QuestMaster vs Foundry VTT: browser table vs self-hosted license

Short answer

If your table is already a Foundry world with twenty modules in it, switching is a migration rather than a toggle, and it is worth waiting until the hosting really is a pain. If you are not on Foundry yet and are weighing up several tables, Best VTT for D&D 5e is the better starting point.

How you run it

Foundry. Its hosting guide (2026-09-18) describes one host and several clients. You run it on your own computer, on a machine on your network, or through a partnered hosting service; whichever you pick, you still buy the license. Players join through a browser with a link. The FAQ is clear that only the host needs a license and players do not.

QuestMaster. It is a web app. You open /login, sign in with Google or a magic link, and run the table in the browser. There is no license key and no port forwarding. The trade-off is that it is a hosted service with plan limits rather than a server you own outright.

Neither model is the “serious” one; they just fail differently. Foundry fails when the host laptop goes to sleep. QuestMaster fails when you wanted to run on a network with no internet at all (Demiurge, a lifetime desktop tier, is listed as coming soon on /pricing as of 2026-09-18 and is not on sale yet).

What Foundry ships first-party for 5e

These are the reasons Foundry earns its reputation, and none of them are in dispute.

• The license. Purchase, 2026-09-18: a software license key for $50.00 USD, paid once, with future updates included. Per the FAQ there is one license type, no premium tiers or season passes, and unlimited players on that server.
• The D&D 5e system. The official dnd5e package covers the core rules, the character sheet, advancement, requested rolls, and loot.
• Lighting. Built-in lighting with fog of war and walls.
• Combat. A built-in combat tracker tied to each scene.
• Journals. Built-in journal entries with permissions. Good for notes, though not a structured web of factions, threads and secrets.
• Player view. Per the FAQ, you run the app or Node server as the GM and open a browser to put a player view on a screen.

QuestMaster also has a map, fog, lighting, and a 5e combat tracker with hit points, conditions, concentration and death saves. There is real overlap here, and this comparison is not “Foundry has a VTT and QuestMaster does not.”

What is a module, and what is Foundry

Foundry’s FAQ and its AI Content Policy (revised 18 March 2026) both talk about packages on the official listing and marketplace. The policy allows some uses of generative AI inside packages, forbids others, and offers a “Zero AI” tag. What it is not is a built-in “paste your OpenAI key and draft an NPC” feature.

In practice, that means:

• An AI DM chat, session recaps, portrait generation, and bring-your-own-key are not part of Foundry itself. Community modules offer versions of them, and a module is what they are.
• Shops and in-world commerce come from community modules rather than the core.
• Mobile, per the FAQ on 2026-09-18: “At this time Foundry VTT does not support mobile devices as part of the core software.” The same page mentions add-on modules as a possibility, but the core answer is no.

QuestMaster’s different job

QuestMaster is an all-in-one TTRPG toolkit: the VTT, 5e rules, worldbuilding, and optional AI on your own key, in one place. The full pitch is on the homepage and the full comparison on /pricing, so this section only covers what is different from Foundry.

• Nothing to host. It runs in the browser as a service.
• World tools inside the campaign: modules, factions, threads and secrets that the table understands, rather than journals alone. Foundry’s journals are perfectly good; they are simply a different structure.
• Optional AI on your key, free on every plan including Apprentice (see billing and API keys). Skip the key and the table runs exactly the same. The AI never takes the DM’s seat.
• A free tier with limits rather than a $50 server you own: Apprentice is $0 with 2 campaigns and 4 players.

What it costs

Over five years Foundry can easily be the cheaper option if you host it yourself and never use AI. This month, QuestMaster can be the cheaper option if you do not want to buy a license and stand up a host. A one-time purchase does not convert honestly into a monthly figure, so it is better to compare the shapes than to force a number.

Mobile and the player TV

Foundry’s FAQ (2026-09-18) says two things that are both true: the core software does not support mobile, and a browser on the same server can show a player view on a TV at the table.

QuestMaster is a web app with player-facing views built in; the player-screen rows on /pricing go through them one by one.

If your real constraint is “my players only have phones,” Foundry’s core is the wrong default. If it is “I have a dedicated host PC and a TV,” Foundry already has you covered.

When to stay on Foundry

Stay where you are if any of these describe your table:

1. Your module list is the product you actually use.
2. You already have a stable host, whether a home server or a partner.
3. You want to own a perpetual license rather than have a subscription relationship.
4. You run systems other than D&D 5e. QuestMaster goes deep on 5e; Foundry is a general-purpose VTT with a very long list of systems.
5. You publish your own modules, including ones that would not pass the official listing rules. That is a Foundry-shaped workflow and there is no equivalent here.

Switch, or at least try the free tier, if hosting is the pain, if you want an optional AI assistant on your own key built into the table, or if you want world tools that are more than journals. Start at getting started, and keep your Foundry world running until the new table is real. Nobody should burn a campaign for a demo.

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