PokerStove Alternative: 5 Best Free Poker Equity Tools in 2026

PokerStove alternatives at a glance

What PokerStove does (and what it does not)

PokerStove is a free Windows equity calculator released in 2008 by Andrew Prock. You input two or more hands or ranges, click calculate, and it tells you how often each hand wins against the other. It is fast, accurate, and still available as a free download from the original GitHub repository.

That is the whole feature set. PokerStove answers one question: “what percentage of the time does hand A beat range B?” It does not tell you whether you should open that hand from UTG, how to respond to a 3-bet, what your GTO calling frequency is from the big blind, or how to practice those decisions until they are automatic.

The tool has not been updated since 2014. It runs as a 32-bit Windows application, which means it does not install cleanly on modern 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 systems without manual configuration. There is no Mac version, no mobile app, and no web interface. For players who learned poker before 2015, PokerStove was the standard. For anyone starting fresh or studying on a modern device, that limitation is the whole problem.

Why players are looking for a PokerStove alternative

Most players searching for a PokerStove alternative fall into one of two groups. The first group knows PokerStove from years ago and wants something that works the same way on a Mac or phone. The second group heard about PokerStove from a training video or strategy forum and found that it does not install correctly on their system.

Both groups share a deeper need: they want to understand hand equity well enough to make better preflop decisions. Raw equity numbers are one input into that understanding, but they are not the full picture. Knowing that AKo has 67% equity against a random hand does not tell you whether to open it from UTG at a 9-handed table or how much equity you need to profitably call a 3-bet.

The best replacement depends on which part of that workflow you actually need. If you want a direct equity calculator upgrade, Power-Equilab or Flopzilla fills that role. If you want to close the gap between knowing equity and knowing what to do preflop, a dedicated GTO preflop trainer handles that job more directly.

1. Preflop Wizard: best for GTO preflop training on mobile

Preflop Wizard is not an equity calculator. It is a GTO preflop trainer, and for most players that distinction matters more than it sounds. PokerStove shows you equity percentages and leaves you to figure out what to do with them. Preflop Wizard puts you in real preflop spots and asks you to decide: open, fold, call, or 3-bet. The AI coaching engine then tells you whether you were right and explains the GTO reasoning.

The repetition builds pattern recognition that translates directly to the table. If you open from UTG in a tournament spot and the app says you folded 34% too often with that hand, you can drill that spot ten more times before your next session. That feedback loop is what separates training from studying. PokerStove shows you numbers. Preflop Wizard trains your decisions.

Platform coverage is the other advantage. Preflop Wizard is a native iOS and Android app. You drill opening ranges on your phone between sessions, review 3-bet defense spots during a commute, and build hand-reading intuition without needing a Windows PC. The app covers cash games and tournaments, all nine positions, stack depths from 100BB down to push/fold ranges, and both 6-max and 9-max formats.

For more on how this kind of deliberate repetition improves your game, see the guide on how to practice poker ranges.

Preflop Wizard is free to download, with a free tier that covers core training features. The paid plan runs $29.99/month or $129.99/year ($10.83/month) and unlocks all stack depths, both formats, and full tournament ranges.

2. Power-Equilab: best direct PokerStove replacement

Power-Equilab is the updated successor to Equilab, built by the same PokerStrategy.com team that maintained the original. It does what PokerStove does: equity calculation across hands and ranges, with an interface most PokerStove users will find familiar. It is free, runs on Windows, and handles the full range vs. range equity workflow that PokerStove users rely on.

The difference from PokerStove is active maintenance. Power-Equilab has been updated for modern Windows and does not have the 32-bit installation problems that PokerStove frequently causes on 64-bit systems. If you want the closest functional replacement for PokerStove on a Windows machine, Power-Equilab is the pick.

The limits are the same as PokerStove: Windows-only, desktop-only, and equity output without any built-in training or decision-making guidance. It calculates. It does not teach. If your workflow centers on plugging hands into an equity tool while you study theory, that is fine. If you want to improve your actual in-game decisions, you need something that tests those decisions directly.

3. Flopzilla: best for range vs. board analysis

Flopzilla does something PokerStove does not: it shows you how a range connects with a specific flop. You input a preflop range, enter board cards, and Flopzilla breaks down exactly what percentage of that range flopped top pair, a flush draw, two pair, a set, or missed completely. That is valuable for postflop study in a way that raw equity numbers are not.

Flopzilla costs $25 as a one-time purchase and runs on Windows and Mac. For players who do structured hand review sessions and want to understand range texture on different board runouts, it fills a real gap. The preflop equity calculation is there but secondary to the board analysis.

The limitation is the same desktop-only constraint. If your study happens primarily at a desk and you want to understand how your opponent’s range lands on different board textures, Flopzilla is worth the one-time cost. For preflop work specifically, it is more than you need.

4. PokerRanger: best cross-platform equity tool

PokerRanger runs on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, which solves the platform problem PokerStove has entirely. The core function is range vs. range equity calculation with a visual range grid, similar to PokerStove but with a more modern interface and cross-device support.

The mobile version is particularly useful for players who want to look up equity on their phone without committing to a full training app. If you want to verify a spot from a live session during the drive home, PokerRanger handles that use case well.

PokerRanger has a free tier that covers basic equity calculation. The paid tier adds features like weighted range analysis and hand history review. It does not have a built-in training or drilling mode. It answers equity questions; it does not teach preflop strategy.

5. PokerCruncher: best for mobile equity calculation

PokerCruncher is the closest mobile equivalent to PokerStove for raw equity calculations. The App Store description calls it “essentially an advanced version of PokerStove on your phone,” which is accurate. You set up hand vs. range matchups, input board cards, and get equity percentages back in the PokerStove workflow on an iOS or Android device.

PokerCruncher is available as a free tier with paid upgrades for advanced features like multi-street equity, Omaha support, and Monte Carlo simulation. It does not offer GTO preflop range training or AI coaching. Its job is equity math on the go.

For players whose primary PokerStove use case is quickly checking hand equity on their phone during a session review, PokerCruncher is the most direct replacement. For players who want to improve their preflop decisions at the table, the equity numbers alone are not enough.

Which PokerStove alternative should you use?

The right choice depends on what you are actually trying to accomplish.

The distinction between knowing equity and knowing what to do matters most at the preflop level, where GTO ranges govern every decision by position, stack depth, and action in front of you. For a deeper look at how those ranges work, see the guide to preflop charts and the explainer on what GTO poker actually means in practice.

PokerStove vs. GTO Wizard vs. Preflop Wizard

These three tools sit at different points on the study spectrum, and players often compare them when deciding what to use.

PokerStove is an equity calculator. It tells you raw win percentages. GTO Wizard is a full GTO poker solver: it builds complete game trees for preflop and postflop spots, generates GTO strategies, and runs solver output for complex postflop decisions. GTO Wizard starts at $26/month and goes up to $116/month for the Elite tier.

Preflop Wizard sits between those two in scope and price. It focuses exclusively on preflop training rather than postflop solving, which means it handles the part of the game where most players leak the most chips. GTO preflop ranges for every position, stack depth, and format, paired with a drilling interface that builds correct habits through repetition. Annual cost is $129.99, compared to $249-1,114/year for GTO Wizard.

For more on that comparison, the full breakdown of GTO Wizard alternatives covers the pricing and feature differences in detail.

Frequently asked questions