The World Anvil Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about World Anvil in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
World Anvil
The Insider’s Guide
Web-based worldbuilding platform for writers and game masters
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among writing tools, read from World Anvil’s own pages.
Made by World Anvil · checked Oct 6, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from World Anvil’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on World Anvil’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 5 of the 69 other writing tools we grade
World Anvil is a web-based worldbuilding platform for fiction writers and tabletop game masters. A setting is built from template-based articles that link to one another, with interactive maps, timelines, family trees and diplomacy webs alongside. A free Freeman account has content limits, and paid guild memberships add features such as Manuscripts for drafting a novel and Notebooks for loose notes.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about World Anvil, taken from its own pages and our grades.
The template prompts and the Autolinker help, but a world takes weeks, not minutes.
- 1
Best for building a fictional world in linked articles
Drafting a novel in Manuscripts is for paying members, and we couldn't confirm what membership costs.
- 2
There is a free plan
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.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
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.
- 5
Interactive maps
Maps take markers and layers, and the world search covers map markers along with articles, images, timelines and events.
- 6
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.
- 7
A 2.0 GPA, above 5 of 69
That is against the other writing tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Your call
A writing app at its plainest is a page that saves what you type.
World Anvil at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- World Anvil, since 2017
- Category
- Writing Tools
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for building a fictional world in linked articles
World Anvil is a web app for building a fictional world as linked articles, with maps, timelines and family trees, for fiction writers and tabletop game masters. The free account is capped, at 2 worlds and 42 articles in the 2024 limits, and editing stops once you're over. Drafting a novel in Manuscripts is for paying members, and we couldn't confirm what membership costs.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No price is published here: World Anvil's paid guild memberships couldn't be confirmed for this listing, which lands it where every unpriced tool lands. What is on record is that Manuscripts and Notebooks are for paying members. |
| Free plan and trial | C | There's a free Freeman account, but with caps you'll hit: the 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 | C | It does the worldbuilding job fully, and that's a particular, smaller job: templated articles that link themselves with the Autolinker, maps with markers and layers, timelines, family trees from your characters' parents, diplomacy webs, campaigns and statblocks. Drafting the novel is paid. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record, and this is a web app where the work is the thing you build: dozens of articles to write, categories and folders to sort, maps to mark up. The template prompts and the Autolinker help, but a world takes weeks, not minutes. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | A web app and nothing else. The listing shows no desktop or phone apps, no integrations and no API, and URL embeds were removed from free accounts in April 2024 and need a paid guild account. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who World Anvil is for
- Fits if you write fantasy or science fiction and want your setting kept as linked articles
- Works for tabletop game masters who want notes, maps and statblocks next to the lore
Who it is not for
- Tight if you're staying free, as the 2024 limits allowed 2 worlds, 42 articles, 2 maps and 100 MB of images
- Watch out: a free account over its limits can view and export but can't edit until it's back under
- Not for you if you just want to draft a novel, because Manuscripts and Notebooks are for paying guild members
- Watch out: no membership price is published here, and URL embeds need a paid guild account
- Skip it if you want a desktop or phone app, as the listing shows only the web version
Good to know
Good for
- 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
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
World Anvil's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
What is on record is that Manuscripts and Notebooks are for paying members.
We could not confirm World Anvil’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. worldanvil.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Web-based worldbuilding platform for writers and game masters. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: templates, long-form writing.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
World Anvil is made by World Anvil, and has been around since 2017.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
5/69
Other writing tools it is graded above
World Anvil's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 5 of the 69 other writing tools we grade, and level with 5.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 70 writing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. World Anvil’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 13 of 69
- CFree plan and trialAbove 5 of 69
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 69
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 69
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 3 of 69
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Your call
A writing app at its plainest is a page that saves what you type.
You could make the core of World Anvil for yourself: long-form writing and templates. Whether that is worth the price is your call.
What you could make
- Long-form writing and templates: an app builder makes these well.
- It runs in a browser, which is where something home-made would run too.
What this rests on. World Anvil’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Campfire, Plottr, Novelcrafter, Scrivener and LivingWriter
The 5 tools World Anvil is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Campfire
Free plan · from $0.50/mo
Modular novel writing and worldbuilding app with per-module pricing.
- Only Campfire lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- Campfire can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- 2.2GPA
Plottr
Free trial · from $60/yr
Visual book outlining and series bible software.
- 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.
- 2.6GPA
Novelcrafter
Free trial · from $4/mo
Novel writing platform with a story wiki and optional AI.
- World Anvil has a free plan. Novelcrafter does not, though it has a free trial.
- World Anvil also covers templates.
- Novelcrafter also covers chat assistant.
- 2.8GPA
Scrivener
Free trial · from $23.99 one-time
Manuscript writing app with a binder, corkboard and outliner.
- World Anvil has a free plan. Scrivener does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only World Anvil lists a web app.
- Only Scrivener lists macOS, Windows and iOS apps.
- 2.4GPA
LivingWriter
Free plan · from $15/mo
Cloud writing app for books and screenplays with planning boards.
- Only LivingWriter lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- LivingWriter also covers chat assistant.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
9
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is World Anvil free?
World Anvil has a free plan. Free Freeman account with content caps.
What platforms does World Anvil work on?
World Anvil is available on Web.
Does World Anvil have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. World Anvil is listed for Web.
Does World Anvil have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. World Anvil is listed for Web.
Is World Anvil open source?
World Anvil is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Who makes World Anvil?
World Anvil is made by a company of the same name. It dates from 2017.
What are the alternatives to World Anvil?
The closest alternatives to World Anvil in our directory are Campfire, Plottr, Novelcrafter, Scrivener and LivingWriter.
How does World Anvil compare with other writing tools?
World Anvil's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 5 of the 69 other writing tools we grade, and level with 5.
Could I make my own version of World Anvil?
A writing app at its plainest is a page that saves what you type. You could make the core of World Anvil for yourself: long-form writing and templates.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from World Anvil’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from World Anvil's own blog and announcements on 6 October 2026. Its prices could not be read then, and its pricing page would not load when we went back, so the value and free grades are the ones we give when a listing can't say. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-01-24.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by World Anvil. Prices change, so check worldanvil.com before you buy.
- blog.worldanvil.com/announcements/update-free-account-changes/
- blog.worldanvil.com/newsletter/world-anvil-news-september-2026/
- blog.worldanvil.com/newsletter/world-anvil-news-june-2026/
- blog.worldanvil.com/worldanvil/dev-news/world-anvil-new-features-2025/
- blog.worldanvil.com/webinar-manuscripts-more-writing-fiction-on-world-anvil/
- blog.worldanvil.com/worldanvil/family-trees-for-writing-and-gaming-now-on-world-anvil/
- blog.worldanvil.com/announcements/birthday-megastream-4-years-of-world-anvil/
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- World Anvil, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/world-anvil
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "World Anvil: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/world-anvil
Know someone choosing between writing tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/world-anvil/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded writing tools after World Anvil, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Writing Tools Insider's GuideEvery one of the 70 writing tools we grade, compared
- Microsoft Word Insider's GuideWord processor sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser3.4 GPA
- Beat Insider's GuideFree, open-source Fountain screenwriting app for Mac and iOS3.2 GPA
- JotterPad Insider's GuideMarkdown and Fountain editor for books, papers and screenplays3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what World Anvil’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. World Anvil is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by World Anvil. Prices and plans change: check worldanvil.com before you buy.