What is Inkarnate?
Inkarnate is an online editor for drawing fantasy maps without any art skills. You paint land and terrain, and the land tool draws a coastline for you. Then you stamp forests, mountains, cities and dungeons from a library of hand-drawn assets, add lights and filters, and export a finished map for your next tabletop session, novel or game.
It is made by Inkarnate, Inc., a US company based in Austin, Texas, and its site says more than 16 million maps have been created. The free Hobby plan gives you a smaller asset set and 2K exports, while paid Creator and Studio plans unlock 30,000 plus assets, 8K or larger exports, map cloning from the community and, on Studio, commercial use.
Main Features
- Land tool that draws natural coastlines automatically
- Library of 30,000 plus hand-drawn HD assets on paid plans
- World maps, regional maps, city maps and battle maps in one editor
- Line and shape tools for walls, roads, rooms and textured fills
- Lights and stackable filters, such as turning day into night
- Exports up to 8K on Creator and 16K (beta) on Studio
- Clone community maps from the Explore page and make them your own
- Upload your own custom assets on paid plans
How to Get Started with Inkarnate
- Go to inkarnate.com and sign up for a free Hobby account
- Open the editor and pick a world map or battle map template
- Paint land, add terrain and stamp forests, towns and labels
- Export your map, or upgrade to Creator or Studio for bigger exports and more assets
Inkarnate Pricing
Hobby: Free (1K+ HD art assets, export at 2K, 2K editor resolution, personal use, 3 maps). Creator: $7.99/month or $39.99/year (30K+ assets, export at 8K, 4K editor resolution, personal use, 100 maps, 100 custom assets, clone and publish maps). Studio: $14.99/month or $79.99/year (export at 16K beta, commercial use, unlimited maps, 10,000 custom assets, Art Manager, early access). Prices in USD; taxes may apply.
Who Should Use It?
- Dungeon masters preparing maps for D&D and other tabletop games
- Fantasy writers who want a map for their book
- Worldbuilders who enjoy designing kingdoms and continents
- Game developers who need quick concept maps
- Teachers and students making story or history maps
Inkarnate Alternatives
- Watabou: free procedural generators that make fantasy cities, villages and dungeons in one click
- Archivist AI: keeps notes and summaries for your tabletop campaign once the map is ready
- AI Dungeon: an AI text adventure for playing fantasy stories rather than drawing maps
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Inkarnate free?
Yes, Inkarnate has a free Hobby plan with no credit card needed. It includes over 1,000 art assets, 2K exports and up to 3 maps for personal use. The Creator plan costs $7.99 a month or $39.99 a year, and Studio costs $14.99 a month or $79.99 a year.
Can I use Inkarnate maps commercially?
Commercial use of your exported maps needs the Studio plan, which costs $14.99 a month or $79.99 a year. The free Hobby plan and the Creator plan are for personal use only, so pick Studio if you plan to sell a book, game or module that includes your map.
Do I need to be an artist to use Inkarnate?
No. Inkarnate supplies ready-made fantasy art, so you mostly paint land and stamp assets onto the canvas. The land tool even draws the coastline for you. Most people can make a usable world or battle map in a few minutes, then refine it with filters and lights.