TADS Alternatives

TADS is described as '3 is a robust, modern programming environment specially designed for creating Interactive Fiction' and is an app. There are more than 10 alternatives to TADS for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Web-based and Self-Hosted apps. The best TADS alternative is Twine, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like TADS are Inky by Inkle, Ink by Inkle, QuestJS and Yarn Spinner.

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Alternatives list

  1. Twine icon
     89 likes
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    Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories.

    52 Twine alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
     
    • Twine is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to TADS.

    • Twine is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to TADS.

    • Twine is Free and Open SourceTADS is Free and Proprietary
    • Twine is LightweightTADS is not according to our users
  2. Inky by Inkle icon
     6 likes
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    editor that uses the Ink narrative scripting language and allows you to play and test your interactive (game) narrative stories on the fly.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  3. QuestJS icon
     2 likes
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    Quest 6 is a full re-write of Quest, an interactive fiction app, to pure JavaScript. It's a framework for creating parser-based text adventures.

    47 QuestJS alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
     
  4. Yarn Spinner icon
     3 likes
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    Yarn Spinner is a tool for creating interactive dialogue for games. Write your conversations in Yarn, a simple programming language that's designed to be easy for writers to learn, while also powerful enough to handle whatever you need.

    44 Yarn Spinner alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  5. ADRIFT icon
     6 likes
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    ADRIFT Developer is a Windows application that allows you to create complex interactive fiction games quickly and easily. It allows you to concentrate on the story by making everything else easy, such as having all options available in dropdown lists, rather than you having to...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
     
  6. Inform icon
     14 likes
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    Inform is a free app for creating works of interactive fiction, available for MacOS, Windows, Linux and Android. Inside it is a powerful programming language based on English language text. This redesigned website is part of the preparations for open-sourcing the software.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about Inform as an Alternative to TADS
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Everything you can do in TADS, you can do in Inform7. The main difference is that Inform7 uses natural-language programming, and therefore, according to theory, is even better suited to writing interactive fiction.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    TADS Icon
    Inform icon
    • Inform is Free and Open SourceTADS is Free and Proprietary
  7. StoryNexus icon
     1 like
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    StoryNexus: The choice is yours. StoryNexus gives you free access to hundreds of interactive worlds, from science fiction to romance, from gothic fantasy to historical adventure.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
     
  8. ChoiceScript icon
     9 likes
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    ChoiceScript is a simple programming language for writing multiple-choice games (MCGs) like Choice of the Dragon. Writing games with ChoiceScript is easy and fun, even for authors with no programming experience.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
     
    • ChoiceScript is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to TADS.

    • ChoiceScript is Free and Open SourceTADS is Free and Proprietary
  9. ADLENGINE icon
     1 like
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    Adliberum Engine is a multiplayer compatible role-playing text adventure engine. Complete with real-time world-building commands; craft text powered games and scenarios alone or with others. Complete with world editing commands; create worlds, games and puzzles that you can...

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Steam
     
  10. InquisitorIF icon
     1 like
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    Inquisitor is an engine for browser and multiplatform Interactive Fiction works. It bares similarities to Twine while facilitating creation of worlds with locations and items.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
     
  11. Narrat icon
     1 like
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    Narrat is a narrative game engine for text-based games. Game dialogue info is written in files with a similar syntax to Ren'Py (.rpy files). Those files get loaded by the game engine which plays through them.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
     
12 of 18 TADS alternatives