[With Free Options] 6 Recommended Go AI Software & Apps: Strength and How to Use

[With Free Options] 6 Recommended Go AI Software & Apps: Strength and How to Use

“I want to play against Go AI or analyze my own games.” “But I don’t know which software to choose.”

Many people probably share these concerns.

In recent years, Go AI has spread rapidly, and one free software/app after another has appeared.

In this article, we carefully select and introduce 3 recommended tools for PC/browser and 3 recommended apps for smartphones.

We also explain how strong Go AI is and effective ways to improve using AI.

Whether you’re a beginner or aiming to improve your rank, please use this as a reference.

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[For PC/Browser] 3 Recommended Go AI Software Options

Go AI software you can use on PC or in a browser is appealing because you can take your time playing and reviewing games on a large screen.

Here are three recommended Go AIs you can use on PC.

PlayGo.gg | AI games, AI review, and games vs humans all in one

PlayGo.gg is a comprehensive Go platform you can use in your browser with no installation required.

It’s a serious service developed with the goal of “10x the Go population,” and it supports everyone from beginners to advanced players.

Main features

Even with a free account, you can play unlimited games against AI from 30 kyu to 9 dan.

Just sign in with your Google account and you can start playing right away.

Choose the board size and time settings, then just play the AI.

Once you get used to playing AI, you can also challenge human opponents.

However, with a free account, AI analysis of game records is limited to once.

If you’re seriously aiming to improve, the Unlimited membership (16,000 yen/year, about 1,300 yen/month) is recommended.

With Unlimited, the following features become unlimited:

For about 1,300 yen per month, you get unlimited access to both games against the strongest AI and game review, so for those who truly want to get stronger, it’s a plan that more than pays for itself.

Click here for PlayGo.gg⇒

Fuji Goban | No installation, browser-based Go AI usable on smartphones too

Fuji Goban AI is a free Go AI service you can use in your browser.

It supports a wide range of environments—Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, and Android—so you can start playing and reviewing games immediately without installing an app.

You can load SGF game record files and have the AI review them, making it useful for post-game reflection.

It also supports pasting from the clipboard, so you can bring in game records played on other services and analyze them as-is.

Compared to other AIs, its strength and speed are a bit lower, but it requires absolutely no special settings or environment setup, so it’s recommended for beginners who want to “try AI review casually first.”

Click here for Fuji Goban⇒

Golaxy (Xingzhen Weiqi) | World top-class playing strength

Golaxy (星陣囲棋) is a world-class Go AI used by professional players for practice and research.

It’s also available as a smartphone app, but you can use the browser version as well; it performs fast computation in the cloud without depending on your device’s performance.

During games, it displays win rate in real time, which helps with judging the position.

In the game analysis feature, you can check the evaluation value for each move and visually grasp where the game swung.

It also includes a feature to watch pro games live with AI analysis.

Golaxy is basically a paid service.

Pricing varies depending on the AI’s search speed (processing speed), and you can choose a plan that fits how you use it.

If you want to do deep analysis, a high-speed plan is common; if you want better value, a low-speed plan is typical.

It’s suited for those seeking a serious AI research/review tool at a pro level.

This service is recommended more for advanced players who already have some strength and want to make deep use of AI, rather than for complete beginners.

For pricing details, please check the official site.

Click here for Golaxy (Xingzhen Weiqi)⇒

[For Smartphones] 3 Recommended Go AI Apps

Smartphone apps are convenient because you can easily play during commutes or spare moments.

Recent Go AI apps for smartphones are also quite strong and can be used as serious training tools.

Minna no Igo | A serious app with Deep Learning AI

“Minna no Igo” is a full-fledged Go AI app equipped with deep learning.

Even though it’s a smartphone app, the AI is strong, and you can adjust it across a wide range—from weak settings for beginners to levels that even advanced players struggle with.

It supports both Android and iOS and is basically free to use.

It’s also highly rated for its simple controls and lack of unnecessary features, letting you focus purely on playing.

It’s well-suited for those who want to make AI practice a daily habit.

Android: Minna no Igo

iOS: Minna no Igo

Saikyo no Igo | Strength settings that let you challenge up to pro level

“Saikyo no Igo” features an AI strength adjustment function you can use for a long time, from beginner to advanced.

You can freely set the AI’s strength, making it easy to find an opponent that matches your level.

It also includes a post-game advice feature and move evaluation display.

By gradually increasing the AI strength as you improve, you can keep leveling up without overreaching. It’s available on both Android and iOS.

Android: Saikyo no Igo

iOS: Saikyo no Igo

Igo no Shisho | iOS app with KataGo and game record review

“Igo no Shisho” is an iOS Go app that lets you switch between multiple powerful AI engines. It includes multiple engines such as ELF OpenGo and Leela Zero, so you can choose an AI depending on your purpose.

In addition to playing, it also has robust game record review features.

You can load SGF game record files and have the AI analyze them.

Its biggest appeal is that you can experience pro-level AI review on your phone alone, without difficult software setup.

Note that it’s an iOS-only app (iPhone/iPad).

iOS: Igo no Shisho

How strong is Go AI? Explaining the gap vs pros

Before using Go AI, having an idea of its strength can help you choose software.

Here we explain how strong modern Go AI is and how big the gap is compared to professional players.

Top AIs surpass pros

The moment Go AI shocked the world was the 2016 match between AlphaGo and Lee Sedol 9-dan.

AlphaGo won the five-game match 4–1, overwhelmingly defeating Lee Sedol 9-dan.

The fact that artificial intelligence defeated one of the world’s strongest players at the time sent a huge shock not only through the Go world but around the globe.

Today’s Go AI has evolved even further.

Modern top AIs are said to be at a level beyond not only amateurs but even top professionals.

Strength adjustment that can accommodate beginners to advanced players

To solve the problem of being “too strong for beginners to enjoy,” modern Go AI allows you to fine-tune its strength.

Many software/apps let you set levels step-by-step from introductory to pro-equivalent.

The fewer search iterations, the weaker the AI becomes, down to a level beginners can beat.

Continuing to play at a setting slightly stronger than your own level leads to efficient improvement.

There’s no need to start at the strongest setting.

Set it so you win and lose about evenly, and build up experience.

How to use Go AI

Go AI isn’t just an opponent—depending on how you use it, it becomes a powerful improvement tool.

Here are two ways to make the most of AI features.

Sharpen your practical sense with AI games

The foundation of improvement is gaining real-game experience.

With Go AI, you can play anytime 24/7, and you don’t have to spend time finding an opponent.

Even continuing a little each day is the quickest path to improving your rank.

What’s important in AI games is building the habit of reviewing the games you lost.

If you just play game after game aimlessly, your improvement speed won’t increase.

Before your next game, think in your own way about “Why did I lose?” and “Where did it go wrong?”

Find weaknesses with AI game record review

Game record review is one of the most effective ways to improve using AI.

By having AI analyze your own games, you can learn about bad moves and causes of defeat that you wouldn’t notice on your own.

When you run your game record through AI after a game, it shows a graph of win-rate changes for each move.

A move where the win rate drops sharply is a sign of a “bad move.”

Use the variations the AI shows as a reference to check what the problem was with that move.

It may be difficult to fully understand “why that move is good.”

However, building the habit of thinking about and interpreting the AI’s suggested moves in your own way leads to improvement.

Summary

Let’s recap the Go AI software/apps introduced this time.

3 recommendations for PC/browser - PlayGogg: AI games, AI review, and games vs humans all in one. Start here if you’re trying it first - Fuji Goban: A free Go AI service usable in the browser only - Golaxy (Xingzhen Weiqi): World top-class AI used by pros. Ideal for serious game record research

3 recommendations for smartphones - Minna no Igo: A serious DeepLearning-based app. Simple controls make it easy to keep up daily - Saikyo no Igo: Rich strength settings, usable long-term from beginner to advanced - Igo no Shisho: iOS app with multiple AI engines and game record review

Build practical experience by playing Go AI, and fix weaknesses through game record review.

Repeating this is the quickest path to improving your rank.

Start by trying one and find the tool that fits you.

If you want to play Go AI right away in your browser, you can play for free against Go AI from 30 kyu to 10 dan on PlayGo.gg. After the game, an AI coach explains each move. If you feel like playing people, try online Go matches, and if you want to watch pro games, check out live Go broadcasts too.