Aeon Timeline alternative: free, and in your browser
Aeon Timeline is a serious timeline tool. It tracks real dates, durations, characters’ ages and the relationships between events, and it syncs with Scrivener. If your story depends on precise chronology, it’s hard to beat.
Storymapper is simpler. It lays your scenes out across lanes in story order, under rows for acts, chapters and dates, it plays the story back across your own map, and it charts how your characters’ relationships change. This page sets the two side by side, so you can tell quickly which one suits you.
Last checked: October 2026. Features and prices change. If anything here is out of date, let me know at hello@storymapper.co.uk and I’ll fix it.
See your story three ways
Why look for a Aeon Timeline alternative?
- Aeon Timeline is an app for Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPad, with no browser version. Storymapper runs in a web browser with nothing to install.
- Aeon Timeline was $65 to buy when I last checked, with a year of updates included and an optional $35 a year for updates after that. Its free trial lasts 14 days, and then it is read-only until you buy. Storymapper has a free plan with no time limit.
- Aeon Timeline is built around exact dates. If you think in chapters and scenes, that precision is more than you need. Storymapper’s story time is a simple left-to-right order.
- Aeon Timeline has no maps. In Storymapper you pin scenes to your own map and play the story back across it.
Storymapper vs Aeon Timeline at a glance
| Storymapper | Aeon Timeline | |
|---|---|---|
| Works in your browser | Yes | No (Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPad apps) |
| Free option | Yes, free forever | Free read-only viewer |
| Story timeline | Gantt-style: scenes across lanes for characters, storylines or locations | Detailed timeline with real dates, ages and relationships |
| Maps | Upload your map; add scenes, journeys, territories, icons and drawings | — |
| Maps connected to the timeline | Press play and watch your story unfold across the map, at your chosen speed | — |
| Family trees and relationship charts | Relationships chart for family trees, chains of command and alliances. Press play and it changes with the story | Relationship view: a grid of which characters take part in which events |
| Story structure templates | Seven, including the three-act structure and the Hero’s Journey | Yes, including the Hero’s Journey |
| Write your manuscript in it | No, it’s for planning | No, syncs with Scrivener |
| Price | Free. Storymapper Plus is £3 a month or £30 a year | $65 to buy, with a year of updates. Later updates are an optional $35 a year |
“—” means I couldn’t find the feature when I last checked.
When Aeon Timeline is the better choice
Aeon Timeline might suit you better if you need exact dates, ages and durations, draft in Scrivener and want the two in sync or prefer a desktop app you buy and own.
When Storymapper is the better choice
Storymapper might suit you better if you think in chapters and scenes rather than exact dates, want something you can pick up in minutes or want to see your story play out on a map.
What Storymapper doesn’t do
You can’t write your manuscript in it. It doesn’t draw maps, so you need a map image from somewhere else. Story time is a simple left-to-right order, so it won’t work out ages or durations from real dates. It has seven story structure templates and not a whole library. There is no wiki for your world, and no desktop or mobile app, so you need an internet connection. It’s also new and built by one person, so it does less than tools that have been around for years.
Other Aeon Timeline alternatives
Storymapper won’t be the right answer for everyone. These are worth a look too.
- Plottr. Plotting with story structure templates and series planning, with export to Word and Scrivener. Storymapper compared with Plottr.
- Campfire. All-in-one writing and worldbuilding, sold by the module, with a manuscript editor. Storymapper compared with Campfire.
- World Anvil. A worldbuilding wiki with interactive maps, timelines and campaign tools. Storymapper compared with World Anvil.
- A spreadsheet. Free, flexible, and you probably already know how to use one. It starts to struggle when a scene needs more than one cell of notes, or when you want a map.
For all of them in one table, see how Storymapper compares.
Questions
- Is there a free alternative to Aeon Timeline?
- Yes. Storymapper’s Free plan has no time limit and needs no card. It includes the timeline, map playback, the relationships chart and share links, for up to 4 projects with one map and one relationships chart in each.
- Does Storymapper work out ages and durations from dates?
- No. Story time in Storymapper is a simple left-to-right order. You can write a date on any header or scene, but Storymapper doesn’t calculate with it. If you need that, Aeon Timeline is the better choice.
- Does Storymapper sync with Scrivener?
- No. Storymapper is a separate planning tool that you keep open beside whatever you write in.
- Can I import an Aeon Timeline file into Storymapper?
- No. Storymapper can’t read Aeon Timeline files, so you would add your scenes again by hand.
Aeon Timeline and the other product names on this page are trademarks of their respective owners. Storymapper is an independent product and isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.