D20PRO vs Fantasy Grounds

D20PRO is a multiplayer virtual tabletop for role-playing games, with automated play tools and controls that leave the Game Master able to approve or delay actions, adjust rules, and create scripts. It supports D&D 5E, 3.5 and 4th Edition, Pathfinder, and Starfinder, and can be extended to other systems. Combat automation covers attacks, damage, ongoing effects, initiative, movement, saving throws, checks, and area effects. Maps support fog of war, hidden areas, distance and line-of-sight measurement, map libraries, and drawing from images. Game Masters can share private notes and files as handouts. It supports online sessions and in-person play without internet, and imports information from Hero Lab and PC Gen. A free Guest License lets a player join when the host has an open guest seat. The Player License is $10 as a one-time purchase; the GM License is $42 as a one-time purchase. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Fantasy Grounds is a virtual tabletop for creating and playing tabletop roleplaying-game campaigns online or in person. Its tools include dice rolling, character sheets, campaign notes, handouts, images, tokens, and maps. Rulesets automate gameplay tasks while keeping detailed rules information available in the background. The full application is free to download and includes Game Master and player functionality, cloud connectivity, free rulesets, and unlimited campaigns, with no recurring costs listed for the Free to Play plan. Automatic NAT traversal is intended to avoid networking hassles. Dynamic line of sight, lighting, and vision features include darkvision support. Users can export custom adventure modules and create extensions or rulesets with XML and Lua. The Fantasy Grounds Forge lets creators share content for free or sell it, while users can purchase or subscribe to content. A browser-based Online Reader provides access to purchased modules from any device. Fantasy Grounds is listed for Linux, macOS, web, and Windows. SmiteWorks says it does not store credit-card data; support excludes product training, phone support, and languages other than English.