Comparison

Best Worldbuilding Tools

The short answer: if you're building the world behind a novel, yazar.io; if you run a tabletop RPG campaign, Kanka.io; if you want a large world encyclopedia and your manuscript in one place, World Anvil; if maps are at the heart of your world, VVD; if you want your notes to stay on your own device, Obsidian. We compared all five from their official pages on the same criteria, and wrote down what each one doesn't have as well.

Last updated:

Go To The Short AnswerSee The Tables

Five Tools, Five Different Focuses

  1. yazar.ioOur productA novel's world, book by book
  2. World AnvilWorld encyclopedia and campaigns
  3. ObsidianLinked notes on your device
  4. VVDMaps and a visual canvas
  5. Kanka.ioRPG campaigns and groups
Short Answer

Which One Fits Your Need?

Each tool is strongest at something different. For the five most common needs, here's the first tool to look at and a second option to weigh:

If you're building a novel's world

yazar.ioOur product

Nine ready-made sections from characters to beliefs and two-way links that make themselves. The Family Tree, Boards and the Shareable Wiki are on the free plan too. You keep writing the novel in Word or Docs.

Also consider: World Anvil, if you want to write the manuscript in the same place (Manuscripts, Master and above).

If you run a tabletop RPG campaign

Kanka.io

Unlimited entries and campaigns on the free plan, up to 10 members per campaign, plus maps, calendars with eras and timelines.

Also consider: World Anvil, if your campaign is growing into a large world encyclopedia.

If your notes should stay on your device

Obsidian

Notes live on your device as plain Markdown files, it works without internet and the app is free. You build the world's structure yourself.

Also consider: yazar.io, if you'd like a ready-made world structure; you can download your book as Markdown or JSON anytime.

If maps are at the heart of your world

VVD

Interactive maps with zones and markers, a Map Maker (beta), relation trees and a free-form canvas in the same world.

Also consider: World Anvil and Kanka.io; both have interactive maps on their free plans.

If you want the encyclopedia and the draft together

World Anvil

More than 25 specialised templates, the Autolinker and maps. Manuscripts, family trees, calendars and Whiteboards on Master and above.

Also consider: VVD, if you'd like to write your story chapter by chapter with Quill.

How We Compared

Criteria and Method

On November 4, 2026 we read each tool's official pricing page, feature pages and help docs. We didn't score or rank the tools through hands-on testing; we asked all five the same seven questions.

The rules we set ourselves

  • A cell only says what we found in an official source. Where we couldn't find a feature, we didn't write "no"; we wrote what we know.
  • We took the other tools' prices from their official pricing pages, as the monthly equivalent when billed yearly, in US dollars; tax may be added depending on your country. yazar.io's price comes live from our payment provider, Paddle: in your country's currency, the same amount you would see at checkout.
  • "Free plan" counts something different in each tool (books, worlds, articles, documents or campaigns), so we give every number in its own unit.

  1. What it's built for

    The unit you work in (a book, a world, a vault or a campaign) and who the tool is designed for.

  2. Structure and links

    How many ready-made categories it has, whether you can add your own categories and fields, and whether links between entries are manual or automatic.

  3. Time, maps and family trees

    Whether event order, calendars, interactive maps and family trees are built in, and on which plan.

  4. Visual tools and writing

    A free-form canvas and the option to write the novel itself in the same tool.

  5. Sharing and publishing

    Sharing your world publicly or behind a password, an author page, working with others and custom domains.

  6. Plans and free use

    The free plan's limits in numbers, how the paid plans are structured and what they cost.

  7. Access and data

    Apps, working without internet, export, APIs and where your data lives.

Comparison Tables

Five Tools Side by Side

Each table covers one group of criteria. Icons show which plan a feature is on, and the details are in the cell itself. The General, Plans and Prices tables have no icons; their cells are informational.

On the free planOn a paid plan or add-onThrough a community pluginNot clear from official sourcesNot offered

Swipe the table sideways to see all five tools.

General

General
Criterionyazar.ioOur productWorld AnvilObsidianVVDKanka.io
What it's built for
A fiction writer's world; a book-centric reference space
A world encyclopedia, with novel and tabletop RPG tools
A general-purpose, local Markdown notes app
Visual worldbuilding; story writing with Quill
Tabletop RPG campaign and world management
Unit of work
Book
World
Vault and the notes in it
World, with cards and documents inside
Campaign and its entries
Who it's for
Novelists, short story and fiction writers
Fantasy and sci-fi worldbuilders, game masters
Anyone who takes notes; worldbuilders through templates
Fiction writers, visual worldbuilders, game masters
Tabletop RPG game masters and their groups
Account
Required
Required
Not needed for local use
Required
Required
Where your data lives
In the cloud; texts are encrypted at rest on the server with AES-256-GCM
In the cloud
On your own device; with Sync it syncs end-to-end encrypted
In the cloud
In the cloud

Structure and Links

Structure and Links
Criterionyazar.ioOur productWorld AnvilObsidianVVDKanka.io
Ready-made categories
On the free plan9 sections from characters to beliefs; a Glossary, Notes and the Timeline
Not clear from official sourcesMore than 25 specialised article templates
Not offeredNo ready-made fiction structure; you build it with Properties, Bases and templates
Not clear from official sourcesGuided templates for character and location cards
On the free planAround 20 categories such as characters, locations, families and organisations
Your own categories and fields
On the free plan10 custom fields per type; unlimited fields and 3 Custom Sections per book on Yazar Pro
On a paid plan or add-onCustomisable categories, Grandmaster and above
On the free planCompletely free-form with Properties, folders, tags and Bases
Not clear from official sourcesCustom card types and templates
On a paid plan or add-onAttributes on entries; custom categories in premium campaigns
Links between entries
On the free planMade for you when you type @Name or mention a name; shown on the other record's Linked pages
Not clear from official sourcesArticle links and the Autolinker, which links titles mentioned in a text in one go
On the free planManual [[ ]] links; backlinks and Graph View built in
Not clear from official sourcesAutomatic card linking and @ mentions
On the free plan@ mentions
Structured relationships
On the free planMembership, parents, spouses, children and relation fields of your own; shown on both records
On a paid plan or add-onDiplomacy Webs, Master and above
Not offeredLinks, but no ready-made relationship model
On the free planRelation Tree: VVD's own tool, ready in every new world
On the free planRelations between entries

Time, Maps and Family Trees

Time, Maps and Family Trees
Criterionyazar.ioOur productWorld AnvilObsidianVVDKanka.io
Event order
On the free planTimeline: unlimited events, ordered by hand, with participants and a location
On the free plan2 timelines with 10 historical events in total on the free plan
Through a community pluginBy hand in notes, or with community plugins
On the free planTimelines; they count toward the free plan's 20 documents
On the free planTimelines
Calendar view
On a paid plan or add-onDay, Week, Month and Year; a Chronology with character lanes and ages at each event (Yazar Pro)
On a paid plan or add-onCalendars and chronicles, Master and above
Through a community pluginWith community plugins
Not clear from official sourcesTimelines and a calendar
On the free planCalendars
Interactive maps
Not offeredNo; on Boards you can draw over a map image
On the free plan2 maps with 10 markers in total on the free plan
Through a community pluginWith community plugins
On the free planZones, markers, regions and labels; Map Maker beta
On the free planPins and layers; the large marker icon set is premium
Family tree
On the free planDrawn from family ties on its own; links with free-form labels can be added
On a paid plan or add-onFamily trees, Master and above
Through a community pluginNot built in; set up with templates or plugins
On the free planWith Relation Tree; each tree is one of the free plan's 20 documents
On a paid plan or add-onOnly in premium campaigns

Visual Tools and Writing

Visual Tools and Writing
Criterionyazar.ioOur productWorld AnvilObsidianVVDKanka.io
Free-form canvas
On the free planBoards: record, note and quote cards, arrows, images and a pen; cards stay linked
On a paid plan or add-onWhiteboards, Master and above
On the free planCanvas built in; adds notes as cards
On the free planA canvas, ready in every new world
Not offeredNo released whiteboard
Writing the novel itself
Not offeredNo; you write the novel in Word or Docs
On a paid plan or add-onManuscripts, Master and above
On the free planYou can write in Markdown notes; not a dedicated manuscript editor
On the free planQuill: 1 story with 1 chapter on the free plan; EPUB, PDF and DOCX export
On the free planJournals and long descriptions; not a manuscript editor

Sharing and Publishing

Sharing and Publishing
Criterionyazar.ioOur productWorld AnvilObsidianVVDKanka.io
Public publishing
On the free planShareable Wiki: switched on per book, section and record; Notes are never published
On the free planPublic world and article pages
On a paid plan or add-onObsidian Publish, paid per site
On a paid plan or add-onPublic on Pro; private links and invite-only publishing on Hobbyist
On the free planPublic campaigns
Password-protected sharing
On a paid plan or add-onA password for an Unlisted wiki, on Yazar Pro
On a paid plan or add-onPassword-protected articles, on Sage
On a paid plan or add-onA password for the whole Publish site, not per note
On a paid plan or add-onPassword-protected publishing on Pro
Not clear from official sourcesCampaign roles and permissions; not a site password
Custom domain
Not offeredNo; the wiki lives at yazar.io/@username/book
On a paid plan or add-onOn Sage
On a paid plan or add-onWith Publish
On a paid plan or add-onOn Pro
Not clear from official sourcesNot listed on its pricing page
Author page
On the free planAuthor Card: books, links and wikis on one page, free on every plan
On the free planUser and community profile
Not offeredNot built in; you can build your own page with Publish
On the free planA creator profile on published wikis and Workshop pages
Not clear from official sourcesWe found no public profile pages
Working with others
Not offeredNo; each book belongs to one writer
On a paid plan or add-onCo-authors: 4 on Master, 9 on Grandmaster, 20 on Sage
On a paid plan or add-onA shared vault through Sync
On a paid plan or add-on3 collaborators on Pro; Studio for teams
On the free planUp to 10 members in a standard campaign, with roles and permissions

Plans and Free Use

Plans and Free Use
Criterionyazar.ioOur productWorld AnvilObsidianVVDKanka.io
Free plan
Yazar, permanent
Freeman
The app itself, commercial use included
Free
Kobold
Project limit
2 books; the Sample Book doesn't count
2 worlds
No vault limit
1 world
Unlimited campaigns
Content limit
15 records in each of the 9 sections per book; Notes, Glossary and Timeline unlimited (fair use)
42 articles and 5 drafts
No note limit
20 documents; cards, maps, timelines and pages included
Unlimited entries
Image and file storage
50 MB in total, optimized: images are resized and compressed to WebP on upload
100 MB; 1 MB per upload, 3.5 MB per map
Notes stay on your device; cloud storage only with Sync
100 MB
150 MiB per campaign; 3 MiB per file, 5 MiB per map
Free plan highlights
Family Tree, Timeline, Boards, Quotes, Shareable Wiki, Author Card and export
2 maps (10 markers) and 2 timelines (10 historical events)
Links, Graph View, Canvas and Bases
Basic tools and 1 Quill story with 1 chapter; Workshop tools open, but what they make isn't saved
Maps, calendars, timelines and 10 members

Paid Plans and Prices

Paid Plans and Prices
Criterionyazar.ioOur productWorld AnvilObsidianVVDKanka.io
Price (billed yearly, per month)
One paid plan: Yazar Pro, a monthly or yearly subscriptionSee Pricing
Master $4.50, Grandmaster $8.25, Sage $25
The app is free; Sync $4, Publish $8 per site
Hobbyist $5.75, Pro $10.75, Studio about $29.17
Owlbear $4.16, Wyvern $8.33, Elemental $20.82
What the first paid plan adds
Every Pro feature: unlimited books and records under fair use, 2 GB of images, Calendar and Chronology, 3 Custom Sections, a wiki password
Master: 10 worlds, 2 GB; Manuscripts, family trees, calendars and Whiteboards
Sync Standard: 1 vault and 1 GB synced; Publish is separate
Hobbyist: 2 worlds, unlimited documents, 1 GB, 3 Quill stories
Owlbear: 1 campaign becomes premium, 3 GiB gallery
Which plan has everything
Yazar Pro; there is no higher plan
Sage ($25): password-protected articles and a custom domain; API from Grandmaster
Sync and Publish are separate services; both together from $12
Pro ($10.75): public and password-protected publishing, custom domain, API; Studio for teams
Premium features on every paid plan; higher plans make more campaigns premium and add storage

Access and Data

Access and Data
Criterionyazar.ioOur productWorld AnvilObsidianVVDKanka.io
Apps
On the free planWeb, iOS and Android; on phones and tablets
Not clear from official sourcesIn the browser; works in phone browsers
On the free planDesktop, iOS and Android
On the free planWeb, Mac and Windows, iPad (beta) and Android tablets; phones aren't an editing target
Not offeredIn the browser; no dedicated mobile app, the site adapts to mobile
Without internet
Not offeredEditing needs a connection; the app shows content you've already opened
Not clear from official sourcesA web service that runs in the browser
On the free planWorks fully offline
Not clear from official sourcesWeb, desktop and tablet apps
Not clear from official sourcesA web service that runs in the browser
Export
On the free planJSON or Markdown, per book
Not clear from official sourcesWorld Data Exporting
On the free planNotes already are Markdown files on your device
Not clear from official sourcesA world as a Markdown zip; EPUB, PDF and DOCX from Quill
On the free planJSON or Markdown in a ZIP, once a day
API
Not offeredNo public API
On a paid plan or add-onGrandmaster and above
On the free planA plugin API and a large set of community plugins
On a paid plan or add-onOn Pro
On the free planA documented API, free for every account
A Closer Look

What Each Tool Does Well, and Where It Stops

Every profile follows the same order: what it is, its strengths, its limits, who it suits, how the plans work and the free plan in numbers.

Our product

yazar.io

For a novelist's world, book by book

Best for
Writers who draft the novel elsewhere and want its world in one connected place.
Plans
Two plans: the permanent free Yazar plan and a single paid plan, Yazar Pro (a monthly or yearly subscription; the current price, in your country's currency, is in the price table and on the Pricing page).
Free plan
2 books (the Sample Book doesn't count); 15 records in each of the 9 sections per book; 20,000 characters per record; 50 MB of optimized image storage in total; 10 custom fields per type on top of the built-in ones. Notes, Glossary, Timeline and the Author Card are unlimited under fair use.
On paid plans
Unlimited books and records under fair use, 100,000 characters per record, 2 GB of images, unlimited custom fields, 3 Custom Sections per book, the Calendar and Chronology, a password for Unlisted wikis and quote images without the yazar.io signature. If the plan ends nothing is deleted; records over the limit stay read-only.
Visit Official Site

What is it?

yazar.io is a web-based space where novelists and fiction writers build their worlds book by book. Every book comes with nine ready-made sections from characters to beliefs, plus a Glossary, Notes and the Timeline; you can switch sections on and off, rename them and change their icons. You keep writing the novel itself in Word or Docs, and yazar.io keeps the world behind it in order.

Strengths

  • Links make themselves: type @Name or mention a record's name in a text and it's linked, then shown in the other record's Linked pages.
  • The Family Tree draws itself from family ties; Boards, Quotes and the Shareable Wiki are on the free plan too.
  • On Yazar Pro, the Calendar shows events in Day, Week, Month and Year views, and the Chronology lays characters out in lanes with life lines and their age at each event. BC/AD dates and dates where only the year or month is known work too.
  • The Shareable Wiki is switched on per book, per section and per record; Notes are never published. The Author Card gathers your books, links and wikis on one page and is free on every plan.
  • Quotes turn a line from your book into a shareable image in 4 designs and 4 sizes.
  • Besides the web there are iOS and Android apps for phones and tablets; the interface comes in 15 languages.
  • Texts, field values and notes are encrypted at rest on the server with AES-256-GCM. No ads, and you can download your book as JSON or Markdown anytime.

Limits

  • No interactive maps.
  • No collaboration; each book belongs to one writer.
  • No built-in manuscript editor.
  • No custom domain and no public API; it doesn't generate text with AI.
  • Editing needs an internet connection; offline, the app only shows content you've already opened.

World Anvil

A comprehensive world encyclopedia for writers and game masters

Best for
People who want to grow their world into a large encyclopedia, run a campaign or write the draft in the same place.
Plans
The free Freeman plan and a paid Guild membership (Master, Grandmaster, Sage), monthly or yearly, with some one-time options.
Free plan
2 worlds, 42 articles, 5 drafts, 100 MB (1 MB per upload, 3.5 MB per map), 2 maps with 10 markers in total, 2 timelines with 10 historical events in total.
On paid plans
Master: 10 worlds, 2 GB, 4 co-authors. Grandmaster: unlimited worlds, 5 GB, 9 co-authors, customisable categories and an API. Sage: 15 GB, 20 co-authors, password-protected articles and a custom domain.
Visit Official SiteRead The Full Comparison

What is it?

World Anvil is a platform where you build your world as an encyclopedia of articles, with novel and tabletop RPG tools side by side. It comes with more than 25 specialised templates, maps and timelines; a paid Guild membership unlocks the Manuscripts writing tool, family trees, calendars and Whiteboards.

Strengths

  • More than 25 specialised article templates and the Autolinker, which links article titles mentioned in a text in one go.
  • Interactive maps (2 maps, 10 markers in total) and timelines (2 timelines, 10 historical events in total) even on the free plan.
  • Manuscripts, family trees, Diplomacy Webs, calendars, chronicles and Whiteboards on Master and above.
  • Co-authors: 4 on Master, 9 on Grandmaster, 20 on Sage.
  • Public world and article pages; password-protected articles and a custom domain on Sage, an API on Grandmaster and above.

Limits

  • The free plan is limited to 2 worlds, 42 articles and 5 drafts, with 100 MB of storage (1 MB per upload).
  • Family trees, calendars, Manuscripts and Whiteboards are on paid plans.
  • So many tools and templates can feel complex at first if you're only building a novel's world.
  • Runs in the browser; we found no dedicated mobile app.

Obsidian

Your notes on your device, the structure in your hands

Best for
Writers who want their data on their own device and enjoy building the structure themselves.
Plans
The app is free; the paid add-ons are Sync (Standard and Plus) and Publish, per site.
Free plan
The whole app is free; no note or vault limit beyond your device's storage.
On paid plans
Sync Standard syncs 1 vault and Plus 10 vaults (1 GB and 10 GB), and shared vaults let you work with others. Publish is paid per site and includes a password and a custom domain.
Visit Official SiteRead The Full Comparison

What is it?

Obsidian is a general-purpose notes app that keeps your notes on your device as plain Markdown files, free for any purpose including commercial use. It has no worldbuilding structure of its own: you set up characters, places and events yourself with Properties, Bases, templates and community plugins.

Strengths

  • Notes stay on your device in an open format; it works without internet and needs no account for local use.
  • [[ ]] links, backlinks, Graph View and Canvas are built in.
  • Properties and Bases let you build your own fields and table views.
  • A large set of community plugins adds calendars, maps and much more.
  • Desktop, iOS and Android apps.

Limits

  • No ready-made worldbuilding structure; you build it yourself.
  • Calendars and maps only through community plugins; no built-in family tree.
  • Syncing between devices (Sync) and publishing on the web (Publish, per site) are paid add-ons.
  • A Publish password protects the whole site, not individual notes.

VVD

A visual world built on maps, relation trees and a canvas

Best for
People who think in maps and visual relationships and want to write their story in the same place.
Plans
Free, Hobbyist, Pro and Studio for teams.
Free plan
1 world, 20 documents, 100 MB, 1 Quill story with 1 chapter and the basic tools.
On paid plans
Hobbyist: 2 worlds, unlimited documents, 1 GB, private share links and invite-only publishing. Pro: unlimited worlds, public and password-protected publishing, a custom domain, 3 collaborators and an API. Studio is for teams.
Visit Official SiteRead The Full Comparison

What is it?

VVD is a visual platform where you build your world from cards, maps, timelines, relation trees and a free-form canvas. With Quill you can also write your story chapter by chapter. By its own description it serves fiction writers, visual worldbuilders and game masters.

Strengths

  • Interactive maps with zones, markers, regions and labels; Map Maker beta.
  • Timelines and a custom calendar with numbered eras.
  • Relation trees (Relation Tree) that chart how characters are related, one of VVD's own tools.
  • Automatic card linking and @ mentions; guided templates for character and location cards.
  • Chapter-by-chapter writing with Quill and EPUB, PDF and DOCX export. A whole world downloads as a Markdown zip.
  • Mac and Windows apps, iPad (beta) and Android tablet apps.

Limits

  • The free plan is limited to 1 world, 20 documents and 100 MB; cards, maps, timelines and pages all count as documents.
  • Public publishing is on Pro; Hobbyist offers only private share links and invite-only publishing.
  • Phones aren't an editing target; the apps are for desktop and tablets.
  • Community tools from the Workshop open and work on the free plan, but what they make isn't saved; VVD's own tools are separate.

Kanka.io

A generous free plan for RPG campaigns

Best for
Game masters and groups who run a campaign together with their players.
Plans
The free Kobold plan; the paid Owlbear, Wyvern and Elemental plans make 1, 3 or 7 campaigns premium.
Free plan
Unlimited entries and campaigns, a 150 MiB gallery per standard campaign (3 MiB per file, 5 MiB per map) and up to 10 members per campaign.
On paid plans
Premium campaigns get family trees, custom categories (5, 10 or 20), the large marker icon set and 3, 10 or 25 GiB of storage.
Visit Official SiteRead The Full Comparison

What is it?

Kanka.io describes itself as a tool for collaborative worldbuilding and tabletop RPG campaign management. It comes with around 20 ready-made categories, maps, calendars with eras and timelines. You share your campaign with your players and use roles to decide who sees what.

Strengths

  • Unlimited entries and campaigns on the free Kobold plan.
  • Up to 10 members in a standard campaign, with roles and permissions.
  • Interactive maps with pins and layers, calendars with eras and timelines.
  • @ mentions, public campaigns, export as JSON or Markdown in a ZIP and a documented API.

Limits

  • Image storage is 150 MiB per standard campaign, 3 MiB per file and 5 MiB per map.
  • Family trees and custom categories are only in premium campaigns, and so is the large marker icon set.
  • No dedicated mobile app; the site adapts to mobile browsers.
  • No released whiteboard (free-form canvas).
  • Its campaign-first structure can feel too technical if you're only building a novel's world.
How To Choose

Seven Questions to the Right Tool

The right tool depends on how you work. Ask yourself these questions:

Where will you write the novel?

If you write in Word or Docs, keep the world in yazar.io and the two stay apart. If you want the draft in the same place, look at World Anvil's Manuscripts (Master and above) or VVD's Quill.

How important are maps?

If maps are at the heart of your world, VVD, World Anvil or Kanka.io. yazar.io has no interactive maps; locations are kept as records, and on Boards you can draw over a map image.

Will you work alone or with others?

If you'll work with players or a co-author, Kanka.io (10 members for free), World Anvil (co-authors on paid plans) or VVD Pro. yazar.io and a local Obsidian vault are for working alone.

Where should your data live?

If you want your files on your own device, Obsidian. If you want the same world on every device, the cloud-based tools; in yazar.io texts are encrypted at rest, and you can download your book as JSON or Markdown anytime.

Do you want to show your world to readers?

For a public page on a free plan, yazar.io (Shareable Wiki and Author Card), Kanka.io (public campaigns) or World Anvil. VVD publishes publicly on Pro, Obsidian through paid Publish.

How complex is your timeline?

If you want to see your characters' ages and lives next to events, yazar.io's Calendar and Chronology (Yazar Pro). If you need a calendar with month and era names of your own, Kanka.io, World Anvil or VVD.

Will you work on your phone too?

For editing on a phone, yazar.io and Obsidian both have iOS and Android apps. VVD offers tablet apps, and World Anvil and Kanka.io run in mobile browsers.

FAQ

Questions About Worldbuilding Tools

It depends on what you're building. yazar.io's permanent free plan has 2 books, 15 records in each section per book and 50 MB of optimized image storage, with the Family Tree, Boards, the Shareable Wiki and the Author Card included. Kanka.io doesn't limit entries or campaigns on its free plan, while family trees are premium. Obsidian's app is completely free, with syncing and publishing paid. World Anvil's free plan is limited to 2 worlds and 42 articles, VVD's to 1 world and 20 documents.

If you write the novel in Word or Docs and want its world in a separate, organised place, that's what yazar.io is built for: book-centric, with ready-made sections from characters to beliefs and links that make themselves. If you want to write the draft in the same tool, look at World Anvil's Manuscripts (Master and above) or VVD's Quill.

Kanka.io and World Anvil are built with campaigns in mind. Kanka.io's free plan offers unlimited entries and up to 10 members per campaign; World Anvil offers a wide range of templates and co-authors on paid plans. VVD also serves game masters who want their campaign world in one place. yazar.io doesn't aim to cover campaign management.

World Anvil (2 maps with 10 markers in total on the free plan), Kanka.io (pins and layers) and VVD (zones, markers and labels, Map Maker beta) offer interactive maps. In Obsidian, maps only come through community plugins. yazar.io has no interactive maps; on Boards you can draw over a map image and place cards on it.

In yazar.io the Family Tree is free on every plan and draws itself from family ties. In VVD you chart family ties with its own Relation Tree tool; each tree is one of the free plan's 20 documents. World Anvil's family trees are on Master and above, Kanka.io's in premium campaigns. Obsidian has no built-in family tree.

yazar.io's Shareable Wiki is on every plan; you switch it on per book, per section and per record, and Notes are never published. Kanka.io campaigns can be public, and World Anvil publishes public world and article pages. VVD publishes publicly on Pro, Obsidian through its paid Publish service.

Obsidian works fully offline because your notes live on your device. yazar.io's iOS and Android app keeps showing content you've already opened without a connection, but editing needs one. World Anvil and Kanka.io are web services that run in the browser.

World Anvil has Manuscripts (Master and above) and VVD has Quill, which exports to EPUB, PDF and DOCX. In Obsidian you can write in Markdown notes, but it isn't a dedicated manuscript editor. yazar.io has no manuscript editor; you keep writing the novel in Word or Docs and yazar.io holds the world.

Kanka.io allows up to 10 members per campaign on its free plan. World Anvil allows 4 co-authors on Master, 9 on Grandmaster and 20 on Sage. VVD Pro includes 3 collaborators, and Studio is for teams. In Obsidian you share a vault through paid Sync. yazar.io has no collaboration; each book belongs to one writer.

yazar.io exports a book as JSON or Markdown. Kanka.io gives you JSON or Markdown in a ZIP, VVD downloads a world as a Markdown zip, and World Anvil has World Data Exporting. In Obsidian your notes already are Markdown files on your device.

It depends on why you're looking. For a simpler, novel-focused space, yazar.io; for a campaign tool with a generous free plan, Kanka.io; for maps and visual tools, VVD; to keep your data on your own device, Obsidian.

Interactive maps, collaboration, a built-in manuscript editor, custom domains, a public API and AI text generation. Editing needs an internet connection.

Sources

What We Based This On

Everything here comes from the official pages below, read on November 4, 2026. Plans and limits change over time; we suggest checking each tool's own page before you decide.

yazar.io

World Anvil

Obsidian

VVD

Kanka.io

Try It Yourself

Build Your Novel's World for Free

yazar.io's free plan is permanent and asks for no payment details. You can look at a live sample wiki first: Kayıp Krallık, written in Turkish.

Get Started FreeExplore The Sample Wiki (Turkish)