Where to Play Go Online: PlayGo.gg vs OGS vs Fox vs KGS
The main places to play Go online are PlayGo.gg, OGS (online-go.com), Fox Weiqi and KGS. All four are free to play. OGS is the best-known English-language server and also offers correspondence games. Fox has the largest player base, especially of strong players, but its app is in Chinese, Japanese and Korean. KGS is completely free and run by the American Go Foundation. PlayGo.gg is the newest, built around an AI coach, a beginner course and live pro broadcasts.
PlayGo.gg
PlayGo.gg runs in the browser and has free iPhone and Android apps. You can play people with matchmaking on 9x9, 13x13 or 19x19, or play 39 AI bots from 18 kyu to 10 dan. After each game an AI coach shows your biggest mistakes and explains the better move in plain language.
It also has a bite-sized beginner course, daily Go puzzles, and live professional matches with an AI win rate. Online play is free, with one AI game review a day on a free account. Optional plans start at US$9.99 a month. The interface is in English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese.
OGS (Online Go Server)
OGS runs in the browser and is free to play. It offers both live games and correspondence games, where each player has days to move. Every finished game gets a free AI review of its key moves, and paid supporter plans unlock a full review of every move. Bots on OGS are run by community members. The interface is translated by volunteers, so some languages are more complete than others.
Fox Weiqi
Fox Weiqi (野狐围棋) is a Chinese server with apps for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Its App Store listing claims more than 40,000 players online at once, and it is where many professionals and strong amateurs play. It has pro broadcasts with commentary and AI review with win rates. The app is free with an optional VIP subscription. Its interface is in Chinese, Japanese and Korean, with no English in the app.
KGS
KGS is one of the oldest Go servers and is completely free. The American Go Foundation has run it since 2017. You can play in a web client or the CGoban desktop program, and weekly lectures by professionals and strong amateurs are open to everyone. Ranks go from 30 kyu to 9 dan, and only 19x19 games are rated.
Other Go servers
Tygem is a Korean server with professional broadcasts and an English app. Pandanet IGS, founded in 1992, is the oldest Go server and is popular in Japan.
Which Go server should I choose?
If you are new to Go or want to improve with feedback on every game, PlayGo.gg gives you an AI coach, a beginner course and bots at every level. If you want correspondence games or a long-running English community, choose OGS. If you are already strong and want the biggest pool of dan players, choose Fox. If you want a free classic server with lectures, choose KGS.
Many players use more than one. Your rank will differ from server to server, so expect to settle in over your first few games.