Online D&D Is BETTER! 

It's better depending on your situation. If you are lucky enough to have a group of friends that live nearby, then of course in person is better. But not everyone has this option, so online is the best these people can hope for.

Most of my friends are online and are living on the other side of the world so I love playing it online. Never had to contend with table space with 6 other people's character sheets, notes and dices. Having to move just to see what's on the table everytime someone takes a turn is a hassle when you're on the far end of the table. The only thing that bothered me with online sessions is that people tend to multitask and not pay attention. Most cases are understandable, they got tight deadlines but still wanna hangout and play D&D with friends. But playing Valorant while a session is going is just plain rude.

I've played a lot more online than I have in person - and while I kind of miss some of the communication comfort that comes from being immediately together, reading body language and not worrying about being heard properly through bad connection, I am glad to have the opportunity to actually play with a bunch of people a lot more often.

I've played mostly online games. If you have a group that can meet up irl then irl beats online no contest. Yes it's cheaper, yes you can play easier and having online dice do your calculations for you is easier. My online players roll their real dice as well so that's not all that important. Playing dnd with my friends irl is so much better and so much more enjoyable. Because you are socialising with your friends while playing this game.

There are a lot of conveniences to online play :D but I've always been wary of lag in improv game. I always worry about jumping in in case I'm accidentally talking over someone. Do you think that's a matter of practice or do you have any special tips to avoid or has that just not been a problem in your experience?

Hard disagree. You have some good points, let's address your points one by one: 1) It's cheaper. If you never want to own any of your books, maps, or any of the homebrew or third party material you're using, then yes. You may say "But I own them online" but as is common with video games, those can be taken away pretty much at any time by the ACTUAL owners of the IP. In most cases you're going to want to own the physical books, in which case you have to pay twice. Anything you create is linked to whatever platform it's connected to, and if that platform goes down, or bankrupt kiss it goodbye. Also, not all third party content is integrated into the various VTTs. So there's a lot of great stuff out there that can be difficult to add smoothly. Lastly, how much is WoTC going to charge for their killer app Sigil? They've been working to add micro-transactions to their platform, and other VTTs will probably follow suit (and some already have micro-transactions for things like better looking dice, or better sound effects). 2) It's easier to get a game going. This is 100% correct. Playing online vastly increases your gaming pool. I often play online with people across the US, Canada and Australia. It's great. 3) The tools are better online. This is true, but real talk: even when I play online I don't really use them. For a beginning player the tools are a wonderful way to get into the game, they hold your hand and make a lot of less intuitive rules more more easy to parse. But like you yourself said, you get folks pausing to fiddle with their laptop or phone to find that one rule, or spell and it drags the game down. Instead, try running the game with NO books or aids open. Take time as the DM to learn your stuff, and rather than constantly consult books or apps, just make rulings. Look at the end of the day, I'm not here to gatekeep you or say how you play is "bad" because it's not my style. The best way to play is the one that works best for you and your players. But being able read expressions and reactions in real time, at the table, to watch someone express wonder or laughter RIGHT THERE in front of you is pretty awesome. It's easier to tweak your pacing to keep players engaged, and makes improv with your players much more fluid. It's worth the effort.

no, it isn't...