Roll20 alternatives in 2026: eight VTTs compared
Roll20 is still the biggest virtual tabletop, and for two things it is still the best: buying an official adventure and running it as-is, and finding players. People go looking for an alternative for three reasons, usually one at a time. Dynamic lighting costs $5.99 a month. The interface looks its age. And the free tier's 100 MB runs out. This is a list of where they go, with each entry judged on which of those problems it fixes. We make RollQuest, so read that entry knowing who wrote it.
Why people leave, and what fixes it
| The problem with Roll20 | What to look for instead | Best fits |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting is paywalled | Lighting on the free tier, or in a one-off price | RollQuest, Owlbear Rodeo, Foundry, Fantasy Grounds |
| The interface | A tabletop designed this decade | RollQuest, Owlbear Rodeo, Alchemy |
| Cost over a year | A free tier that plays a full game, or pay once | RollQuest, Owlbear Rodeo, Alchemy, Foundry, Fantasy Grounds |
| Storage | More than 100 MB without a subscription | Foundry (your disk), Fantasy Grounds, RollQuest (500 MB free) |
The short list
| Alternative | Runs in | Dynamic lighting | To run a campaign | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RollQuest | Browser (Chrome, Edge) | Free | Free; GM tools from $3.99/mo yearly, $4.99 monthly | You want lighting and 5e sheets free, with nothing to host |
| Foundry VTT | Self-hosted | Included | $50 once, plus hosting | You'll run a server and want everything |
| Fantasy Grounds Unity | Desktop install | Included | Free; content per module | You want the deepest automation and licensed adventures |
| Owlbear Rodeo | Browser, any | Free, Owlbear's own extension | Free; $3.99 or $7.99/mo | You want a map and nothing else |
| D&D Beyond Maps | Browser | No | Free; own maps need Master, $5.99/mo | Your books already live on D&D Beyond |
| Alchemy | Browser or desktop app | Not in its documentation | Free; optional $8/mo supporter tier | You play theatre of the mind |
| Talespire | Steam | 3D scene lighting | $24.99 plus $15 a seat | You want minis in 3D |
| AboveVTT | Browser extension | Free, with walls and doors | Free | You own everything on D&D Beyond and want it free |
1. RollQuest
The closest match for a Roll20 GM who wants lighting without the subscription. It runs in the browser, and fog of war, dynamic lighting with walls and doors, 3D dice, 5e and 5.5e character sheets, a combat tracker and audio are all on the free plan. Starter ($3.99 a month billed yearly, or $4.99 month to month) adds the journal, cards, markers and playlists; Pro ($8.99 billed yearly, or $9.99) adds a map builder that paints maps inside the table, homebrew, and macros of your own. Games hold eight players plus the GM.
Fixes: the lighting paywall, the interface, the price. Gives up: Roll20's marketplace, licensed books, the player-finder, and sheets for any system beyond the six it ships. Full comparison: RollQuest vs Roll20.
2. Foundry VTT
The power tool. $50 once for the GM, players free, and it does more than Roll20 Pro: lighting, walls, vision, the dnd5e system with both 2014 and 2024 rules, and thousands of modules. The trade is the word "host": it runs on your machine or a rented server, and keeping modules working is a hobby.
Fixes: the lighting paywall, storage, the price over time. Gives up: convenience. Expect setup, updates and the occasional Sunday lost to a module conflict. Full comparison: RollQuest vs Foundry.
3. Fantasy Grounds Unity
Free software since November 2025, with rulesets and adventures bought per module. It automates more of the rules than anything else on this list and has the biggest catalogue of licensed adventures ready to run. It is a desktop install for every player.
Fixes: the lighting paywall, automation depth, official content. Gives up: the browser. Everyone installs, and content costs replace the subscription. Full comparison: RollQuest vs Fantasy Grounds.
4. Owlbear Rodeo
The simplest thing that works: a map, tokens, fog and dice in a browser tab, with no accounts for players. Owlbear's own free Dynamic Fog extension adds walls, doors and lights, and community extensions add sheets. Paid tiers ($3.99 and $7.99 a month) are about storage and rooms, not features.
Fixes: the interface, the price, the lighting paywall. Gives up: built-in sheets and rules. A campaign's paperwork lives somewhere else. Full comparison: RollQuest vs Owlbear Rodeo.
5. D&D Beyond Maps
Free for every D&D Beyond account since September 2025, reading your characters and the adventures you bought there. Fog of war, initiative and shared dice are in. Your own maps and homebrew tokens need Master Tier ($5.99 a month), and there is no dynamic lighting.
Fixes: the price, if your books are on D&D Beyond already. Gives up: lighting entirely, other systems, and your own maps on the free tier. Full comparison: RollQuest vs D&D Beyond Maps.
6. Alchemy
A browser tabletop built around cinematic scenes, audio and streaming rather than a grid. Every feature is free, and an optional supporter tier is $8 a month. Sheets calculate; tactical combat is secondary.
Fixes: the interface, the price. Gives up: the battle map. If your fights happen on a grid with walls, this is not the one. Full comparison: RollQuest vs Alchemy.
7. Talespire
A 3D miniatures table on Steam. $24.99 for the GM and a seat ($15, or four for $50) for each player, paid once. It looks like nothing else, and it has no sheets or rules in the box.
Fixes: the interface, in the sense that it replaces it with a different hobby. Gives up: the browser, sheets, and a low cost per player. Full comparison: RollQuest vs Talespire.
8. AboveVTT
A free community browser extension that turns D&D Beyond into a tabletop with your own maps, fog of war, walls and dynamic lighting. Unofficial, so a D&D Beyond redesign can break it.
Fixes: the price and the lighting paywall, for a table already on D&D Beyond. Gives up: official support, and any content you haven't bought on D&D Beyond. Full comparison: RollQuest vs Above VTT.
What you give up by leaving Roll20
Be honest with your table about these before you move:
- Purchased content. Books and adventures bought on the Roll20 marketplace are licensed to Roll20 and stay there.
- The player-finder. Roll20's LFG board is the biggest in the hobby. Most alternatives point you at a Discord.
- Over 1,200 game systems. If you play something other than D&D, check the alternative has a sheet for it before you commit.
- API scripts. Roll20 Pro's scripting has no exact equivalent outside Foundry's modules. RollQuest's macros cover attacks, checks, spells and changing a sheet value, not scripting.
- Unlimited players. RollQuest holds eight plus the GM.
How to move
Expect to move a Roll20 game by hand. What moves: map images (download from your Roll20 library, upload, align the grid, redraw the walls), your notes (paste them into a journal), and your characters (rebuild them; a builder that starts at any level makes that a few minutes each). What doesn't: purchased content. Plan one prep evening for a mid-campaign move.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free Roll20 alternative with dynamic lighting?
Yes. RollQuest's free plan includes dynamic lighting with walls, doors and token vision. Foundry and Fantasy Grounds include it too, but Foundry is $50 and both need installing. Owlbear Rodeo and AboveVTT have it free, through extensions.
Which Roll20 alternative is easiest to switch to?
The browser ones. RollQuest and Owlbear Rodeo need nothing installed; you send a link and the table is in. Owlbear doesn't even need player accounts.
Is Foundry better than Roll20?
More capable, and cheaper over a few years at $50 once. It also asks more of the GM: hosting, updates and module maintenance. Better for a technical GM, worse for one who wants to click a link.
Can I import my Roll20 campaign into another VTT?
Not into RollQuest: maps, notes and characters move by hand. Content you bought on the Roll20 marketplace does not move at all.