The Kanka Alternative for Writing Fiction
Kanka is a campaign manager for tabletop role-playing games, with maps and timelines on its free tier. Plotiar is a writing app: Lore, its story bible, lives in the same project as your manuscript, and family trees are free on every plan.
Common frustrations with Kanka
Built for campaigns, not novels
Kanka is a campaign manager for tabletop role-playing games. If you are writing a book, the chapters live in another tool. In Plotiar, Lore and the manuscript share one project, and Lore finds every mention of an entry in your text.
Family trees need a premium campaign
Kanka's family trees need a premium campaign, from $4.99/month ($4.16/month billed yearly). Plotiar's family trees are on every plan, including Free. (Kanka pricing as of 2026-09 - confirm current rates with the vendor.)
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
How Plotiar and Kanka compare on the features that matter for long-form writing.
Pricing
Free tier (5 projects) - Plus at $5/month or $50/year - Pro at $12/month or $120/year for AI
Free tier; premium campaigns from $4.99/month, $4.16/month billed yearly (pricing as of 2026-09 - confirm current rates with the vendor)
Built for
Writers: the manuscript, its story bible and its planning tools in one project
Tabletop role-playing campaigns
Writing the manuscript
Document editor with real A4 pages; TXT, DOCX and Fountain export free, PDF and EPUB on Plus
Built as a campaign manager rather than a manuscript editor
Maps and timelines
Interactive maps and calendars on every plan
Maps and timelines on the free tier
Family trees
Family trees on every plan, including Free
Need a premium campaign
What Plotiar offers that Kanka doesn't
The manuscript in the same project
Write your chapters on real A4 pages next to the story bible that tracks them. Kanka manages campaigns, so a novel lives somewhere else.
Free family trees
Plotiar's family trees are on every plan. Kanka's need a premium campaign.
When Kanka might be the right choice
We believe in honest comparisons. Here's where Kanka still has an edge:
Built for tabletop games - if you run a role-playing campaign rather than write a novel, a tool made for campaigns fits that job better.
Maps and timelines for free - Kanka's free tier already includes both.
Kanka vs Plotiar FAQ
Common questions from writers comparing the two.
Ready to write the story, not just run it?
Lore, maps and family trees are free. PDF and EPUB export come with Plus, and AI reading tools with Pro.
Free forever. No credit card required.
World Anvil, Campfire, LegendKeeper, Kanka and Plottr are trademarks of their owners; Plotiar is not affiliated with them.