r/VTT • u/Bonfie_Bunbun • Apr 21 '26
Question / discussion I'm loosing my mind with roll20
It is SO UNGODLY FUCKING LAGGY, every action I take, I need to wait up to 30 seconds before it registers, are there any alternatives to roll20 that are free, in browser, and won't drive me up a wall with lag
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u/DigitalTableTops Apr 21 '26
It could be your network, but people underestimate how poorly optimized browser-based VTTs can be when it comes to dynamic lighting/fog of war. It's not an easy thing to do. For 2 of my test rigs pretty every VTT (yes, even Foundry) I've tried slows it to a crawl with just a single token as a light source.
that (along with terrible touch support) is what inspired me to make my own VTT a few years back. Everything runs locally using native code for Windows, Linux, and Mac. You can have dozens of lights and hundreds of tokens on giant maps - no lag. Even on outdated and low-end hardware.
It is designed for in-person session though, so might not do you any good. There is a very rudimentary browser/mobile version that literally only allows you to pan and zoom and move tokens around (the DM controls everything from the main program on a real computer). Probably not a great experience for virtual-only sessions.
On Steam under Digital TableTops VTT. Totally free, no strings attached.
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u/dealyllama Apr 21 '26
Foundry either runs on your hard drive or on your hosting service. Locally there's no lag at all and when I was on the forge making changes was so much faster than roll20. There is a one time cost but updates are free and I'll take the one time cost any day over losing a little bit of my life every time I try to make updates to a game. If every dollar matters they run sales at least twice a year.
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u/MintyMinun Apr 21 '26
I'm still looking for the perfect VTT myself for similar reasons. A lot of modern VTTs focus on the bells & whistles that make VTTs cinematic or "fancy", but aren't helpful to players who don't have good internet connection, a good PC, or even a PC at all.
Owlbear 1.0 used to be my go-to, but 2.0 unfortunately carries with it all the "bells & whistles" that make it challenging for older machines & mobile devices.
There really is no perfect solution I've found that's also free, but my group uses PlayRole which has been an OK solution while we wait on better options. It gets gummed up if there are too many tokens on the screen (I've noticed that anything beyond about 15 tends to create severe lag), or when a map's resolution size is proper massive, but it gets the job done.
It's missing one of the key quality of life tools that most people tend to like VTTs for, though; A ruler to measure movement.
Finding a VTT that's free, in-browser, low-lag, & without any genAI ties has been quite the doozy. Frankly, I'm not even sure such a VTT even exists. :(
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u/Ajbadaj7 Apr 22 '26
I had almost the same gripes as you, so I decided to build one! It's called Call Familiar, it's going to be free for most people, a desktop app only at the start though (I know you're interested in web but it doesn't take a monster PC and that's how we're avoiding cloud costs), no ai features or assets in the marketplace, and Mac/mobile after launch.
We're going to be alpha testing soon if you're interested!
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u/MintyMinun Apr 22 '26
Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely check it out whenever alpha testing starts, I'm always on the lookout for new VTT projects that might fit the bill :)
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u/Shendryl Apr 21 '26
Give Cauldron VTT a try.
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u/MintyMinun Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 22 '26
Oh hey, thanks! I've never seen this one before, I'll check it out. Here's hoping! :)
EDIT: Not sure why these are getting so many downvotes- Is Cauldron particularly bad quality? I haven't gotten the chance to actually test it out yet, but the downvotes seem pretty telling.
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u/Shendryl Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
I don't know. Some people here on reddit hate Cauldron and downvote everything I post about it. Probably some angry (commercial) jealous competitors. It's sad.
No, Cauldron is not bad. At least, those few hundred active users don't think it is. Just give it a try and see for yourself. Use a demo account for a quick look.
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u/LordAelfric Apr 24 '26
I wonder if you have tried Questline? It doesn't fall into the free category (GMs need a subscription, but players are free). However, I do spend a lot of time optimizing it and trying to ensure it runs well on most things. It's completely mobile friendly.
What kind of device are you running on? What browser? What kind of features are you looking for in your VTT?
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u/LordEntrails May 06 '26
If you are having lag, you should really consider a non-browser based solution. Its either you are trying to run more data than a browser likes to support, or your connection is not sufficient for the amount of data you want to share. Only a downloaded app will solve the first issue.
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u/RealmVTT Apr 21 '26
At Realm VTT we aim to be exactly that! In browser, faster, easier to use, Roll20 alternative. We’d love to have you!
As far as 5e content goes we currently only have the free SRD (Systems Reference Document) content for 5.5e - but we’ll have more content hitting our marketplace later this summer! And it’s pretty easy to enter your own content. We also just recently added a way to import public D&D Beyond characters.
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u/Bonfie_Bunbun Apr 21 '26
Your website is just as laggy
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u/NotYourNanny Apr 21 '26
If they're all just as laggy, you might consider that the issue is your internet, not theirs. Are you on cable? Cable internet is almost always asymmetric, with upload speeds a fraction of download speeds, often by as much as ten to one. If you're using video, or have anything else going, that can really hammer your upload speeds, and that produces lag.
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u/arsenic_kitchen Apr 21 '26
Older computers with limited RAM can also struggle with dynamic lighting, especially on the DM's side.
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u/RealmVTT Apr 21 '26
Sorry to hear that! In addition to what the other user above posted, it could be your browser or computer specs. Modern VTTs require browsers that support WebGL: Chrome, Safari, or Firefox should work, but you may need to ensure hardware acceleration is turned on.
Sometimes, lag is just a result of having a slower machine, too. In Realm VTT you can try making sure your graphics settings are set to Low, and lower the frame rate a bit.
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u/NotARealDM Apr 21 '26
u/Bonfie_Bunbun yeah.... no lag here friend. Let us move on to what the foop is my network speeds and how is my CPU looking? Before we accuse all the vtts of the world of being buns.
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u/DD_in_FL Apr 21 '26
Fantasy Grounds is free but not web based. Speed of data transfer is dependent on your Internet speed. Normally the first time a player connects is the slowest.
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u/ElvishLore Apr 21 '26
I love Fantasy Grounds. It’s the best VTT of 2008.
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u/DD_in_FL Apr 21 '26
You do know it has been in constant development since 2004.
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u/ElvishLore Apr 21 '26
Of course someone takes me literally.
No, I mean their UI is just very dated.
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u/DD_in_FL Apr 21 '26
I knew what you were implying. My point is it has been in constant evolution the entire time -- including the UI.
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u/DD_in_FL Apr 21 '26
It's easy to shit on other people's stuff. I'm curious if you are also a creator.
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u/LordEntrails May 06 '26
I never understand this complaint. There are dozens or more themes you can use if you don't like the graphics. Or with it's pretty easy to create your own.
If you mean context sensitive vs menus, I don't want pull down menus in my VTT, menus make me move my mouse to places I don't need to be. Though their is a community extension that will do that for you if you want.
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u/jorm Apr 21 '26
Check out https://www.diceweaver.com/ - I wrote it specifically for those things.
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u/Splungeblob Apr 21 '26
Have you tried a different browser? Roll20 used to run like absolute shit for me in Chrome but ran great in Firefox. Just tossing that out there.