If you've been playing CS:GO for a while, then chances are you've heard of either Faceit or ESEA or maybe both! After all, every time CS:GO players want to test their skills, these two are the way to go.
Both of these options offer very good matchmaking servers, and the option to play in their own dedicated server communities. While many consider them to be the same, there are some key differences that can make one option seem more appealing than the other for some people.
We're here to go through those said differences, so you could decide for yourself which service to go for to play the type of CS:GO matches Valve can't provide.
Matchmaking
The first thing we want to go over is the general matchmaking of both services, as well as their fairness. Because FACEIT has a much higher player count than ESEA, there's a variety of players, all with different skill levels.
This means there's a higher chance of you finding someone of similar skill to you as opposed to ESEA, which isn't nearly as popular. Because of this, matchmaking in ESEA often leads to players getting matched up with and against players of either a much higher skill level than them or a much lower one.
Of course, the number of active players also directly influences how long it takes to find a match. Therefore, you can expect to find matches much quicker on FACEIT than you would on ESEA.
As a matter of fact, many players, especially those who play in the EU servers, have been calling for ESEA to change up something, as the service has been pretty dead over there. It takes way too long to find a match, and even when a match is found, the difference in skill level between the players is too high.
In terms of matchmaking, we have to give the objective point to FACEIT.
Ping
When it comes to the ping and general connectivity of both ESEA and FACEIT, then it really depends on where you live. FACEIT has a majority of its players in Europe. Because of this, they've ensured that side of the world has more than enough servers to connect to, so as to make the experience of the majority better.
However, FACEIT doesn't have too many North American servers, because of which players from there might want to opt for ESEA instead, as they'll find a much broader selection of NA servers by using that service.
Realistically speaking, however, you're unlikely to see too much of a difference in latency and delay unless you're someone who plays at a very high level. Nevertheless, better to be safe than sorry.
If you get better ping in European servers, then FACEIT will be better, but if you get better ping in NA based servers, then ESEA might be better for you in terms of connectivity.
Cheaters
Although both ESEA and FACEIT have significantly less cheaters than if you play on Valve's own steam servers (those guys have a real cheating problem), that doesn't mean no cheaters exist in either service.
However, one thing to keep in mind is that ESEA has a MUCH better anti cheat system when put against FACEIT, which, because of its insanely high player base, still might put you up against the occasional cheater filled lobby.
Therefore, if a cheater free experience is what you're looking for, then you're much more likely to find it if you play in ESEA servers.
Toxicity
Although both services have their fair share of toxic players, especially if you're playing solo (regardless of what rank you're playing in), we do believe FACEIT is a little bit better. Of course, if you manage to get premade lobbies or teams in either of the services then you're golden.
However, FACEIT offers players more of an opportunity to connect with groups of like minded players, such as the mythic league. Mythic League offers a paid service for high-quality matches. Perhaps the best thing about this system is that it comes with mandatory communication through Discord and ways to earn a spot in professional level FPL tournaments for the top players.
Verdict
So which service is better? Well, it's as we said before, it really depends on where you live, and what you're willing to sacrifice.
If you live in Europe and don't mind coming across the occasional cheaters if that means you get a good ping, fairness in terms of the skill level of players, and minimum matchmaking time, then FACEIT is for you.
However, if you live outside of Europe and don't mind waiting a while to find a match if it means there's a much less chance of you coming across cheaters, then maybe ESEA is right up your alley.
Quality
