Best VTT for D&D 5e in 2026: 7 virtual tabletops compared

Quick picks

• Lumen VTT: Best for in-person TV tables and automated 5e combat in the browser.
• Foundry VTT: Best for maximum control: a one-time $50 license plus modules.
• Fantasy Grounds: Best for deep built-in D&D automation in a free desktop app.
• D&D Beyond Maps: Best for official content and characters already on D&D Beyond.
• Roll20: Best familiar hosted all-rounder with a large marketplace.
• Owlbear Rodeo: Best free, simple shared map when the table runs the rules.
• Alchemy RPG: Best for cinematic, story-first scenes.

The options compared

This is not a universal ranking for every table. It is a way to sort the major choices by how they feel during a real D&D session: setup load, player access, map flow, combat state, and what the GM still has to manage by hand.

Lumen VTT

Best for in-person TV tables and automated 5e combat in the browser (our product)

Lumen VTT is the browser VTT we build, designed for groups who want D&D 5e combat handled for them without installing or hosting anything. Rules automation covers 500+ spells, cantrips, feats, class features, and monster abilities, resolving attacks, saving throws, damage, healing, conditions, and concentration in play, and 800+ spell and ability animations show the actual result on the battlemap. When a player casts Hold Person, Lumen asks the target for the Wisdom save, applies Paralyzed on a failure, and tracks the caster's concentration. Players act from their phones, and a TV can show a player-safe battlemap at a real table; the same room works online. The free Lumen Core plan includes 6 active rooms and 300 MB of storage with no credit card. Lumen supports D&D 5e (2014 rules) and homebrew only, has no module system, and its spell engine stops at 5th-level spells.

Best fit: Attacks, saves, damage, conditions, and concentration resolved without setup, Animated spells tied to the rules result, Phone player controls and a TV table display, Free plan with no credit card.

Tradeoff: D&D 5e (2014 rules) and homebrew only, with no module system to extend it, The spell engine covers cantrips through 5th-level spells, so high-level play leaves more to the GM.

Open the Lumen demo

Foundry VTT

Best for maximum control and customization

Foundry VTT is a one-time $50 license that only the host buys; players join from a standard web browser with an invitation link. You can run it on your own computer, on a cloud server you rent, or with a partner host such as The Forge, from $3.99 a month billed yearly, or Molten, from $4 a month. Its dnd5e game system supplies character sheets, compendiums, and roll requests, and a very large library of community modules adds the rest, from fine-grained combat automation to spell animations. That flexibility is why experienced DMs settle on Foundry. The cost is time: someone in the group owns hosting, picks modules, and keeps them working after updates, and Foundry's own module guide recommends using only modules meant for the installed version.

Best fit: One-time $50 license, and players join free in a browser, Deepest customization through community modules, Self-host or choose a partner host.

Tradeoff: Hosting, module setup, and update upkeep are your job, Automation and polish depend on which modules you install and maintain.

Visit Foundry VTT

Roll20

Best familiar hosted platform with a big marketplace

Roll20 is the long-running hosted browser VTT that many D&D players have already used, which makes it an easy place to gather a new group. A free account can run games with 100 MB of storage, and paid plans add storage and features: Plus at $5.99 a month, Pro at $10.99, and Elite at $14.99 with 50 GB. The D&D 5E by Roll20 character sheet sends attacks, damage, and save details to chat through roll templates, and the Roll20 Marketplace sells official Wizards of the Coast books and adventures plus third-party maps and tokens. Applying results is more hands-on: hit points, conditions, and concentration stay with the GM unless the game uses Mod scripts, which need a Pro or Elite subscription.

Best fit: Hosted browser platform many players already know, Large marketplace, including official D&D books, Free tier plus Plus, Pro, and Elite plans.

Tradeoff: Damage, conditions, and concentration stay manual without Mod scripts on Pro or Elite, The 100 MB free storage fills quickly with map images.

Visit Roll20

Fantasy Grounds

Best for deep D&D automation in a desktop app

Fantasy Grounds is a long-running virtual tabletop with the deepest built-in D&D automation on this list. Since November 8, 2025 the software itself is free to play, with no license, subscription, or ads, and players do not need a license to join. Its D&D ruleset natively automates combat, targeting, saving throw, damage, healing, concentration, condition, and effect workflows without third-party add-ons. The free download includes the 5E ruleset with SRD libraries, and its store sells officially licensed Wizards of the Coast rulebooks and adventures. Fantasy Grounds is an installed application for Windows, macOS, and Linux, so the GM and every player set it up on a computer before the first session.

Best fit: Native D&D automation for attacks, saves, damage, concentration, and conditions, Free app with no license or subscription since November 2025, Officially licensed D&D books in its store.

Tradeoff: Everyone installs the app on a Windows, macOS, or Linux computer, Official D&D books are paid purchases on top of the free app.

Visit Fantasy Grounds

D&D Beyond Maps

Best for official D&D content and characters

D&D Beyond Maps is Wizards of the Coast's own browser VTT, built into D&D Beyond. Anyone with a free account can host game sessions, and registered users can play their purchased D&D Beyond content in Maps with no subscription. That makes it the shortest path for groups whose characters and books already live on D&D Beyond. Maps is a top-down 2D table built around maps, tokens, and shared dice. Uploading and scaling your own maps, homebrew monster tokens, and 10 GB of upload storage require a Master Tier subscription. Wizards still labels Maps a beta and warns that you may run into bugs and performance issues.

Best fit: Official D&D Beyond characters, books, and monsters, Free basic hosting for registered users, Runs in the browser on any device.

Tradeoff: Still a beta, by Wizards' own description, Custom map uploads and 10 GB of storage need a Master Tier subscription.

Visit D&D Beyond Maps

Owlbear Rodeo

Best free and simple shared map

Owlbear Rodeo is a clean, fast VTT focused on the battlemap: sharing maps, tokens, drawings, and fog. It runs entirely in a web browser on desktop and mobile, and players only need an account to bring their own character token; everyone else joins from the room link. The free Nestling plan includes 200 MB of cloud storage, and two paid tiers raise that to 5 GB and 10 GB. Owlbear Rodeo does not try to run D&D rules. Dice, initiative, and character tools come from extensions, including Owlbear Rodeo's own Dice extension, so the table resolves attacks, saves, and damage itself. For groups who roll physical dice and want the map out of the way, that restraint is the point.

Best fit: Fast, minimal browser maps on desktop and mobile, Free 200 MB plan, and players can join without an account, Extensions for dice, initiative, and more.

Tradeoff: No built-in D&D 5e rules engine; automation comes only from extensions, Saves, damage, and conditions are tracked by the table.

Visit Owlbear Rodeo

Alchemy RPG

Best for cinematic, story-first scenes

Alchemy RPG describes itself as a cinematic virtual tabletop built for immersive, story-driven play. Instead of centering everything on grids and maps, it builds scenes from music, animated environments, and overlays, which suits groups who spend more of a session on roleplay and exploration than on tactical fights. Alchemy supports many game systems, Dungeons & Dragons among them, and runs on the web as well as in apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Its Free Unlimited plan costs nothing and lists unlimited games, characters, and asset uploads; an optional Alchemist membership adds a marketplace discount and early access to features. Its focus is presentation rather than tactical rules automation.

Best fit: Music, animated environments, and overlays for atmosphere, Free Unlimited plan with no cap on games, Many game systems, D&D included.

Tradeoff: Built for story-first play rather than automated tactical combat.

Visit Alchemy RPG

When Lumen is not the right fit

Lumen is the wrong pick in four cases. If your table has moved to the revised 2024 books, Lumen will not follow: we support D&D 5e (2014 rules) and homebrew, while the Fantasy Grounds D&D catalog covers both the 2014 rules and the revised 2024-era material. If you play Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, or other systems, Foundry VTT, Fantasy Grounds, Roll20, and Alchemy RPG support far more of them. If you want software on your own machine rather than a browser service that needs internet, Fantasy Grounds or a self-hosted Foundry server fits better. And if you enjoy extending a VTT with community modules or your own scripts, Foundry is built for that; Lumen has no module system.

Questions to ask before switching

What is the best free VTT for D&D 5e?

Six of the seven tools here have a free way in. Owlbear Rodeo is the best free shared map, with 200 MB of storage. Fantasy Grounds has been free to play since November 2025 and brings deep automation on desktop. D&D Beyond Maps hosts free basic sessions, Roll20 has a free tier with 100 MB of storage, Alchemy RPG's free plan has no game cap, and Lumen VTT's free Lumen Core plan includes 6 active rooms with automated 5e combat in the browser. Foundry VTT is the exception: a one-time $50 license, plus hosting unless you run it yourself.

What is the best VTT for D&D beginners?

For a brand-new group, the best VTT is the one with the least to learn before the first fight. Owlbear Rodeo has the gentlest learning curve because it is just a shared map. D&D Beyond Maps suits beginners whose characters are already on D&D Beyond. Lumen VTT suits a new DM who wants the rules handled, since it resolves attacks, saves, and damage. Foundry VTT and Fantasy Grounds reward experience and make better second VTTs.

What is the best VTT for in-person D&D?

For a group around one physical table with a TV, Lumen VTT is built for that setup: the battlemap goes on the TV, players act from their phones, and the DM runs combat from a laptop. Owlbear Rodeo works as a simple shared map on a TV when the rules stay on paper. Roll20 and Foundry VTT can drive a TV with more workarounds. Our guide to the best VTT for in-person D&D covers screen setup and table layout in detail.

Which VTT has the best D&D 5e automation?

Fantasy Grounds has the deepest built-in D&D automation, covering attacks, saves, damage, concentration, and conditions natively in its desktop app. Foundry VTT can match or exceed it with modules, at the cost of setup and upkeep. Lumen VTT is the browser pick with rules automation and spell animations working out of the box. Roll20 needs Mod scripts on Pro or Elite for more than sheet rolls, and Owlbear Rodeo leaves rules to the table. Our D&D 5e automation guide compares them step by step.

Do players need to pay for a VTT?

Usually not. On Foundry VTT only the host buys the $50 license, and players join from a browser. Fantasy Grounds is free to play and players do not need a license. Roll20, Owlbear Rodeo, D&D Beyond Maps, and Alchemy RPG let players join on free accounts or by link, and Lumen VTT players join a room from an invite link without buying anything. Paid plans mostly add storage and features for the GM; official books are separate purchases.