COMPARISON
Archivist vs. Other TTRPG Note-Taking Tools
Archivist goes past the session recap so the full party can explore your world between games, with prep and insight for the GM on the same subscription.
Published October 15, 2026 · 7 min read
By Greg H. & Greg W., co-founders of Archivist
← Back to GM GuidesThe Short Answer
Archivist is built for the full party on one subscription. Every tier includes every feature. GMs get automated note-taking, an updating compendium and timeline for prep, and Cast Analysis for talk share and balance at the table. Players get a dedicated page for their character, updated every session, with their evolution tracked on Character Arc.
The Full Feature Set, at a Fair Price
No tier locks features behind an upsell. Casual through Legend include the same tools, named on features and spelled out on pricing:
- Core Features: smart recaps, interactive timeline, entity tracking, quest log, campaign chatbot, and customizable tone
- Exploration & Insight: highlights, Data Studio, WikiLinks, history and lore, and Cast Analysis
- Sharing & Showcasing: session handouts, public campaign sharing, and digital trading cards
Plans differ only by campaign slots and monthly sessions. Tier prices have stayed the same since we introduced them.
Designed for the Full Party
Every player character gets a dedicated page. Growth lives on Character Arc with property tables for the traits, ties, and goals that make them distinct. Between sessions they can browse Hero Awards and spotlights, revisit memorable quotes from every session, open session handouts, and share digital trading cards. The chatbot is there when they forget a name, scoped to what their role is allowed to see.
Campaign Memory Beyond Session Recaps
Archivist does more than summarize the session. Each game updates the compendium automatically: characters, factions, locations, and items stay current, with WikiLinks from recaps to entity pages. A searchable timeline and quest log keep earlier sessions easy to find. GMs prep from one campaign record; the party browses that same world between games.
A Session Is a Session
We capture what you play, and a session counts as one session. You're not billed extra for the ten minutes spent describing the tavern before anyone rolls initiative, a rules lookup, or a table full of side chatter.
Fast Turnaround
Most sessions finish processing in about 10 minutes: recap, updated compendium entries, a highlights reel, and timeline updates, ready before you've put your dice away. That replaces the evening many GMs spend rewriting what happened before the next session. See how that timing works on how it works. An audio upload takes a little longer, since it has to transcribe first, but you're still looking at minutes, not hours. Other tools we've seen often run closer to 30 minutes, and some take as long as 8 hours before every feature finishes processing.
A Chatbot That Knows Your Campaign
Ask what happened the last time the party was in a specific town, or what a given NPC actually wanted three arcs ago, and it answers from your real campaign history. Data partitioning keeps GM-only journals and notes out of player-facing answers, so curious players are not spoiled on secrets the GM has not shared. It works for GMs and players in-app, on Discord, and through the Foundry integration.
Your Data Isn't Locked In
You own your story. Full campaign export delivers a ZIP of your campaign data whenever you need it. See campaign data export. Campaigns stay stored when you archive them, pause a subscription, or cancel and return later. Pricing explains how archived campaigns and reactivation work.
When you want that data inside another tool, the MCP connector and developer API pull structured records into Cursor, Windsurf, or your own scripts. Prefer a chat app? Use the official Archivist app for ChatGPT or connect through Claude. Same campaign memory, without copy-paste prep.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Archivist worth it compared to other TTRPG note-taking tools?
Every Archivist plan includes Core Features, Exploration & Insight, and Sharing & Showcasing with no feature upsells. Plans differ by campaign slots and monthly sessions only. Tier prices have not changed since they were introduced.
Does Archivist charge by the hour or by session length?
No. A session counts as one session whether it runs fifteen minutes or five hours. There's no per-minute meter.
Can I get my campaign data out of Archivist?
Yes. Export a full campaign ZIP from campaign settings any time. If you cancel or pause your subscription, your campaigns remain stored so you can re-subscribe and pick up where you left off. The MCP connector, developer API, official ChatGPT app, and Claude connector also let you work with structured campaign data outside the app.
Is Archivist designed for players?
Yes. Each player gets a dedicated character page updated every session, with evolution tracked on Character Arc, plus handouts, Hero Awards, quotes, trading cards, and chatbot access scoped to what their role can see. GMs use the same campaign on one subscription that covers unlimited seats.
Is Archivist a good note-taking tool for dungeon masters?
Yes. Archivist is built for campaign-scale memory, not one-off session summaries. After each game you get recap, compendium, highlights, and timeline updates in minutes, plus tools like Cast Analysis and Data Studio for insight across sessions.
Has Archivist raised its prices since launch?
No. The tier prices have stayed the same since they were introduced.
How long does Archivist take to process a session?
About 10 minutes for a Discord or text session: recap, entities, highlights, and timeline all included. An audio upload takes a bit longer since it has to transcribe first, but still minutes, not hours. Other tools often run closer to 30 minutes, and some take up to 8 hours before every feature finishes processing.
What makes Archivist's chatbot different from a general AI assistant like ChatGPT?
Archivist's chatbot answers from your actual campaign history: transcripts, recaps, and tracked entities. Data partitioning means players only see answers drawn from content shared with them. GM-only journals and notes stay out of player-facing replies.
See the Difference in Your Own Campaign
Archivist's 30-day trial includes two full sessions, no credit card required. Run one the way you already play, and see the recap, compendium, and chatbot built from your actual story.