D&D Beyond alternative: a feature comparison
D&D Beyond is the official toolset, and it’s good. This page lays out where this site differs from it and from form-fillable PDF sheets, so you can pick what fits your table.
Feature comparison
| Feature | ThatOneDude’s D&D Forge | D&D Beyond (free tier) | PDF form-fillable sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free; books sold separately | Free |
| Expansion races, subclasses and spells | Included | Only books you buy on the site | Type them in yourself |
| Guided character builder | Yes | Yes | No |
| Rolls dice and tracks slots in play | Yes | Yes | No |
| Homebrew | Yes | Yes | Type it in yourself |
| Account required | No | Yes | No |
D&D Beyond is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast; this site isn’t affiliated with it. Comparison reflects the free tiers as generally offered and may change.
Content
This builder includes character options from across the expansion books: 143 races, 509 spells, 110 feats and 96 backgrounds. The supported books page breaks them down book by book. On D&D Beyond, the free tier covers the basic rules, and each book’s options unlock when you buy that book on the site.
Building a character
Both walk you through class, race, ability scores, background, equipment and spells. Here the order is class, then race, then subclass, and each step only shows options that are legal for the build so far. Hit points, Armor Class, saves, skills, attack bonuses and spell save DC are all computed.
Playing from the sheet
Casting a spell spends the slot, lets you upcast and rolls the dice. Damage and healing are one tap, and rests, hit dice, death saves, conditions, exhaustion and concentration are tracked. Inventory tracks weight, attunement and coins.
Accounts and sharing
No account is needed: characters save in your browser. Signing in with a one-time email code is optional and keeps characters on more than one device. Sharing a character gives a short link that saves a copy on whoever opens it first, and the server copy is deleted once it is opened or after a day. See the privacy policy for what is stored when you do sign in.
Where D&D Beyond is the better pick
- You want the full rules text of the books you own, searchable online.
- Your group already runs its campaigns there and shares content through it.
- You want official support and the newest rules as soon as they release.
New to 5e? Start with the character creation guide.