, your browsing history, your clipboard or your other extensions.

The store's privacy section says ChessHelper handles user activity data. That fits a product with a game history dashboard, but it is more than the bridge extensions collect, several of which declare no data collection at all. If you prefer analysis that never leaves your computer, Chess Review runs Stockfish inside your browser and declares no data collection. Our safety guide explains each permission.

Settings to keep off

The Chrome Web Store listing also describes autoplay and a "human-like" mode. Keep both off in any game against a person: on Chess.com and Lichess any software help during play is outside help, rated or unrated. They are not part of how we recommend using ChessHelper, and nothing in this review depends on them. The features that matter for learning are the adjustable strength, the alternative lines and the dashboard. Our fair-play guide quotes the rules.

How to use ChessHelper well

• Set site access to "When you select the extension". The overlay then only appears when you ask for it. Our install guide shows where the setting is.
• Review every game the same day. Open the finished game, look at the moves where the evaluation bar swung, and compare your choice with the suggested line.
• Pick a strength a few hundred points above your rating. Suggestions just beyond your level are the ones you can copy next game.
• Use the opening pages alongside your games. If you keep reaching the same Italian Game or London System positions, read the matching opening page, then test the ideas against the computer.
• Watch the dashboard trend, not single games. Accuracy in one game is noisy; the trend across a month tells you whether your review habit is working.

Strengths and weaknesses

Alternatives worth knowing

If ChessHelper does not fit, these are the extensions we would choose for specific jobs; all are on our ranked list with their permissions.

• Chessvision.ai Chess Position Scanner for positions in videos, articles and diagrams.
• Chess.com Analysis at Lichess for unlimited free full-strength analysis of finished Chess.com games.
• Chess Review for a free, open-source review report with analysis in your browser.
• LiChess Tools for deep study and repertoire work on Lichess.

For more on choosing between them by task, see best chess extensions for study.

Frequently asked questions