Roll20 vs Inkarnate

Professional comparison and analysis to help you choose the right software solution for your needs. Compare features, pricing, pros & cons, and make an informed decision.

Roll20 icon
Roll20
Inkarnate icon
Inkarnate

Expert Analysis & Comparison

Struggling to choose between Roll20 and Inkarnate? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Roll20 is a Games solution with tags like virtual-tabletop, roleplaying-games, dice-rolling, digital-character-sheets, maps, tokens, rpg.

It boasts features such as Virtual dice rolling, Digital character sheets, Shared maps and tokens, Text/voice chat, Fog of war, Customizable macros, Integrations with D&D Beyond and other services and pros including Easy to use interface, Works on any device with a browser, Large library of free assets, Active community support, Allows playing tabletop RPGs remotely.

On the other hand, Inkarnate is a Games product tagged with map-creation, worldbuilding, roleplaying-games, game-design.

Its standout features include Drag-and-drop interface for easily adding objects like buildings, trees, and mountains, Large library of premade assets and textures for different environments like forests, deserts, and cities, Drawing tools for customizing maps by adding text, shapes, and your own images, Layers system for organizing the map into foreground, background, etc., Ability to change map styles and themes for different moods like fantasy, sci-fi, or cartoony, Import/export options to bring in existing maps or save as common image formats, Intuitive controls for editing, moving, and resizing map elements, Community features for sharing maps and assets with other users, and it shines with pros like Very easy to use, even for beginners, Great variety of assets provided, Powerful customization with drawing tools, Affordable pricing, Active user community for inspiration.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Why Compare Roll20 and Inkarnate?

When evaluating Roll20 versus Inkarnate, both solutions serve different needs within the games ecosystem. This comparison helps determine which solution aligns with your specific requirements and technical approach.

Market Position & Industry Recognition

Roll20 and Inkarnate have established themselves in the games market. Key areas include virtual-tabletop, roleplaying-games, dice-rolling.

Technical Architecture & Implementation

The architectural differences between Roll20 and Inkarnate significantly impact implementation and maintenance approaches. Related technologies include virtual-tabletop, roleplaying-games, dice-rolling, digital-character-sheets.

Integration & Ecosystem

Both solutions integrate with various tools and platforms. Common integration points include virtual-tabletop, roleplaying-games and map-creation, worldbuilding.

Decision Framework

Consider your technical requirements, team expertise, and integration needs when choosing between Roll20 and Inkarnate. You might also explore virtual-tabletop, roleplaying-games, dice-rolling for alternative approaches.

Feature Roll20 Inkarnate
Overall Score N/A N/A
Primary Category Games Games
Target Users Developers, QA Engineers QA Teams, Non-technical Users
Deployment Self-hosted, Cloud Cloud-based, SaaS
Learning Curve Moderate to Steep Easy to Moderate

Product Overview

Roll20
Roll20

Description: Roll20 is a popular virtual tabletop platform for playing tabletop roleplaying games online. It provides digital character sheets, dice rolling, maps, tokens, and tools to run RPGs virtually with friends across the internet.

Type: Open Source Test Automation Framework

Founded: 2011

Primary Use: Mobile app testing automation

Supported Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows

Inkarnate
Inkarnate

Description: Inkarnate is an easy-to-use map creation tool that enables users to visually design maps for roleplaying games, fictional worlds, or other creative projects. It provides pre-made assets and powerful drawing tools.

Type: Cloud-based Test Automation Platform

Founded: 2015

Primary Use: Web, mobile, and API testing

Supported Platforms: Web, iOS, Android, API

Key Features Comparison

Roll20
Roll20 Features
  • Virtual dice rolling
  • Digital character sheets
  • Shared maps and tokens
  • Text/voice chat
  • Fog of war
  • Customizable macros
  • Integrations with D&D Beyond and other services
Inkarnate
Inkarnate Features
  • Drag-and-drop interface for easily adding objects like buildings, trees, and mountains
  • Large library of premade assets and textures for different environments like forests, deserts, and cities
  • Drawing tools for customizing maps by adding text, shapes, and your own images
  • Layers system for organizing the map into foreground, background, etc.
  • Ability to change map styles and themes for different moods like fantasy, sci-fi, or cartoony
  • Import/export options to bring in existing maps or save as common image formats
  • Intuitive controls for editing, moving, and resizing map elements
  • Community features for sharing maps and assets with other users

Pros & Cons Analysis

Roll20
Roll20
Pros
  • Easy to use interface
  • Works on any device with a browser
  • Large library of free assets
  • Active community support
  • Allows playing tabletop RPGs remotely
Cons
  • Can be laggy with large maps/lots of tokens
  • Voice chat quality not as good as Discord
  • Subscription required for some features
  • Set-up can be time consuming
Inkarnate
Inkarnate
Pros
  • Very easy to use, even for beginners
  • Great variety of assets provided
  • Powerful customization with drawing tools
  • Affordable pricing
  • Active user community for inspiration
Cons
  • Limited compared to more complex mapping software
  • Not many options for customizing terrain
  • Exported maps can have low resolution
  • Subscription required for full feature access

Pricing Comparison

Roll20
Roll20
  • Freemium
  • Subscription-Based
Inkarnate
Inkarnate
  • Freemium
  • Subscription-Based

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