Best free D&D token makers, compared
There is no single best token maker, because they solve different problems. Some frame art you already have, some animate it, one builds 3D miniatures, and ours draws pixel art. This page compares eleven options on price, art style, account, VTT export and who each suits, including when ours is the wrong choice.
Facts checked in October 2026 (last updated 2 October 2026). Anything we could not confirm is marked “not verified”.
Disclosure: this page is published by CartoSmith, the makers of the Sprite Creator listed below. We have tried to hold every tool, ours included, to the same criteria, and to state our own limits as plainly as anyone else’s. There are no affiliate links here.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price / free tier | Art style | Account needed | VTT export | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CartoSmith Sprite Creator Our tool | Free, no paid tier | Pixel art only: built figure, painted, or traced from your image; or letters only | No | Transparent PNG, 32 to 256 px canvas. Roll20 (280 px) and Foundry (400 px) size presets are being added | Quick, readable pixel-art character, monster and NPC tokens |
| Token Stamp 2 | Free (reported by third parties; not verified on its own site) | Your own art plus borders | No (reported; not verified) | Reported: WebP, PNG, JPEG, GIF, TIFF (not verified). Has a Foundry module | Framing art you already have |
| GM Craft Tavern Token Maker | Free, no signup. Optional border bundles are sold separately | Your own portrait or video clip plus 500+ borders | No | PNG and WebP at 512 to 2048 px; WebM and GIF for animated tokens | Animated tokens and high-resolution frames |
| CharGen Token Maker | Free, no sign-up, no watermark | Your own art plus 20+ borders | No | Transparent PNG, 1024 × 1024 px | A fast framed token from an existing portrait |
| Heroic Token | Reported free tier plus paid Pro; not verified | Your own art plus borders (reported); not verified | Reported for cloud features; not verified | Reported PNG, WebP, WebM; not verified | Not verified |
| Roll20 Token Maker | Free to use; extra marketplace art is bought separately | Marketplace art or your own upload, with frames and effects | Yes, a Roll20 account | Exports tokens, including animated WebM | Roll20 players who want frames and effects |
| Foundry: Tokenizer 2 and built-in rings | Module price not shown on its listing; Foundry itself not verified | Your own layers, frames and rings | Runs inside Foundry VTT | Made and saved inside Foundry | Foundry GMs, especially for batch work |
| TokenTool 2 | Reported free and open source; not verified | Your own art plus frames (reported); not verified | Reported no; not verified | Reported desktop app; not verified | Reported batch processing; not verified |
| Hero Forge | Free account for design tools and screenshot exports; Token Maker is in Pro at $3.99 to $5.99 a month | Customised 3D miniatures | Yes | Token Maker is a Pro feature; Pro+ adds an Access Key for VTT sync of digital packs | A painted or 3D miniature look |
| Dungeon Alchemist | Not verified | Map-making tool; token features not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Maps first, tokens unconfirmed |
| AI token generators (category) | Varies by service | Generated art, varies widely | Usually, varies | Varies | One-of-a-kind portraits from a text description |
“Reported” means we read it in a third-party comparison (CharGen and Sprixen, both of which publish token tools of their own) but could not open the tool’s own site to confirm it. Treat those cells as leads to check, not facts. Prices change, so confirm on the tool’s own page before you subscribe.
The tools, one by one
CartoSmith Sprite Creator (our tool)
A free, in-browser pixel-art token maker. You can build a head-and-shoulders figure from parts, paint over it, trace your own image into pixel art, or save letters only. Nothing is uploaded, and no account is needed. Tokens save as a transparent PNG that also carries its editable parts, so you can reopen and keep editing.
Limits, stated plainly: it makes pixel art in one style and nothing else. The canvas is 32 to 256 pixels, so it will not give you painted, photographic or 3D tokens, animated tokens, or batch processing of a whole bestiary. Size presets for Roll20 (280 px) and Foundry (400 px) are being added; until you have them, saves go up to 256 px and your VTT scales them to the grid. The own-image mode traces a picture into pixel art rather than framing it as it is.
Best for: a quick, readable character, monster or NPC token with a retro look. Not the best for: painted or 3D art, animation, batch jobs.
Token Stamp 2 (RollAdvantage)
A long-standing token framer: you bring the art, add a border and export. Third-party comparisons published in September 2026 describe it as free, with no account, and exporting WebP, PNG, JPEG, GIF and TIFF. We could not open RollAdvantage’s own site, so those points are not verified. We did verify that a Token Stamp 2 module exists on Foundry’s package list: it adds a token creator to the prototype token window and can upload to Foundry or Imgur, it is MIT licensed, and the listing shows version 1.2.1, last updated several years ago and verified only up to Foundry 0.9.9. Check it still works on your Foundry version before relying on it.
Token Stamp vs the rest: against GM Craft Tavern and CharGen it is the same idea, framing your own art, so the choice comes down to border style and output format. Against ours it is a different job: it frames finished art, we draw pixel art.
Best for: framing a portrait you already have. Not the best for: making the art itself.
Sources: Token Stamp (not opened); Foundry package listing and GitHub repository (checked). Note that GM Craft Tavern states it is not the official Token Stamp.
GM Craft Tavern Token Maker
Free with no signup, according to its own page, with optional border bundles sold separately. It frames a close-up portrait with one of 500+ borders (or your own transparent frame) and exports PNG or WebP at 512, 768, 1024 or 2048 px. It can also frame a short MP4 or WebM clip and export an animated WebM or GIF. It does not generate motion for a still character, so you need your own clip. Its page lists Roll20 and Foundry VTT as compatible and advises checking your VTT’s requirements before uploading animation.
Best for: animated tokens, and large high-resolution exports. Not the best for: creating the portrait itself.
Source: GM Craft Tavern token maker, checked October 2026.
CharGen Token Maker
Its own page says you can make and download unlimited transparent PNG tokens with no sign-up, watermark or paywall, at 1024 × 1024 px, using 20+ borders or a border you build from your own artwork. It says portraits are processed locally in your browser and lists Roll20, Foundry VTT, Fantasy Grounds and Owlbear Rodeo among the places the file works. CharGen also offers other, separate generators; we checked only its token maker.
Best for: a fast, watermark-free framed token from a portrait you have. Not the best for: animation or drawing the art.
Source: CharGen token maker, checked October 2026.
Heroic Token
We could not open Heroic Token’s own site. A September 2026 third-party comparison describes a free tier with 400+ borders, a paid Pro tier, an account for cloud features, and PNG, WebP and WebM export. All of that is not verified by us, so check its site for current pricing and limits.
Source: Heroic Token (not opened).
Roll20 Token Maker
Roll20’s own announcement (29 September 2026) calls it a free token builder available to anyone with a Roll20 account, under Tools in the navigation bar. You pick a base portrait, add a frame, add pop-out or effects, resize and export. It comes preloaded with art from Roll20 Marketplace artists, accepts your own artwork, and supports WebM animation. The tool is free; extra marketplace art is purchased separately.
Best for: Roll20 users who want frames, effects and animation without leaving Roll20. Not the best for: people who do not want an account. See also our Roll20 token maker guide.
Source: Roll20 blog, checked October 2026.
Foundry VTT: Tokenizer 2 and built-in tools
Foundry’s own tokens article covers prototype tokens (per-actor defaults) and dynamic token rings, which wrap ordinary artwork in a circular ring. It does not describe building a token image from scratch, and it does not give image sizes or formats. For that, many GMs add a module. Tokenizer 2, by MrPrimate, is listed as a layered, non-destructive token editor for Foundry 13 to 14, with masks, a frame browser, clipboard paste, and wildcard token detection with batch tokenization for compendium packs. Its listing does not state a price, and we have not verified Foundry’s own licence price.
Best for: Foundry GMs, and anyone who needs to process many tokens in one go. Not the best for: people who play outside Foundry. See also our Foundry VTT token maker guide.
Sources: Foundry tokens article and Tokenizer 2 listing, checked October 2026.
TokenTool 2
We could not open TokenTool’s own project page. A third-party comparison describes it as a free, open-source desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux with batch processing. That is not verified by us. If you need to make many tokens offline, it is worth checking.
Source: none opened directly.
Hero Forge
Hero Forge is built around customised 3D miniatures, not flat token art. Its subscriptions page lists a free Basic account (design tools, screenshot exports, share links), Hero Forge Pro at $3.99 a month on a 12-month commitment ($4.99 on 3 months, $5.99 monthly) which includes a Token Maker for virtual tabletop use and HD portraits, and Pro+ Digital Download from $14.99 a month with five digital credits a month for .stl files and 3D digital miniatures plus an Access Key for VTT syncing. We did not verify the token export details.
Best for: a painted, 3D look that matches a miniature you designed (and might print). Not the best for: a free, no-account token in a minute.
Source: Hero Forge subscriptions, checked October 2026.
Dungeon Alchemist
Dungeon Alchemist is a map-making tool. A community wiki has a Tokens category for objects, but we could not confirm what token or character art it produces, whether it exports standalone tokens, or its current price. All not verified. We list it so you do not have to wonder; check its own site if you use it for maps.
Source: none opened directly.
AI token generators (as a category)
Many image generators can produce a character portrait from a text description, and several services market themselves as D&D token generators. We did not test individual services, so we make no claims about any one of them. As general advice: you still need to crop the result to a square and add a border or a transparent background, the same character is hard to reproduce twice, and terms about commercial use and ownership differ, so read the service’s terms. Some people also object to AI art, which may matter at your table.
Best for: a unique portrait you cannot find elsewhere. Not the best for: consistent sets, or a table that prefers hand-made art.
How to choose
- You already have portrait art and want a frame: Token Stamp 2, GM Craft Tavern or CharGen. All three frame your own art; compare their borders and output formats. (Token Stamp details are not verified.)
- You want animated tokens: GM Craft Tavern or Roll20’s Token Maker, both of which list animated export. We do not make animated tokens.
- You want painted or 3D art: Hero Forge. We do not do this.
- You play in Foundry and have many tokens to make: Tokenizer 2 lists batch tokenization. We have no batch mode.
- You play in Roll20 and already have an account: try the built-in Token Maker first.
- You want a retro pixel-art look, with no account and nothing uploaded: that is what the CartoSmith Sprite Creator is for.
- You want something nobody else has: an AI generator, or commission an artist.
Token basics
Whichever tool you use, a token is a square image with a transparent background that your virtual tabletop (VTT) scales to the grid. A bigger creature is set by its size in squares in the VTT, not by making a bigger image. Our token size guide has the grid squares for every creature size, plus Roll20, Foundry and Owlbear Rodeo image notes. If you like the retro look, see how the pixel art token maker works. Per-VTT guides: Roll20, Foundry VTT and Owlbear Rodeo.
Methodology
We checked these facts in October 2026 by reading each tool’s own page where we could open it: GM Craft Tavern, CharGen, Hero Forge, Roll20’s announcement, and Foundry’s tokens article and package listings. Where our access to a tool’s own site was blocked (Token Stamp, Heroic Token, TokenTool, Dungeon Alchemist), we say so and mark any claim from a third-party article as not verified. We did not hands-on test every tool, we make no claims about quality, and we include no ratings, rankings or user counts.
Tools change. If something here is wrong or out of date, please tell us through cartosmith.app and we will correct it. If you make one of these tools and want a detail fixed, the same applies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free D&D token maker?
It depends on the job. To frame art you already have, GM Craft Tavern and CharGen both describe themselves as free with no signup. For animated tokens, GM Craft Tavern and Roll20’s Token Maker list animated export. For a pixel-art look, the CartoSmith Sprite Creator is free with no account.
Is Token Stamp free, and is it still maintained?
Third-party articles report that Token Stamp 2 is free and needs no account, but we could not confirm this on its own site, so treat it as not verified. Its Foundry module listing shows an old version verified only up to Foundry 0.9.9, so test it before relying on it.
Is there a Hero Forge alternative for tokens?
If you want a 3D miniature look, not really, because Hero Forge’s speciality is customised 3D minis, and its Token Maker is part of the paid Pro plan. If you only need a token, GM Craft Tavern, CharGen, Roll20’s Token Maker or ours will make one without a subscription, though with a different, flatter look.
Do I need an account to make a token?
Not for GM Craft Tavern, CharGen or the CartoSmith Sprite Creator, according to their own pages. Roll20’s Token Maker needs a Roll20 account, and Hero Forge needs an account even for its free tier.
Can I make animated tokens?
Yes, with GM Craft Tavern (you supply a short clip) or Roll20’s Token Maker, which lists WebM animation. The CartoSmith Sprite Creator makes still pixel-art tokens only. Check your VTT’s requirements before uploading animation.
What size should my token be, and does pixel art work?
A square PNG with a transparent background works in every VTT, which scales it to the grid. Pixel art stays crisp if you do not enlarge it much, so check it at the zoom you play at. See the token size guide for sizes by VTT.
Want a pixel-art token?
Build one in your browser, free and with no account, then drop it into any VTT.