Is Kanka free, and what does the premium tier add?

Updated

Kanka has a genuinely free tier, not a trial: the site states it includes all core features, unlimited campaigns, and unlimited entries, and that "most GMs never need to pay." A premium tier exists — the site's own navigation shows "1 active premium campaign" and links to a Pricing page — but the specific feature differences and prices are only listed there, so check https://kanka.io/pricing before deciding. On the lock-in question, the answer is clear: Kanka says you can export your content anytime, with "no lock-in, ever."

What the free tier actually covers

Based on Kanka's own description, the free tier is positioned as the full product rather than a demo:

  • All core features — not a reduced feature set.
  • Unlimited campaigns — no cap on how many worlds you run.
  • Unlimited entries — no cap on characters, locations, or other records.
  • The full linking model — @mention a character in a session log and it links automatically, so you can click from a city to its ruler to the war they started.
  • Search across your world — the site's pitch is that when a player asks something you didn't prep, "the answer is one search away, on any device."
  • Collaboration — invite players and co-GMs and control what each person sees and edits, so secrets stay hidden until you reveal them.
  • Customization — rename categories, restructure to fit your system, or go deeper with custom CSS and community plugins.

Kanka's stated reasoning is explicit: "we'd rather you stay because you love it, not because a paywall trapped your world."

What premium adds

The input only confirms that a premium tier exists and that a campaign can be marked as premium ("1 active premium campaign" in the site navigation). The concrete feature list and current price are not in the source material, so the honest answer is: the differences live on the official pricing page, and you should read them there rather than rely on secondhand summaries.

A practical way to decide:

  1. Start on the free tier and build your actual campaign in it — not a throwaway test world.
  2. Note where you hit friction: storage-style limits, advanced permissions, or specific tools you keep wishing for.
  3. Open https://kanka.io/pricing and check whether those exact items are premium features.
  4. Only upgrade if the gap you hit is on that list. If you never hit a gap, the free tier is doing its job.

Will your data be locked in?

No, per Kanka's own statement: "Export anytime. Download your content anytime. No lock-in, ever." The site also says your data is safe and that "your world is safe, and it's yours."

That matters for the free-vs-premium decision in two ways:

  • You can evaluate the free tier without fear that your campaign becomes hostage to an upgrade.
  • If you do upgrade and later stop, the export promise means your content remains portable.

Who should just stay free

The free tier is likely sufficient if you:

  • Run one or a few campaigns and mainly need organization and fast lookup mid-session.
  • Want linked entries (characters, locations, organizations, families, timelines, calendars, maps — the site cites 20+ categories) without paying for it.
  • Share the world with a table and only need basic control over what players see.

Consider checking the premium page if you:

  • Want to support the project beyond what you use.
  • Find a specific feature you need listed as premium — verify it there, since this article can't confirm the list.

Quick verification steps

  • Confirm current free-tier terms: https://kanka.io (the "Start for free" path and the free-tier description).
  • Confirm premium features and price: https://kanka.io/pricing.
  • Confirm export/no-lock-in language: the "Your world is safe, and it's yours" section on the homepage.

One caveat worth stating plainly: pricing and tier features change over time, and the source material here doesn't include the premium feature breakdown. Treat the official pricing page as the authority, and treat the free tier as the default unless you can name the premium feature you actually need.