Kanka

Kanka is a campaign manager and worldbuilding workspace for tabletop groups, writers, game masters, and other creators. It fits projects that need linked records, detailed permissions, and support for any ruleset—or none. Its free tier is unusually open on basic content, while paid plans add capacity and presentation tools rather than removing a starter quota.

Overview

Kanka organizes each campaign across about 20 possible categories, including characters, locations, families, items, quests, journals, calendars, events, and abilities. Categories can be disabled per campaign, so a focused game or fictional setting does not have to carry irrelevant sections. The Kobold free plan allows unlimited entries and unlimited campaigns forever, making it suitable for people developing several worlds or maintaining a long-running archive.

This is a collaborative system, not just a private notebook. Owners can invite members, assign roles, decide what each member can see and do, and preview a campaign as that member. Those controls are valuable for a game master coordinating players or a writing team with different responsibilities; solo users will mainly benefit from the organizational model.

Key features

Connected worldbuilding

Linked relations, timelines, custom calendars, and interactive maps with layers and pins connect setting information across records. A rich-text editor with @mentions helps tie prose to people, places, and events. This depth suits settings where details recur and interact; it is unnecessary overhead for a group that only needs straightforward session notes.

Premium extensions

Premium campaigns add community plugins, custom CSS and themes, family trees, role-specific dashboards, and webhooks that can send updates to Discord and other tools. These are meaningful for creators who want a tailored interface or automated notifications, but the free tier remains focused on core records and collaboration.

API and data control

The REST API is included with every account, supporting scripts, campaign backups, Discord bots, dashboards, virtual-tabletop integrations, and synchronization. The documented default limit is 30 requests per minute, rising to 90 for subscribers, so frequent automation should be planned around that ceiling. Users can download content at any time and export an entire campaign.

Hosting and support

Kanka hosts servers and user data in the EU, encrypts data in transit with SSL, and makes database backups twice daily that it says are regularly tested. The free version can be self-hosted, but self-hosting excludes premium features such as larger uploads, plugins, and custom CSS, and Kanka does not provide self-hosting support. Support is handled through email and Discord, with bug reports and help requests directed to Discord by the knowledge base.

Pricing

Kobold costs nothing, with unlimited entries and campaigns and no expiry. It is the sensible starting point for most users, especially those who need organization and API access but not premium styling or larger media.

Owlbear costs $49.92 a year ($4.16 a month, billed annually). It provides one active premium campaign, 10 MiB file and map sizes, an ad-free experience, a private Discord channel, and roadmap voting. Choose it when one main campaign needs premium extras; its single-campaign allowance and smaller uploads limit multi-world creators.

Wyvern costs $99.96 a year ($8.33 a month, billed annually). It raises the allowance to three active premium campaigns and 25 MiB file and map sizes, while retaining ad-free use, private Discord access, and roadmap voting. It fits a game master or creator running several premium settings.

Elemental costs $20.82 a year (billed $20.82 a month, billed yearly). It 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. It is aimed at larger portfolios or users who want the strongest community influence. There is no free trial, and paid plans are billed annually.

Platforms

Kanka is available on the web, through its API, and as a self-hosted free version. There is no dedicated mobile app, although the interface adapts to smaller screens and its features work on mobile devices. Self-hosting is a compromise rather than a full equivalent: premium uploads, plugins, and custom CSS are unavailable, and support is not supplied for that deployment.

Who it's for

Choose Kanka for game masters, players, worldbuilders, writers, and content creators who want structured, interconnected campaign data with role-based collaboration. It also suits technical users who need API-driven backups or integrations. Look elsewhere if a native mobile app, supported full-feature self-hosting, or a simple note list matters more than granular worldbuilding structure.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Unlimited entries and campaigns on the free plan remove a basic content ceiling.
• Pro: Roles, visibility controls, and member-perspective previews support organized group play.
• Pro: API access on every account enables automation, backups, bots, and synchronization.
• Pro: Maps, timelines, calendars, relations, and many categories keep complex settings connected.
• Con: No dedicated mobile app means mobile users rely on the responsive web interface.
• Con: Self-hosting omits premium capabilities and comes without Kanka support.
• Con: Premium campaign counts and upload sizes are tiered, so multi-world or media-heavy projects must pay more.

Alternatives

Game Wiki Software is a useful category comparison when you want to survey wiki-focused options.

Campfire is the better pick if native Android, iOS, macOS, or Windows apps and a free trial matter. AnvilWiki suits users seeking a free, open-source MIT template with self-hosting. Choose Fandom for free hosted wikis with no limit to wiki size and mobile apps. RPG Story Toolkit is preferable when inspectable, modifiable open-source software is important. Wikily offers free wiki creation with iOS and Windows support. Huijiwiki is a free web hosting option, though applications are not guaranteed approval. LegendKeeper is worth considering for a free basic tier and a free trial. Miraheze fits users wanting free, open-source wiki hosting with many extensions and skins.

Verdict

Kanka is a strong choice for groups and creators who want a structured, collaborative world database with unlimited free campaigns and an API included from the start. Its main reasons to look elsewhere are the absence of a dedicated mobile app and the reduced feature set and unsupported nature of self-hosting.