Plottr vs World Anvil
We give Plottr and World Anvil the same GPA: 3.0 out of 4.0. Plottr grades higher on platforms. World Anvil grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
World Anvil
Web-based worldbuilding platform for writers and game masters
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAPlottrVery good | 3.0GPAWorld AnvilVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$60 a year for the Windows and Mac app, or $150 once for life, with no monthly plan. That's fair for a planner you'll use beside your writing app, not instead of it. The web app, cloud sync and collaboration need Pro at $99 a year or $9.99 a month. | BThe listing can't say what a paid guild membership costs or what each one includes, because World Anvil's prices couldn't be confirmed. So this is the B we give when a listing can't say. What is known: Manuscripts and Notebooks are for paying members. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. You can try it free for 30 days, though the listing doesn't say whether that needs a card. No refunds are given after purchase, so make the trial count. | BThere's a free Freeman account, but with caps. World Anvil's April 2024 announcement put them at 2 worlds, 42 articles, 2 maps, 2 timelines and 100 MB of images, and the current limits couldn't be confirmed. Go over and you can view and export, but not edit. |
| Features | AIt does one job, outlining, and does it fully. Scene cards sit on a drag-and-drop timeline with rows for plots and character arcs, templates cover the Hero's Journey and Three Act Structure, and a Series View spans every book. Outlines export to Word or Scrivener. | AIt does one job, worldbuilding, and goes deep on it. Articles built on templates link themselves together, maps take markers and layers, and there are timelines, family trees drawn from your characters' parents, and diplomacy webs between factions. Game masters get campaigns and statblocks too. |
| Ease of use | BThere's no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. It's a desktop app you install, and the starter templates mean you're not staring at an empty timeline. Files and backups stay on your device unless you pay for Pro. | BThere's no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. It runs in a browser, and the article templates come with prompts, so you're not starting from an empty page. The Autolinker ties articles together for you. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows and Mac, plus a Pro web app that runs on Chromebooks, tablets and Linux devices. It imports from Scrivener and Snowflake Pro and exports to Word. But the mobile app was removed for a rebuild, and the web app has no phone view. | CA web app and nothing else. The listing shows no desktop or phone apps and no integrations. URL embeds were removed from free accounts in April 2024 and need a paid guild account. |
| Best for | outlining a novel or series on a timeline | building a fictional world in linked articles |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Plottr and World Anvil. How we grade
Where they differ
- World Anvil has a free plan. Plottr does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Plottr lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Plottr can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- World Anvil also covers long-form writing.
At a glance
| Plottr | World Anvil | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $60 per year (Plottr); Plottr Pro is $9.99 per month or $99 per year | Not published |
| Free plan | None | Free Freeman account with content caps. World Anvil's April 2024 announcement set them at 2 worlds, 42 articles, 2 maps, 2 timelines and 100 MB of images; current limits could not be confirmed. |
| Free trial | Free for 30 days. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Fictional Devices | World Anvil |
| Price read from | plottr.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Plottr
- Novelists and screenwriters who outline visually before drafting
- Series authors who need one place for characters, places and continuity
- Writers who draft in Word or Scrivener and want a separate planning tool
- Writers who want a planning tool with no generative AI
World Anvil
- Fantasy and science-fiction writers documenting a setting as linked articles
- Game masters who keep campaign notes, maps and statblocks with their lore
- Worldbuilders who want to present a setting to readers as a themed site
Worth knowing
Plottr
- Plottr is an outlining tool, not a manuscript editor: its docs recommend doing the bulk of the writing in another program.
- The web app, cloud sync and collaboration need Plottr Pro, which the docs say requires an internet connection. Each collaborator needs their own Pro subscription.
- The mobile app was removed from the app stores for a rebuild, and the docs say the Pro web app has no phone view. Native Linux builds are unsupported beta software.
- No refunds are given after purchase, and a Pro plan that lapses loses access to its projects until it is renewed.
World Anvil
- Free accounts are capped: the April 2024 announcement listed 2 worlds, 42 articles, 5 drafts, 2 maps with 10 markers and 100 MB of images.
- A free account over its limits can view, export and delete content but cannot edit until it is back under them.
- World Anvil describes Manuscripts and Notebooks as features for paying guild members.
- URL embeds were removed from free accounts in April 2024 and need a paid guild account.
Key features
Plottr
- Visual timeline
- Scene cards are dragged along a timeline with separate rows for the main plot, subplots and character arcs. The view can be flipped, zoomed and filtered, and plotlines color-coded.
- Plot and scene templates
- Starter templates based on structures such as the Hero's Journey, Romancing the Beat, Story Circle and Three Act Structure. Users can also create and save their own.
- Characters, places and notes
- Character sheets, places and notes take custom attributes, tags, categories and images, with character templates and sorting and filtering across all of them.
- Series bible
- One project holds every book in a series with its characters, places and notes, and a Series View gives a timeline of the whole series alongside each book's own.
- Outline and export
- Generates an outline from the timeline that can be viewed, edited and exported to Microsoft Word or Scrivener. Projects can be imported from Scrivener and Snowflake Pro.
- Plottr Pro cloud features
- A web app that runs on Chromebooks, tablets and Linux devices, cloud storage and backups, automatic syncing between devices and live collaboration on a shared project.
World Anvil
- Articles and templates
- A world is written as articles built on templates with prompts, such as characters, organizations, languages, plots and prose, then sorted into categories and folders. The Autolinker links articles to each other.
- Interactive maps
- Maps take markers and layers, and the world search covers map markers along with articles, images, timelines and events.
- Timelines and historical events
- Timelines collect dated events from a world's history, and events can be filed in folders with the rest of a world's content.
- Family trees and diplomacy webs
- Family trees are generated from the parents set on character articles. Diplomacy webs chart relations between factions, countries and other organizations.
- Manuscripts
- A paid feature for writing fiction such as a novel. The Plot and Prose article templates, used for outlining and for short stories and scenes, are free.
- Tabletop campaign tools
- RPG campaigns and statblocks are kept in the same account as the worldbuilding. The 2024 free-account limits allow one campaign and 20 statblocks.
Plans
Plottr
Plottr$60
per year, or $150 one-time for lifetime; no monthly plan
Windows and Mac desktop app on unlimited household devices, with files and backups kept on the device. Shown against crossed-out prices of $80 and $199.
Plottr Pro$99
per year; or $9.99 per month, or $599 one-time for lifetime
Adds the browser app, cloud sync and backups, and real-time collaboration. Monthly and lifetime are shown against crossed-out prices of $15 and $699.
Plottr Pro + Community$129
per year; or $14.99 per month, or $649 one-time for lifetime
Pro plus a private community, the Education Vault and networking. Shown against crossed-out prices of $160 a year, $19 a month and $799 lifetime.
World Anvil
Pricing could not be confirmed. See worldanvil.com.
Ways to pay less
Plottr
- Lifetime license
Lifetime licenses from $150
Each tier can be bought once instead of by subscription: $150 for Plottr, $599 for Plottr Pro and $649 for Pro + Community. Lifetime plans never expire and include updates.
- Annual discount
Annual billing costs less than monthly on Pro
Plottr Pro is $99 a year against $9.99 a month, and Pro + Community is $129 a year against $14.99 a month.
- Education
Educational rates and bulk licenses on request
The pricing page invites schools and buyers of bulk licenses to contact Plottr for special pricing. No rates are published.
World Anvil
No public discounts listed.
