A Roll20 alternative with dynamic lighting on the free plan
Roll20 has been the default VTT since 2012. It has the biggest marketplace, the biggest player-finder, and more official content than anyone. It also gates dynamic lighting behind a $5.99 a month subscription and runs on an interface that most people describe with the word "dated". If that's the bit that's bothering you, this page is a fair look at what RollQuest does differently and where Roll20 is still the better pick.
The short version
RollQuest is a browser VTT built recently, by a small team, for D&D 5e and 5.5e, with four games of its own. Fog of war, dynamic lighting, 3D dice, character sheets and combat tracking are all on the free plan. Paid plans add GM tools (journal, cards, a map builder, homebrew, more games and storage): Starter is $3.99 a month billed yearly or $4.99 month to month, and Pro $8.99 or $9.99, at founding prices.
Roll20 is the established platform. Free gets you a table with fog of war, character sheets and a huge library of purchasable content. Plus ($5.99 a month) adds dynamic lighting. Pro ($10.99) adds API scripts and more storage, and Elite ($14.99) adds Dungeon Scrawl Pro, the map maker Roll20 owns.
Where RollQuest is the better choice
Dynamic lighting for free. On Roll20 you pay for it. On RollQuest, lighting, walls, doors, token vision and fog of war are all on the free plan, no limits. Torches that travel with a token come with Starter. For a lot of GMs this is the whole decision.
The interface. RollQuest was designed this decade. Panels, a Shortcut Bar, a battle mode that lives on the map. It's the kind of thing you notice within five minutes.
Sheets that follow you. Character sheets live on your account, not in a game, and go with you into any game using the same game system, with no transfer limit. On Roll20's free plan a game takes three transferred characters, and Plus lifts the limit.
A map builder in the table. On Pro, you paint maps inside RollQuest (rooms, floors, doors, props and roofs) and send one to a scene's background without leaving the game. Walls for lighting are then drawn on the board, as on any map. Roll20's map maker is Dungeon Scrawl, a separate site it owns.
Price, if lighting is the point. Lighting is free on RollQuest and $5.99 a month on Roll20 Plus ($59.99 a year). If it isn't, look closer: Roll20 puts its journal and handouts on the free plan, where RollQuest's journal needs Starter ($4.99 a month, or $3.99 billed yearly).
Where Roll20 is the better choice
Official content. Roll20 sells licensed D&D, Pathfinder and Call of Cthulhu books and adventures, ready to drop in. RollQuest's marketplace is new and community-driven, with SRD rules built in but no licensed Wizards or Paizo books.
System coverage. Roll20 has sheets for over 1,200 systems. RollQuest has six systems with sheets: D&D 5e and 5.5e, and its own Ashfall, Brightline, Drownwake and Ninefold. Others run on the board without sheet automation, or as homebrew you write on Pro.
Finding players. Roll20's LFG board is the biggest in the hobby. RollQuest has a Discord.
Maps with the walls already in. Dungeon Scrawl Pro ($5 a month, or included with Roll20 Elite) exports a map with its walls, doors and lights set for Roll20's lighting. RollQuest's Map Builder paints the picture, and you draw the walls on the board.
API scripts. Roll20 Pro gives you scripting. RollQuest has macros instead, ready-made ones on every plan and your own on Pro, that ask, target, roll and post a card to chat. A macro can change a value on a sheet, but it can't move tokens or run code of its own, so it's no match for a script that rewrites the game.
Player limit. Roll20 has no player cap. RollQuest games hold 8 players plus the GM, a technical limit that's the same on every plan.
Side by side
| Feature | RollQuest | Roll20 |
|---|---|---|
| Runs in browser | Chrome or Edge | Chrome or Firefox recommended |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic lighting | Free | Plus ($5.99/mo) |
| Fog of war | Free | Free |
| 5e and 5.5e sheets | Free, built in | Free, community sheets |
| 3D dice | Free, with free dice designs | Free |
| Combat tracker | Free | Free (turn tracker) |
| Journal and handouts | Starter ($3.99/mo) | Free |
| Map builder | Pro, inside the table | Dungeon Scrawl, a separate site; walls export with its Pro or Elite |
| Licensed D&D books | No | Yes, purchase |
| Systems with sheets | 6 | 1,200+ |
| Characters between games | Any game, no transfer limit | 3 per game free; unlimited on Plus |
| Macros | Ready-made free; your own on Pro | Yes; API scripts on Pro |
| Cheapest paid plan | $3.99/mo yearly, $4.99 monthly | $5.99/mo, or $59.99/yr |
| Top plan | $8.99/mo yearly, $9.99 monthly | Elite, $14.99/mo |
| Players per game | 8 + GM | Unlimited |
Roll20 prices checked October 2026. RollQuest's lower prices are billed yearly, and founding prices are locked in for early subscribers.
Moving from Roll20
There is no one-click importer. What moves easily: your map images (download from your Roll20 library, upload to RollQuest, align with the grid editor, draw walls). Your notes (paste them into the journal). Your characters (rebuild in the guided builder; starting at any level makes this a few minutes each). What doesn't move: purchased marketplace content, which is licensed to Roll20. RollQuest's Import Adventure (Pro) builds a game from an adventure zip in RollQuest's own format, not from a Roll20 export.
Frequently asked questions
Is RollQuest free like Roll20?
Yes, and the free plan includes dynamic lighting, which Roll20's doesn't.
Can I import my Roll20 games?
Not automatically. Maps, notes and characters move by hand. Purchased content stays on Roll20.
Does RollQuest have a marketplace?
Yes, for content packs (campaigns and scenes), map asset packs and free dice designs, from RollQuest and from creators. It's smaller and newer than Roll20's and doesn't carry licensed publisher books.
Which is better for a new GM?
RollQuest is quicker to set up, especially for lighting. Roll20 is better if you want to buy an official adventure and run it as-is.
Try it
Free plan, no download: app.rollquest.io. Or see how RollQuest compares with Foundry and Owlbear Rodeo.