What World Anvil does

World Anvil is a browser-based, freemium SaaS platform that provides worldbuilding, novel-writing, and tabletop RPG campaign management tools aimed at hobbyists, fiction authors, and game masters. Founded in 2017 in London by Janet Forbes and Dimitris Havlidis and operating under the "3 Armored Kittens" entity, the platform supports structured wiki-style articles across 25+ templates, interactive maps, timelines, family trees, RPG stat blocks and character sheets for 100+ systems, plus a Manuscripts module for novel drafting and a Publication platform for serial or full-length release.

The technology stack centers on a browser-native collaborative editor with real-time multi-user editing, an auto-linker that cross-references content across articles, and integrations spanning Foundry VTT (with two-way sync in development), Discord webhooks, and creator monetization platforms such as Patreon, Ko-Fi, and Kickstarter. Product development cadence has been consistent, with notable releases including Prodromos v1.1 (April 2024), Visual Editor v2 (October 2024), a full UI overhaul (January 2025), the Article and World Manager rewrite (October 2025), and a live updates collaboration system (June 2026).

The business runs on tiered Guild subscriptions (Master at $7/mo, Grandmaster at $12/mo, Sage at $34/mo), lifetime purchases ($650 and $1,350), and freemium onboarding, distributed globally via the worldanvil.com website as a self-serve, product-led model. Marketing is largely community- and content-led through Discord, the Worldbuilding Academy, podcasts, YouTube, and seasonal events such as WorldEmber and Summer Camp, with no disclosed external funding and a headcount in the 11-50 range.

Name

World Anvil

Legal name

World Anvil

Website

https://worldanvil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

World Anvil is a browser-based SaaS platform that provides worldbuilding, novel-writing, and tabletop RPG campaign management tools for game masters, fiction authors, and creative worldbuilders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Worldbuilding & Creative Writing Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321), Software Publishers (5132)

akta.pro primary industry

Wargaming Miniatures (Tabletop Armies) (CRALAKAC)

Keywords

• Worldbuilding software
• RPG campaign management
• Novel writing platform
• Interactive mapping tools
• Collaborative worldbuilding

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription (Monthly/Annual): Recurring subscription revenue from tiered pricing plans (Master, Grandmaster, Sage) with monthly and annual billing options. Annual plans offer significant discounts (36-40% savings).
2. Lifetime Purchases: One-time payment options for lifetime access to Grandmaster ($650) and Sage ($1,350) tiers, providing perpetual access without recurring fees.
3. Patreon Integration: Creators can integrate Patreon accounts for additional monetization through patron support, with World Anvil serving as the platform hosting their content.
4. Ko-Fi Integration: Ko-Fi integration allows creators to receive donations and support from their audience within the World Anvil ecosystem.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

World Anvil is a browser-based SaaS worldbuilding platform that lets creators build, organize, and store fictional worlds through wiki-like articles, interactive maps, timelines, family trees, and specialized RPG campaign management tools. It also bundles a novel-writing module (Manuscripts), digital publication and monetization features, and integrations with Foundry VTT, Discord, Patreon, and Ko-Fi for tabletop RPG game masters, writers, and worldbuilding enthusiasts.

Product overview

World Anvil is a comprehensive creative platform offering a unified toolkit for worldbuilding, novel writing, and RPG campaign management. The core platform includes wiki-like articles with 25+ templates, interactive maps, timelines, family trees, and the RPG Campaign Manager for D&D and 45+ RPG systems. Novel writing is handled through the Manuscripts module, which integrates directly with worldbuilding. Additional features include Chronicles (timeline-map integration), Whiteboards for visual planning, and Creative Studio for advanced customization. The platform supports publication and monetization through integrated Patreon and storefront connections, with tiered Guild membership providing escalating feature access from basic free tiers to professional Sage subscriptions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Anvil Platform
• RPG Campaign Manager
• Manuscripts (Novel Writing Software)
• Creative Studio
• Publication Platform
• Monetization Tools

Quantifiable outcome

• 945 million articles created on the platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Foundry VTTcoreTechnology or IntegrationFoundry VTT integration provides direct compatibility between World Anvil and Foundry Virtual Tabletop, allowing game masters to seamlessly export world content and use World Anvil as a campaign management tool alongside Foundry VTT sessions. Two-way access capabilities are in development.
• DiscordcoreTechnology or IntegrationDeep Discord integration including webhooks and community features that connect World Anvil's worldbuilding platform with Discord servers, enabling game masters to share updates and content with their communities.
• PatreonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPatreon integration allows World Anvil creators to connect their Patreon accounts, enabling monetization of their worldbuilding content through patron support while hosting on the World Anvil platform.
• Ko-FiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKo-Fi integration enables World Anvil creators to receive donations and support from their audience, providing additional monetization options for content creators using the platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Roll20: Roll20 is the largest browser-based virtual tabletop, and like World Anvil it bundles character sheets, campaign content, and worldbuilding tools into a single platform serving TTRPG game masters and players.
• Foundry VTT: Foundry VTT is a self-hosted virtual tabletop that integrates directly with World Anvil; both target game masters running RPG campaigns and overlap in campaign management and content authoring workflows.
• LegendKeeper: LegendKeeper is a dedicated worldbuilding wiki for TTRPG game masters and writers, offering similar wiki-style articles, maps, and timelines for organizing fictional worlds — its closest direct competitor in pure worldbuilding.
• Campfire: Campfire is a worldbuilding and novel-writing platform with similar structured templates, character management, and wiki-style content organization aimed at fiction authors and TTRPG creators.

Emerging players

• Obsidian: Obsidian is a markdown-based knowledge base increasingly adopted by TTRPG players and worldbuilders for its linked-notes paradigm; it overlaps with World Anvil's wiki/autolinker functionality but lacks native RPG stat blocks and GM screens.
• Scabard: Scabard is an emerging worldbuilding and campaign management tool for tabletop RPG creators with comparable article and timeline features, targeting the same GM and worldbuilder niche as World Anvil.
• Aether: Aether is a storytelling and worldbuilding tool built around interconnected lore, offering a comparable wiki-style creative writing and worldbuilding workflow aimed at fiction and RPG creators.

Broad incumbents

• Notion: Notion is a broad collaborative workspace that some worldbuilders and writers use as a wiki; it competes for the 'organize my world' use case but lacks TTRPG-specific features like stat blocks, character sheets, and Foundry VTT integration.
• D&D Beyond: D&D Beyond is Wizards of the Coast's official D&D digital toolset, including character sheets and campaign management; while more rules-centric, it overlaps with World Anvil's RPG campaign manager and character sheet offerings.

Others

• Miro: Miro is an online whiteboard used by writers and game masters for visual worldbuilding (mind maps, relationship diagrams); it is adjacent rather than directly competitive but addresses the visual planning layer World Anvil offers via Whiteboards and Diplomacy Webs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WorldAnvilTeam
• YouTubeyoutube.com/worldanvil
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/307483071422780

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Anvil