Campfire Writing alternatives: a free tool for plot and maps
Campfire is an all-in-one writing and worldbuilding app, made up of modules for everything from your manuscript to characters, magic systems, species, maps and timelines. You pay only for the modules you want, and it runs in the browser, on desktop and on mobile.
Storymapper is much narrower. It has a Gantt-style timeline of your scenes, a map that plays your story back and a relationships chart for your cast, and nothing else. 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 If anything here is out of date, let me know at hello@storymapper.co.uk and I’ll fix it.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 Campfire alternative?
- Campfire’s free plan caps each module. When I last checked, the caps were 20 timeline events and 2 maps. Storymapper’s Free plan has no cap on scenes.
- Campfire is sold by the module, or as a subscription to all of them, which was listed at $12 a month when I last checked. Storymapper has one paid plan, at £3 a month.
- Campfire covers the whole job of writing a book. If all you want is the timeline and the map, Storymapper is a smaller tool to learn.
- I couldn’t find a way to play a story back across a map in Campfire. In Storymapper you press play, and scenes, journeys and territories appear on your map in story order.
Storymapper vs Campfire at a glance
| Storymapper | Campfire | |
|---|---|---|
| Works in your browser | Yes | Yes, plus desktop and mobile apps |
| Free option | Yes, free forever | Yes, with limits |
| Story timeline | Gantt-style: scenes across lanes for characters, storylines or locations | Timeline module, including a Gantt view |
| Maps | Upload your map; add scenes, journeys, territories, icons and drawings | Maps module with pins and nested maps |
| 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 | Relationships module: freestyle flowcharts and family trees |
| Story structure templates | Seven, including the three-act structure and the Hero’s Journey | Ten or more in the Timeline module, including the three-act structure |
| Write your manuscript in it | No, it’s for planning | Yes |
| Price | Free. Storymapper Plus is £3 a month or £30 a year | Free with caps on each module. Modules are sold one by one, or all together by subscription |
“—” means I couldn’t find the feature when I last checked.
When Campfire is the better choice
Campfire might suit you better if you want to plan and write your book in one place, want detailed encyclopedia-style worldbuilding or want a mobile app.
When Storymapper is the better choice
Storymapper might suit you better if you want a focused tool for your timeline, your map and your cast, want one simple price instead of choosing modules or want a map and a relationships chart that animate your story as you press play.
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 Campfire 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.
- Aeon Timeline. Detailed timelines with real dates, ages and durations, synced with Scrivener. Storymapper compared with Aeon Timeline.
- World Anvil. A worldbuilding wiki with interactive maps, timelines and campaign tools. Storymapper compared with World Anvil.
- LegendKeeper. A worldbuilding tool and campaign manager for game masters, with interactive maps.
- Kanka. A worldbuilding tool and campaign manager with characters, maps and timelines.
- Scrivener. A long-established writing app for drafting a manuscript, with a corkboard and an outliner for planning it.
For all of them in one table, see how Storymapper compares.
Questions
- Is there a free alternative to Campfire?
- 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. Campfire has a free plan too, with caps on each module.
- Can I write my book in Storymapper?
- No. Storymapper is for planning. You write the manuscript in whichever word processor you prefer. If you want to plan and write in one place, Campfire is the better choice.
- Does Storymapper have character sheets or an encyclopedia?
- No. Storymapper has a timeline, a map and a relationships chart. Characters appear as lanes on the timeline and as boxes on the chart, with no separate profile pages.
- Does Storymapper have a mobile app?
- No. Storymapper runs in a web browser and works best on a laptop or desktop screen.
Campfire 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.