An Owlbear Rodeo alternative for when you need more than the map
Owlbear Rodeo is the cleanest shared battlemap in the hobby. Drop a map, add tokens, share a link, play. No accounts for players, loads in seconds. If that's all your group needs, stay there; it's excellent at it.
The short version
Owlbear: free for a lot, $3.99 and $7.99 a month (Fledgling and Bestling) for more storage and rooms. A map, tokens, fog, dice, its own free Dynamic Fog extension for walls and lights, and community extensions for everything else. No character sheets built in.
RollQuest: free for the whole core table including sheets and combat. GM tools on Starter and Pro, from $3.99 and $8.99 a month billed yearly ($4.99 and $9.99 month to month). D&D 5e and 5.5e built in, and four games of its own.
Where RollQuest is the better choice
Character sheets. Built in, with a guided builder, pregens and the maths done. Click a skill, the dice roll. Owlbear has no sheet system; you use an extension or a separate app.
Combat. Battle Mode rolls initiative from the sheets, tracks turns on the map and puts conditions on tokens. In Owlbear that's two or three extensions working together.
Lighting and walls. Dynamic lighting with walls, doors and per-token vision, free. Torches that travel with a token come with Starter. Owlbear has walls and lights too, through Dynamic Fog, its own free extension, switched on per room. The difference is that RollQuest's lighting knows the sheets: darkvision and a token's senses come from its character.
Journal, cards, map builder. On Starter and Pro. Owlbear has no equivalent.
Rules built in. Six game systems: D&D 5e and 5.5e, and RollQuest's own Ashfall, Brightline, Drownwake and Ninefold. Owlbear is system-agnostic by design, which means it doesn't know what a saving throw is.
Where Owlbear Rodeo is the better choice
Speed to table. Nothing beats Owlbear for a pickup game. No player accounts at all. RollQuest players do need a free account.
Simplicity. If you actively don't want sheets and automation, Owlbear is lighter and stays out of the way.
Any browser, any device. Owlbear runs in Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, on phones and tablets, iPhone and iPad included. RollQuest needs Chrome or Edge, and doesn't run on an iPhone or iPad yet.
Price, month to month. Owlbear's paid tiers are $3.99 and $7.99 a month, and every tier gets every tool: what you pay for is storage and rooms. RollQuest's paid plans are $4.99 and $9.99 month to month ($3.99 and $8.99 billed yearly), and they add GM tools.
Any system. Because it knows nothing, it works for everything. RollQuest automates its six systems; others run on its board without sheet automation.
Extensions. A growing community ecosystem. RollQuest has no extension model; macros cover the one-click routines.
Side by side
| Feature | RollQuest | Owlbear Rodeo |
|---|---|---|
| Runs in browser | Chrome or Edge | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari |
| Player accounts | Free account | None needed |
| Character sheets | Built in, free | Extension |
| Combat tracker | Built in, free | Extension |
| Dynamic lighting with walls | Free, built in | Free, Owlbear's own extension |
| Fog of war | Free | Free |
| 3D dice | Free, with free dice designs | Free |
| Journal | Starter | No |
| Map builder | Pro | No |
| Game systems | 5e, 5.5e, Ashfall, Brightline, Drownwake, Ninefold | None (any system) |
| Paid plans | From $3.99 / $8.99 mo | $3.99 / $7.99 mo |
| Players | 8 + GM | No limit listed |
Owlbear Rodeo plans checked October 2026. RollQuest's "from" prices are billed yearly; month to month, Starter is $4.99 and Pro $9.99.
Frequently asked questions
Is RollQuest as easy as Owlbear?
Nearly. Players need a free account, and there are more panels because there's more in it. Starting a map and moving tokens takes about the same time.
Can I bring my Owlbear maps?
Yes. They're images. Upload, align with the grid editor, add walls if you want lighting.
Does RollQuest work for non-D&D games?
The board, fog, lighting, dice and audio work for anything. Sheets and combat automation cover six systems: D&D 5e and 5.5e, and RollQuest's own Ashfall, Brightline, Drownwake and Ninefold.
Do players need to pay?
No. Players join free and can play in any game. The GM's plan decides which GM tools the table has; a few per-player touches, dice effects among them, follow each person's own account.