Software Alternatives & Reviews

Pcgen VS Roll20

Compare Pcgen VS Roll20 and see what are their differences

Pcgen logo Pcgen

PCGen is an open source character generator for role-playing games.

Roll20 logo Roll20

Roll20 is a suite of easy-to-use digital tools that expand pen-and-paper gameplay.
  • Pcgen Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-28
  • Roll20 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20

Pcgen videos

HSG Beginner's Guide to PCGen

More videos:

  • Review - PCGen How-To - Install or use 3rd Party Sources with PCGen
  • Review - PCGen Walk Through

Roll20 videos

Roll20 Overview 2019 (Play 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons Online)

More videos:

  • Review - Why I Quit Roll20
  • Review - Roll20 Vs Fantasy Grounds | Which is REALLY the Cheapest?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pcgen and Roll20)
Game Engine
10 10%
90% 90
Gaming
4 4%
96% 96
Online Services
100 100%
0% 0
Tool
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Pcgen and Roll20

Pcgen Reviews

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Roll20 Reviews

  1. When it works, its mediocre

    As a DM for homebrew games, I used Roll20 for 2+ years. When it works, its OK. When it doesn't, its frustrating. I use a lot of custom rules and they are simply not supported due to a lack of modularity within the system. A simple variant of Proficiency Dice in 5e is outlined in the rules, and even it is hacky and not well supported on Roll20.

    The format feels like it was made two decades ago, and the web console spits out warnings and errors left and right. There has even been some conspiracies / drama with some of the higher-ups at Roll20, showing a lack of leadership.

    Please, let's let Roll20 die. Support another system.

    👍 Pros:    Can purchase modules like curse of strahd and tomb of annihilation|Free for dms and players|Use with a variaty of systems|Many features
    👎 Cons:    Not modular enough for me|Hacky programming|Ugly|Features feel clunky and slow|Some features do not work well at all|Buggy
  2. Not very easy to learn

    Not easy to learn, not friendly controls

    🏁 Competitors: digitald20.com Digital d20
    👍 Pros:    The most famous
    👎 Cons:    User experiance|Design|Costly pro plan

10 Best Sites Like Roll20 Alternatives For Tabletop Gaming
These tools aide gamers during online games. Both Roll20 and the Roll20 alternatives can be best described as table-top games. Launched in 2012, Roll20 has received a lot of positive feedback.
Roll20 Alternatives, Similar Games, Apps 2020
Roll20 is a set of easy-to-use digital tools that extend the pencil and paper set. It is the easiest and free way to play board games (such as paper and pencil role-playing games) online with others. Roll20 is completely online, so it runs directly in your browser.
7 Best Roll20 alternatives 2020
Programs like Roll20 and Best Roll20 alternatives are quite similar. So you can play and try one of them and easily download from play store, app store and Roll20 official Website.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Roll20 seems to be a lot more popular than Pcgen. While we know about 334 links to Roll20, we've tracked only 28 mentions of Pcgen. 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.

Pcgen mentions (28)

  • It would be awesome if someone made a mod to turn WotR into a character builder for PF1E TTRPG
    There are already character builders to PnP Pathfinder like PCGen and Pathbuilder 1e. Or are you talking about modding WotR for managing a PnP campaign? That's a much bigger ask, since there aren't really any dev-supported tools for user-generated content the way, say, Neverwinter Nights did. Source: 10 months ago
  • PCGen v.6.09.06 Released!
    I jumped onto their website http://pcgen.org and a comment says they're looking into it. 6.09.06 has a problem, 6.09.05 does not. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Does Pathfinder have a site in the same way that D&D has D&D Beyond??
    If it's for 1e, though it isn't web-based and looks like a programme from the 90s, I swear by PCGen as the best character builder by far. Source: about 1 year ago
  • How To: Learn Pathfinder 1e
    PCGen is free, open source, and reasonably complete. Source: over 1 year ago
  • The D&D Beyond equivalent to Pathfinder
    It looks like a programme from the 90s, but if you're referring to 1e, I swear that PCGen is by far the best character builder. Source: over 1 year ago
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Roll20 mentions (334)

  • Friend screwed 3/4 of the table out of 1/2 the game.
    There are other options: https://roll20.net/. Source: 5 months ago
  • Looking for a DND/TTRPG group
    I've used roll20.net up until now. They have a find group feature and a virtual table top with character sheets and dice roller included, so everything you need to play virtually is all on the one site. Source: 5 months ago
  • I’m here to giveaway $1,500 in RPG goodies to celebrate 1 Year of Roll20 x DriveThruRPG! [Mod Approved]
    1 Year Roll20 Pro Subscription ($109 value!) – use it yourself or give it to your GM! Source: 6 months ago
  • Looking for advice on running DnD game on stream!
    There are plenty of D&D software programs out there that are free and paid versions. Many of them with the ability to have friends join and interact with the table. As basic as Tabletop Simulator to Fantasy Grounds (both on steam that I have experience with, not an endorsement). roll20.net being a popular browser based version. Source: 6 months ago
  • I'm looking for someone to teach me how to Play DnD
    I have made a character on roll20.net that maybe border line iffy/OP, so I may have to make one that's not. My free time can be a bit unusual at times(it's 12:24AM as I write this)so someone who has similar free times as I do(if your interested let me know and we can talk times), basicly I've been listening to a DnD podcast and I think it sounds fun and I want to try it out Edit: I'm in PST timezone in... Source: 6 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pcgen and Roll20, you can also consider the following products

Hero Mini Maker - Build fantasy miniatures using over 800 stylized parts.

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

MyMiniFactory - MyMiniFactory is the world’s leading curated platform for 3D printable objects.

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

HERO FORGE® - Hero Forge is an online character design application that lets users create and buy customized tabletop miniatures and statuettes.

D&D Beyond - Official online toolset for Dungeons & Dragons tabletop gaming