Software Alternatives & Reviews

MapTool VS Owlbear Rodeo

Compare MapTool VS Owlbear Rodeo and see what are their differences

MapTool logo MapTool

MapTool is a 100% community driven and 100% free to use online, multiuser, networked, graphical, interactive, programmable virtual tabletop.

Owlbear Rodeo logo Owlbear Rodeo

Owlbear Rodeo is an attempt to make a web app to run tabletop encounters without the complicated setup process needed for other VTTs.
  • MapTool Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-12

Community links: Wiki Forums Discord

  • Owlbear Rodeo Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-29

MapTool

$ Details
Release Date
2006 January

MapTool videos

MapTool Tutorial - 01. Introduction (MapTool Tutorials playlist)

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Maptool The Simple Way (Updated)
  • Tutorial - MapTool Tutorial - D&D 5e Framework 2.4
  • Tutorial - MapTools Tutorial - My Way
  • Review - MapTool - Virtual Table Top Software

Owlbear Rodeo videos

Owlbear Rodeo for the Lazy D&D Dungeon Master

More videos:

  • Review - Owlbear Rodeo VTT
  • Review - Using Owlbear Rodeo: Tokens

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MapTool and Owlbear Rodeo)
Game Engine
34 34%
66% 66
Gaming
35 35%
65% 65
Online Games
43 43%
57% 57
Maps
29 29%
71% 71

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare MapTool and Owlbear Rodeo

MapTool Reviews

10 Best Sites Like Roll20 Alternatives For Tabletop Gaming
Map Tool can be best described as a virtual dashboard. This interactive software supports multi-user interaction.

Owlbear Rodeo Reviews

We have no reviews of Owlbear Rodeo yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Owlbear Rodeo seems to be a lot more popular than MapTool. While we know about 209 links to Owlbear Rodeo, we've tracked only 1 mention of MapTool. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

MapTool mentions (1)

  • 1.10.4 build virus
    "Latest Release" on rptools.net points to 1.10.4. Source: over 2 years ago

Owlbear Rodeo mentions (209)

  • I want to print battle maps of the internet
    Use something like owlbear.rodeo. It's free, fairly easy to use, and works on most all devices (laptops, tablets, and mobile). Run the DM version on your laptop, and have one of the players cast the map to a TV. Other players can use their own devices to move their tokens. Source: 5 months ago
  • [Online][EST][5e][Any skill level][LGBTQI+ friendly] One-shot for 3+ players: Investigate Mossrock Tunnel.
    Hello there! I'm a DM looking to host a one-shot for a group of people on Thursday, around 8 est (Can be earlier or later, depends on the availability). It'll be hosted over Discord, and we'll be using owlbear.rodeo to play. Source: 9 months ago
  • Interactive RPG tools?
    The way it breaks down specifically for me goes something like this: - fillable PDF form? Google sheets or VTT character sheets - collaborative notebook? Google docs or VTT note applet - world map? No idea for a moveable world map, but I use WonderDraft for regional/global cartography, and I quite like it. I upload the maps I make to the VTT of my choice. - whiteboard for battlemaps? Most VTTs have a built in... Source: 10 months ago
  • Tips for Online Play?
    Roll20 isn't terribly performance intensive, what seems to be the problem when you've tried? Maybe try not using dynamic lighting if you're using maps that support it. There are a few similar options like owlbear.rodeo that are newer and might use more efficient webcode but I don't think you're going to be able to do much better then unless the DM wants to share a webcamera with the zoom session and just move... Source: 11 months ago
  • (online)(5e)(Thursdays 6pm est)Need One More Player, Session 0 this Thursday
    Hello, I will be running session 0 for a upcoming short campaign this Thursday, and then we will meet every week after that at the same time for about 3 hours per session for about 5-7 weeks. We will be using discord for voice, and owlbear.rodeo for maps. Source: 11 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing MapTool and Owlbear Rodeo, you can also consider the following products

Roll20 - Roll20 is a suite of easy-to-use digital tools that expand pen-and-paper gameplay.

Foundry Virtual Tabletop - A self-hosted, modern, and developer-friendly roleplaying platform.

Astral Tabletop - Create, host, and manage your tabletop role-playing games — online or in person

Fantasy Grounds - Fantasy Grounds is a virtual tabletop to help facilitate play of tabletop-style role-playing games...

Dungeon Scrawl - A dungeon scrawling tool by ProbableTrain

Beyond Tabletop - Beyond Tabletop is a set of tools for RPG players with easy-to-use online character sheets and maps.