Sustainable Substitutes for Big Tech Online Gaming Platforms

Fair and open-source platforms for online and offline games.

  • Feasibility: How easily can the average user switch to this substitute? Higher feasibility results in a higher ranking.
  • Editor's Rating: How sustainable is the substitute? The more sustainability attributes it fulfils, the higher it is ranked.

Lichess

Open-Source, feature-rich chess platform by a non-profit.

Lichess does not track users, collect personal data, or use analytics, ensuring a highly privacy-focused experience.
The entire codebase is open-source, allowing community contributions, audits and self-hosting.
Players can use the platform as guests without creating an account.
Lichess is based in France and operates as a non-profit organisation.
No advertisements are displayed on the platform under any circumstances.
All features are available for free, with no premium tiers, subscriptions, or paywalls.
Users can play chess offline without an internet connection, using locally stored data.
Website

Patzer

An open-source, self-hosted Chess.com alternative.

The project was developed by Arsen Apostolov and originates from Bulgaria.
Patzer displays no advertisements whatsoever and, because the owner runs the instance on their own hardware, it contains no upselling prompts or premium nudges of the kind Chess.com uses.
The source code is published under the MIT licence, while the bundled GPL-3.0-licensed components, namely Stockfish and chessground, are documented transparently in the third-party notices.
The project states that games never leave the home network, that no telemetry is collected and that all data is stored in a single local SQLite file, while the optional update check sends nothing about the user and can be disabled entirely.
Self-hosting is the defining concept of the product, as the entire application ships as a single Docker container that can be deployed within minutes on modest hardware.
Every function is available without payment, as there is no subscription tier, no paywall and no metered usage of analysis features that Chess.com reserves for its Diamond membership.
The core functions, meaning play against Stockfish, play against another profile on the same server and the review of locally played games, operate entirely on the local network, and only game imports, the master-games opening explorer and the update check require an internet connection.
Patzer is designed to run on a Raspberry Pi, a network-attached storage device or an old laptop, and its AI coach works with a very small local model such as gemma3:1b, which avoids the battery-draining cloud AI features that SustySubs criticises at Chess.com.
Website

itch.io

Indie game marketplace with fair compensation for creators.

itch.io respects user privacy with minimal data collection and no invasive tracking.
The platform does not force ads on users, providing a clean and uninterrupted experience.
itch.io strongly supports indie developers with flexible pricing models, allowing creators to set their own terms and revenue sharing.
Downloaded games can be played without an internet connection.
Website

GOG.com

DRM-free game store from Poland with privacy focus.

GOG.com has a strong privacy policy, with minimal data collection and no invasive tracking.
Games are DRM-free and can be downloaded and played offline indefinitely.
The platform does not display forced advertisements to users.
GOG.com supports developers with fair revenue sharing and no hidden fees or restrictive policies.
GOG.com is based in Poland.
Website

How to move away from Big Tech Online Gaming Platforms

Here's a guide on how to migrate away from Chess.com and Steam.

Users can't move games purchased on Steam over itch.io unless developers offer keys for both platforms. Steam reward points can't be migrated either for obvious reasons.

If you move your chess activity from chess.com to Lichess, consider exporting and importing your studies and game collections. You can't migrate your ELO rating though. But that can be a liberating thing. It's nice to start fresh and you'll probably end up with a higher ELO on Lichess at some point anyway, as the rating inflation is higher than on chess.com

Suggestions and Feedback

If you have suggestions for more alternatives or general feedback, please contact me via email or create an issue over on Codeberg. Suggest Substitute on Codeberg Write an Email