A DM’s brutally honest comparison — with years of battle scars to prove it.
If you’ve been around the virtual table even slightly longer than a long rest, you’ve probably heard the question:
“Foundry or Roll20 — which one should I choose?”
This debate is older than some adventurers’ backstories, and every few years the landscape shifts just enough that it’s worth revisiting. And 2025 is a very different year for Virtual Tabletops. New features, better performance, stronger competition — and a more discerning generation of players and Dungeon Masters.
I’ve run campaigns on both platforms. I’ve played on both. I’ve DM’d long-term games, one-shots, experimental indie systems, and high-level D&D chaos-fests. I’ve even fought with Roll20’s UI and lived to tell the tale. (Barely.)
So today, let’s put them head-to-head. Full table. No mercy.
Objective… with a subtle tilt toward Foundry because, well — I’ve seen too much.
Let’s get started.
TL;DR — The Quick Verdict
- Roll20 is great if you want an accessible, browser-based platform that works out-of-the-box.
- Foundry VTT is superior for DMs who want customization, automation, visuals, performance, and long-term flexibility.
If you care about immersion, speed, features, or any real feeling of “being there,” Foundry wins 9 times out of 10.
But let’s break that down in detail…
Foundry VTT vs Roll20 (2025): The Full Comparison Table
Pricing
Foundry VTT uses a one-time license model with optional hosting, while Roll20 relies on monthly subscription tiers.
Winner: Tie — it depends on your long-term budget.
Performance
Foundry is fast and smooth, offloading work to your hardware or hosting provider. Roll20 often becomes laggy on busy scenes and is limited by the browser.
Winner: Foundry
Visual Immersion
Foundry offers modern dynamic lighting, animations, shaders, and visual FX. Roll20 sticks to basic lighting with no advanced effects.
Winner: Foundry
Automation
Foundry supports deep system integrations, complex modules, and powerful macros. Roll20’s automation is moderate and varies heavily by system.
Winner: Foundry
Ease of Use
Foundry has a steeper learning curve. Roll20 is easier for brand-new players and very simple to start with.
Winner: Roll20
Reliability
Foundry is stable, especially when hosted properly. Roll20 is more prone to browser crashes, freezes, and lag.
Winner: Foundry
Customization
Foundry has thousands of modules offering nearly endless customization. Roll20’s customization options are much more limited.
Winner: Foundry
Community Content
Foundry has a massive, highly technical modding community. Roll20 has a large user base as well, but with fewer deep custom options.
Winner: Foundry
Hosting Options
Foundry can be self-hosted or hosted via premium providers. Roll20 is only cloud-hosted on its own infrastructure.
Winner: Foundry
Total Score:
Foundry VTT ★★★★★ | Roll20 ★★★☆☆
1. Pricing in 2025: The Real Cost of Both Platforms
Pricing is where most people start, and the two platforms have very different philosophies.
Roll20 Pricing
Roll20's core is free, which sounds fantastic until you start bumping into the limits. Dynamic lighting? Pay tier. API scripts? Pay tier. Features many DMs would call “basic”? Also pay tier.
Roll20 2025 Pricing (Europe/North America):
- Free tier – very limited
- Plus – monthly fee
- Pro – higher monthly fee
If you stay long-term, those monthly costs quickly overtake a Foundry license.
Foundry VTT Pricing
Foundry is simple:
- One-time license purchase
- You can self-host (free)
- Or pick a hosting provider like MyVirtualTabletop
Many DMs don’t want to run servers on their own hardware, so hosting is the practical option.
👉 If you want premium hosting, here’s where to get it:
https://myvtt.games/order
This turns Foundry into a “click-and-play” cloud platform like Roll20 — except way faster.
Cost comparison over 2 years
- Roll20 Pro: Subscription adds up fast.
- Foundry + Hosting: Usually cheaper while offering more.
2. Visual Immersion & Map Quality: Foundry Absolutely Dominates
My Roll20 Experience as a DM
I’ve run several campaigns on Roll20, and I’ll be honest:
- The visual immersion felt limited
- Lighting tools were basic
- Browser issues were common (especially outside Firefox)
- The UI felt unintuitive and outdated
Roll20 works, but it often feels like you’re running D&D inside a spreadsheet with some pictures on top.
Foundry in 2025
Foundry is visually stunning:
- Dynamic lighting
- Fog animations
- Particle effects
- Weather overlays
- Shaders
- Ambient audio linked to scenes
- Smooth animations
- High-resolution maps without choking
Foundry looks like a modern game engine. Roll20 looks like… a website.
Winner: Foundry, by a mile.
3. System Support & Automation: Foundry’s Secret Weapon
This is where Foundry becomes a DM’s dream.
Foundry VTT
Foundry isn’t just a tabletop — it’s a modular engine.
Automation includes:
- Auto-calculated rolls
- Character sheet enhancements
- Drag-and-drop spells and abilities
- Animated attack sequences
- Condition management
- Real-time effects
- Deep system integration
The community modules are insane:
DFreds, Midi-QoL, DnD5e Automations, Item Macro, Token Auras…
Some tables feel like fully automated hybrid video games.
Roll20
Roll20 has:
- Macros
- Some automation
- API scripts for paying users
But it doesn’t compare to Foundry’s ecosystem.
Winner: Foundry. This isn’t close.
4. Performance & Hosting (2025 Edition)
Roll20 is stuck in the browser.
Foundry uses hardware.
That’s the whole difference.
Roll20 Performance
- Limited by browser memory
- Lag increases with many assets
- Large maps cause stuttering
- Chrome is okay
- Firefox is required for best results
- Safari and Edge struggle
Players often ask:
“Why is this map so slow?”
And the answer is usually:
“Roll20 is having a day.”
Foundry Performance
Foundry runs fast.
Way faster than Roll20.
When hosted properly, it:
- Loads maps instantly
- Handles large assets
- Manages lighting with ease
- Uses your server, not your browser
- Supports high traffic without choking
This is even more important if you're hosting your game for groups around the world.
✔ Why Hosting Matters
Self-hosting works, but…
Your IP changing whenever your modem resets?
Yeah, I’ve been there. That’s how I started too.
It was “fun” in the same way a Gelatinous Cube is “fun”—until it eats your wizard.
That’s why cloud hosting is simply the modern way to run Foundry.
If you want excellent performance:
👉 Foundry Hosting Plans:
https://myvtt.games/order
These are fast, affordable, and fully automated.
5. Ease of Use: Roll20 Wins Here
Okay. Credit where credit’s due.
Roll20 is:
- Easier for beginners
- Has fewer buttons
- Less intimidating
- Faster to get started
Foundry VTT has a learning curve. You’ll watch a few YouTube videos. You’ll tinker. You’ll discover modules you didn’t know you needed.
But once you understand it?
You’ll never want to go back.
Winner: Roll20 for beginners — Foundry for everyone else.
6. Reliability & Stability
Roll20
I’ve had:
- Browser crashes
- UI freezes
- Someone losing connection
- Scenes failing to load
- Dynamic lighting slowing everything to a crawl
Foundry
With good hosting:
- Fewer crashes
- Faster loads
- More stable
- Less browser nonsense
And when you host Foundry on a platform like MyVirtualTabletop, you get:
- Dedicated CPU
- Guaranteed resources
- Solid uptime
- Backups depending on your plan
- A simple dashboard
- No dealing with port forwarding
- No IP changes
- No routers
- No technical headaches
Performance matters. Reliability matters. Hosting matters.
Winner: Foundry
7. Customization & Community Modules
Roll20 has decent content.
Foundry has a galaxy worth.
A short list of Foundry’s module categories:
- Automation
- UI improvements
- FX and weather
- 3D dice
- Token utilities
- Map enhancements
- Adventure packs
- Soundscapes
- Character upgrades
If you can imagine it, someone has probably already built it.
Winner: Foundry
8. The DM Experience (Personal Anecdotes)
Running on Roll20
I remember running a horror-themed mini-campaign on Roll20.
I had high-resolution maps, animated lighting concepts, and a tense soundtrack ready to go.
The result?
- The browser choked
- Dynamic lighting lagged
- The fog refused to update
- Players kept asking “why is this map blurry?”
- And one player’s entire browser crashed during a boss fight
The scariest part of the session was Roll20’s performance.
Running on Foundry
Then I tried recreating the same scenario on Foundry.
- Lighting worked like magic
- Animations flowed
- The ambient sound wrapped around the players
- The visuals raised their heart rates
- Combat felt dynamic and responsive
I didn’t need to “convince” players they were in a haunted manor.
The tabletop did it for me.
That’s the difference.
9. Who Should Choose Roll20?
Roll20 is perfect if you:
- Are brand new to VTTs
- Want a completely free option
- Prefer simplicity over immersion
- Don’t need deep automation
- Run games with minimal assets
- Don’t care about modern visuals
- Want the lowest possible barrier to entry
And that’s not a bad thing!
It’s just a different audience.
10. Who Should Choose Foundry VTT?
Foundry is ideal if you:
- Want a professional-quality tabletop
- Care about performance
- Love automation
- Want to customize your game
- Value immersion
- Run complex campaigns
- Play regularly
- Want your players to say “wow”
- Want a platform that grows with you
- Want to escape the limitations of browser-only engines
- Want your hosting to be reliable, fast, and worry-free
If you’re committed to running good, stable, gorgeous online games…
Foundry is the future-proof choice.
11. Hosting Foundry: Self-Hosting vs Cloud Hosting
Self-Hosting
Pros:
- Free
- Full control
Cons:
- Router issues
- IP changes
- Firewalls
- Hardware limitations
- Your PC must stay on
- Upload bandwidth becomes a bottleneck
Trust me:
The “DMZ your computer” era was not a golden age.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting fixes everything:
- You don’t worry about uptime
- No router headaches
- No hardware issues
- No bandwidth constraints
- No IP problems
- Global players connect easily
- It just works
The only real question is which hosting provider to use.
If you want a hosting platform built by Foundry DMs, with years of real play experience behind it:
Plans scale from beginner-friendly to heavy-duty, with guaranteed CPU, fast storage, and automated setup.
12. Internal Link: Recommended Reading
If you want to go deeper, especially if you're switching from Roll20:
📘 Read this next:
Foundry VTT Hosting: The Complete Beginner’s Guide (2025 Edition)
This gives you:
- Hosting explanations
- Setup walkthrough
- Best practices
- How to avoid the mistakes I made
Final Verdict (2025)
Roll20 is still a decent, accessible, beginner-friendly platform.
But…
Foundry VTT simply delivers a far superior experience.
Modern lighting. Automation. Performance. Visuals. Stability. Customization. Flexibility. Hosting options. Longevity.
Once you experience a properly hosted, properly configured Foundry setup, it’s hard to imagine going back.
