ChatMapper vs Yarn Spinner
ChatMapper
chatmapper.com
Yarn Spinner
yarnspinner.devSide by side
| Figure | ChatMapper | Yarn Spinner |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 9 | 2 |
| Spec score · Game Narrative Design Software | 9.4 (#2) | 8.6 (#4) |
| Documentation depth | Developer documentation covers the data model, normative JSON, runtime semantics, Lua, XML, format extensions, validation, importers and multiple integrations. | Documentation covers beginner scripting, fundamentals, advanced scripting, engine guides, add-ons, samples, API reference, FAQ and migration. |
| Support | The Enterprise plan lists onboarding, an SLA, and commercial support; the Team plan lists priority support. | Support is available by email, with replies usually within a few business days, and through a community Discord server. |
| Unity integration | Unity projects can consume a native Dialogue System XML export for Pixel Crushers Dialogue System. | Yarn Spinner for Unity includes a Dialogue Runner and components for loading and delivering dialogue to game UI. |
| What it does | ChatMapper is a visual workspace for designing, simulating, validating and delivering branching conversations. | Yarn Spinner provides tools for planning, writing, integrating and testing branching dialogue in games. |
Plans
ChatMapper
- Desktop PersonalFree
- FreeFree
- Creator$19 a month
- Creator$19 a month
- Desktop Commercial$35 a month
- Team$79 a month
- Team$79 a month
- Desktop Team$110 a month
- Enterprise & OEMPriced on request
In their own words
ChatMapper
ChatMapper is a browser-based workspace for designing, simulating, validating, and delivering branching conversations. Its visual graph handles dialogue, choices, actors, variables, conditions, scripts, media, and links across conversations. The simulator runs Lua logic and checks for broken links, dead ends, and undefined variables. An AI collaborator can suggest structured edits for review, with accepted changes saved as revisions. ChatMapper imports.cmp, XML, Arcweave, Twine, articy:draft, and CSV, and exports JSON, Unity XML, SCORM, xAPI, Yarn, HTML, and LearnBrite. Its canonical JSON can be used with Unreal, Godot, and custom engines; the maker also describes Unity and Yarn exports. Use cases include games, interactive stories, learning, immersive experiences, and AI character roleplay. The free plan allows one editor, three projects, and 300 nodes per project, with core exports and commercial use permitted. Paid plans start at $19 a month, billed annually. ChatMapper Cloud supports current Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari; the separate offline Desktop 1.9.1 app is Windows-only.
Yarn Spinner
Yarn Spinner is a set of tools for planning, writing, integrating, and testing dialogue for games. Its human-readable Yarn scripting language supports interactive conversations and branching narratives. Official integrations are available for Unity, Godot with C# or GDScript, and Unreal Engine with Blueprint or C++. The free, open-source Visual Studio Code extension adds syntax highlighting, error checking, a graph view, and an in-editor dialogue preview. Dialogue strings can be exported with unique IDs, and the system supports runtime language switching and Unity Localization. Voice-over features include audio asset management, synchronization with localization, and playback timing. Ready-made add-ons include speech bubbles and dialogue wheels; Text Animator is part of Yarn Spinner+. Try Yarn Spinner offers a browser-based space to write and run scripts without setup, but its scripts remain in browser storage and are not backed up or synchronized. The core is licensed under MIT. The Free plan costs nothing; Yarn Spinner+ for Unity costs 75.00 USD or more, once.