July 14, 2026
Lorevia vs Archivist AI for campaign notes (2026)
The short answer: if your group plays over Discord and wants sessions captured live with as little setup as possible, Archivist AI is the better fit today. If you already keep session notes, want a campaign wiki built from those notes, or have months of old campaign history to organize, Lorevia is likely the better choice. Full disclosure: we make Lorevia, so this comparison sticks to what both products publicly offer, including the places where Archivist is stronger.
The comparison
Both tools aim at the same broad goal: turn your campaign history into something you can search, browse, and use between sessions. The biggest difference is where they start. Archivist is audio-first. Lorevia is notes-first, with audio transcription available on paid plans.
| Feature | Archivist AI | Lorevia |
|---|---|---|
| How you feed it | Record sessions live with their Discord bot, upload audio, or provide transcripts, play-by-post text, or raw notes | Paste session notes, even rough fragments; or record in the browser / upload audio on paid plans |
| What it builds | AI session notes, recaps, campaign wiki, timeline, entity tracking, a Discord campaign chatbot, AI-generated images | A running wiki of NPCs, locations, quests, items, and factions, plus the “story so far” recap; you review what it extracts before it becomes canon |
| Old campaigns | Accepts transcripts and raw notes going forward | Paste months or years of existing session notes and build the wiki retroactively |
| Live Discord recording | Yes; this is a standout feature | No equivalent today |
| AI images | Yes | No, by design |
| Free plan | 30-day trial (1 campaign, 2 sessions, 5 AI images), no card; the trial ends, there is no perpetual free plan | Perpetual free plan (1 campaign, 2 AI-organized sessions per month, host up to 3 players), no card |
| Paid pricing | Casual, Seasoned, and Pro tiers, roughly $10 to $60/month; sessions use credits ($2 per extra session, $6 per extra active campaign slot for 30 days) | Player Pro $6/mo, Game Master $15/mo, Professional $29/mo; organized sessions are unlimited on paid plans, no per-session credits; audio is metered in hours per month |
Where Archivist wins
Archivist's biggest advantage is live Discord voice recording. If your whole table already plays in voice chat and wants the session captured automatically, it offers a workflow Lorevia simply does not have today: nobody has to remember to write anything while you play. That is a meaningful advantage for groups that prefer conversation over documentation.
Archivist also generates images. Some groups enjoy having character portraits and scene art produced alongside the campaign material. Lorevia deliberately does not include image generation, so if that matters to you, Archivist has the feature and we don't. And it's fair to say Archivist has been focused on audio-first workflows for longer; if recording every session is central to how your table runs, that specialization is part of its appeal.
Where Lorevia wins
Lorevia starts from the assumption that many GMs already write notes: bullet points, half-finished thoughts, a mix of reminders and player quotes. You paste them in, and it extracts the NPCs, locations, quests, items, and factions into running entries and updates the “story so far” recap. Before anything becomes part of the campaign, you review it and decide what is canon. Nothing publishes itself.
That approach makes retroactive import practical. If your campaign has already been running for a year, you can paste the old session notes and get a wiki built from your existing history, instead of starting from session one with a recording tool. A recording-first pipeline can't re-record the past; your old notes are the only time machine you have.
Lorevia also does audio, with one deliberate difference: on paid plans you can record in the browser or upload a file, it transcribes, and the audio file is deleted immediately after transcription. Only the transcript is kept, never the recording. If someone at your table is uneasy about session recordings existing somewhere, that policy is the answer.
Pricing works differently too. Lorevia's free plan is perpetual, so there is no trial clock running. Paid plans include unlimited organized sessions; audio is limited by transcription hours each month, but there are no per-session credits to manage or top up before game night.
The two questions that decide it
Does your table actually want to be recorded?Some groups are completely comfortable with every session captured through Discord voice. Others prefer typed or handwritten notes, or simply don't want an audio record of every game existing. Neither preference is wrong; it's about what feels natural for your table. If the answer is an easy yes, Archivist's capture flow is built for you. If it's a no or a maybe, notes-first is the safer starting point.
Do you have an existing campaign backlog?If your campaign already has dozens of sessions documented in notebooks, Google Docs, or Obsidian, Lorevia is designed to turn that material into a structured wiki. If you're starting fresh and expect audio to be your primary source going forward, Archivist's workflow may fit more naturally.
Frequently asked
Can I try both?Yes, and you probably should. Archivist offers a 30-day trial (1 campaign, 2 sessions, 5 AI images) without a card. Lorevia's free plan (1 campaign, 2 organized sessions a month, up to 3 players) is also card-free and doesn't expire.
Does Lorevia do audio too? Yes, on paid plans: record in the browser or upload a file, get the transcript, and the recording is deleted the moment transcription finishes. Audio is metered in hours per month by plan.
What happens to my data if I stop paying?On Lorevia your account drops to the free plan: everything already in your codex stays readable and yours, and new AI organizing is limited to the free allowance. Archivist's free offer is a time-limited trial rather than a plan, so check their current policy on lapsed subscriptions if that matters for your campaign.
Pricing and feature details were checked in July 2026 and may change. If you're comparing wiki platforms more broadly (World Anvil, Kanka, LegendKeeper), that comparison is in World Anvil alternatives for campaign notes.
And the fastest way to settle it for your own table: grab your last session's notes, however messy, and paste them into Lorevia on the free plan. Five minutes tells you more than any comparison page.