Kanka

Kanka is a campaign manager and worldbuilding workspace for tabletop groups and creative projects. It is a strong fit for people who want structured, shared records that can support any game system—or none. Its generous free content limits are appealing, while premium tools and hosting choices call for a closer look.

Overview

Campaigns organize material across about 20 categories, from characters, locations, and items to quests, calendars, and abilities. You can disable categories campaign by campaign, keeping a focused game or fictional setting from carrying sections it does not need. The free plan allows unlimited entries and campaigns, so users can build multiple worlds without a basic content quota.

Kanka is designed for collaboration as well as personal organization. Owners can invite members, assign roles, control what each person can see and do, and preview a campaign from a member’s perspective. That makes it useful for groups that need differentiated access; a solo writer may not get as much value from its permissions.

Key features

Connected worldbuilding

Linked relations, timelines, custom calendars, and interactive maps with layers and pins help connect people, places, and events across a setting. The rich-text editor supports @mentions. This structure suits intricate worlds and ongoing campaigns, though groups that only need a simple session log may find the breadth unnecessary.

Extensions and API

Premium campaigns can use community plugins, custom CSS and themes, family trees, role-specific dashboards, and webhooks that send updates to Discord and other tools. These options reward users who want to tailor a campaign workspace, but they are not part of the free core. The REST API is available to every account and supports scripts, backups, Discord bots, dashboards, VTT integrations, and synchronization. Its default limit is 30 requests per minute, rising to 90 for subscribers, so automation-heavy users should account for that ceiling.

Data and hosting

Kanka says user data is hosted in the EU, encrypted in transit via SSL, and backed up twice daily, with backups regularly tested. Users can download their content and export an entire campaign, a useful safeguard for long-running projects. The free version can be self-hosted, but premium features such as larger uploads, plugins, and custom CSS are unavailable in that setup, and the team does not provide self-hosting support. Choose self-hosting only if those trade-offs are acceptable.

Pricing

Kanka is freemium, with no free trial. Kobold costs nothing and includes unlimited entries and campaigns, making it a capable starting point for users who can do without premium campaign features.

Owlbear costs $49.92 a year (= $4.16/month, billed annually) and covers one active premium campaign, file and map sizes up to 10 MiB, ad-free use, a private Discord channel, and roadmap voting. It is the lowest-cost paid fit for a single campaign that needs premium features.

Wyvern costs $99.96 a year (= $8.33/month, billed annually) and raises the allowance to three active premium campaigns and 25 MiB file and map sizes, while retaining ad-free use, the private Discord channel, and roadmap voting. It suits users who need premium capacity across several campaigns.

Elemental costs $20.82 a year (billed $20.82/month, billed yearly) and includes seven active premium campaigns, 100 MiB file and map sizes, ad-free use, a private Discord channel, roadmap voting, and high impact on future features through Discord. Its stated billing terms differ from the other annual plan descriptions, so confirm the charge before subscribing. The larger campaign and upload allowances favor users managing many premium worlds or larger media. Paid plans start at $4.16/mo billed annually.

Platforms

Kanka is available on the web and through an API, with a self-hosted option for the free version. There is no dedicated mobile app, although the interface adapts to smaller screens and features work on mobile devices. That is workable for occasional phone access, but less compelling for anyone who wants a standalone app experience.

Who it's for

Kanka suits game masters and players coordinating campaigns, as well as worldbuilders, writers, and content creators who want a structured place for interconnected material. Its system-agnostic approach also works for settings unrelated to tabletop role-playing. It is less suited to users who require premium features on a self-hosted installation or prefer a dedicated mobile app.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Unlimited free entries and campaigns make it practical to maintain multiple settings without a basic content cap.
• Pro: Roles, visibility controls, and member-perspective previews give campaign owners meaningful control over collaboration.
• Pro: The API is available to all accounts, enabling integrations and backups without requiring a paid plan.
• Con: Premium campaign features are unavailable when self-hosting, and self-hosting support is not provided.
• Con: No dedicated mobile app may disappoint users who want a native mobile workflow.
• Con: API request limits and paid-plan upload caps may constrain automation or media-heavy campaigns.

Alternatives

Campfire is worth considering for writers who want writing and worldbuilding modules across Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows; its free Try For Free plan has limited access and requires no credit card.

AnvilWiki is a free alternative for users who want an open-source MIT template and can use its macOS, Windows, web, or self-hosted options.

Wikily offers free wiki creation and reading across iOS, web, and Windows, making it a simpler alternative for wiki-focused work.

RPG Story Toolkit is an open-source option for users who value inspectable and modifiable code, with macOS and web platforms.

Nectory may fit teams seeking a wiki with a free tier that includes one space, three team members, 1 GB of storage, public wikis, search, and draft-and-publish workflow.

Obsidian Portal is another campaign-focused choice; its free Basic plan includes two campaigns, 2 MB per campaign, one map, and public campaigns.

Saga20 has a free plan with one session summary, a campaign wiki, voice recognition, and unlimited text sessions, plus a free trial.

World Anvil is another freemium worldbuilding option.

Browse Game Wiki Software for more choices.

Verdict

Choose Kanka if you want a free, system-agnostic campaign workspace with unlimited entries and campaigns, role-based collaboration, and a broadly available API. Its connected worldbuilding tools give complex settings room to grow. Look elsewhere if premium customization must work with self-hosting or a dedicated mobile app is essential.