LDtk
Modern 2D level editor by the Dead Cells developer. Open-source, cross-platform, with auto-layers, entity placement, world view, and JSON export compatible with all major 2D engines.
Our Verdict
The modern choice for 2D level editing; switch from Tiled unless you specifically need hex or isometric.
Pros
- Modern UX runs circles around Tiled
- Auto-layers rules cut manual tile placement massively
- JSON export is clean and schema is stable
- Free and open source with active solo maintainer
Cons
- Single maintainer means truck factor of one
- Ecosystem smaller than Tileds battle-tested community
- Importers for some engines lag behind Tiled coverage
- No isometric or hex tile support out of the box
When to Use LDtk
Good fit if you need
- 2D RPG world map built with auto-layers in LDtk editor
- Platformer level designed and exported as JSON to Godot
- Dead Cells-style tilemap integration in Unity 2D project
- Entity placement in level tied to game data via LDtk schema
- Open-source level editor used to avoid proprietary lock-in
Pricing
Price wrong?LDtk Pricing
- Pricing Model
- free
- Free Tier
- Yes
- Entry Price
- —
- Enterprise Available
- No
- Transparency Score
- —
Beta — estimates may differ from actual pricing
Estimated Monthly Cost
$25
Estimated Annual Cost
$300
Estimates are approximate and may not reflect current pricing. Always check the official pricing page.
Lock-in Assessment
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