# Patreon vs D&D Beyond

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Patreon at none against D&D Beyond's 28. Patreon also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). D&D Beyond's advantage is review sentiment (54% vs 41%). On price, monetization model, chart position and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. D&D Beyond sells 27 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Patreon asks for nothing beyond the download.

Patreon holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Patreon has 577K ratings behind it against 91K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 41% of Patreon's written reviews are positive against 54% of D&D Beyond's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Patreon ships an update weekly, D&D Beyond every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 27, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Patreon | D&D Beyond |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (577K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/patreon/id1044456188/reviews)** | [4.7 (91K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/d-and-d-beyond/id1501810129/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **577K** | 91K |
| Positive reviews | 40.9% of reviews | **53.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#30** | #64 |
| Size | 137 MB | 333 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Patreon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1044456187) | [Wizards of the Coast](https://appshunter.io/developer/491192018) |

## What reviewers say

### Patreon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/patreon/id1044456188)

**Currently charting:** #30 Top Grossing · Entertainment, #55 Top Free · Entertainment (US App Store)

Gain exclusive access to content from your favorite creators, including podcasts, videos, art, and more. Engage with creators and fellow fans in community chats and enjoy offline listening for audio content.

**Highlights:** Exclusive creator content access, Community group chats, Offline audio listening, Personalized fan profiles, Creator work collections

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Podcast Lovers Get This!
- 🚀 Awesome platform for supporting creators
- 💡 Great way to find and support independent artists
- 👍 Worthwhile platform with useful content
- 👍 Able to support small animators

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Lack of adjustment options
- 🐛 Website is better than app
- 🐛 Notifications don't work
- 🐛 Awful app with poor functionality
- 🐛 Technically it works but cumbersome

**Reported bugs**

- Search function crashes the app
- Inability to access subscriptions on mobile
- Inconsistent episode tracking and playback
- Disappearing downloaded content
- Inability to log in with email

**Requested features**

- Face ID feature
- Ability to filter posts by year
- Playlist/queue functionality for audio/video
- Apple TV app
- Ability to search through subscribed creators' posts


### D&D Beyond

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/d-and-d-beyond/id1501810129)

**Currently charting:** #64 Top Grossing · Entertainment, #179 Top Free · Entertainment (US App Store)

Manage your Dungeons & Dragons characters, access your digital library of adventures and sourcebooks, and roll dice with a built-in dice roller. This app provides offline access to your content and tools to make gameplay faster and more convenient for players and Dungeon Masters alike.

**Highlights:** Digital character sheets, Built-in dice roller, Offline library access, Guided character creator, Monster stat lookup, Spell and item management

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (27)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hero Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Master Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Hero Annual | $25.99 | per year |
| Master Annual | $54.99 | per year |
| Valda’s Spire of Secrets:... | $14.99 | one-time |
| The Pugilist Class (2024) | $14.99 | one-time |
| Valda’s Spire of Secrets | $14.99 | one-time |
| The Illrigger Revised | $14.99 | one-time |
| Grim Hollow: Player Pack | $14.99 | one-time |
| Eberron: Forge of the... | $19.99 | one-time |
| Monster Manual | $29.99 | one-time |
| The Book of Many Things | $29.99 | one-time |
| Arcana Unleashed | $29.99 | one-time |
| Dungeon Master's Guide | $29.99 | one-time |
| Xanathar's Guide to Everything | $29.99 | one-time |
| Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything | $29.99 | one-time |
| Player's Handbook | $29.99 | one-time |
| Monsters of the Multiverse | $29.99 | one-time |
| Player’s Handbook (2024) | $29.99 | one-time |
| Heliana’s Guide to Monster... | $29.99 | one-time |
| Obojima: Tales from the... | $29.99 | one-time |
| Monster Manual (2024) | $29.99 | one-time |
| The Griffon’s Saddlebag:... | $29.99 | one-time |
| Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024) | $29.99 | one-time |
| Ravenloft: The Horrors Within | $39.99 | one-time |
| Lord of the Rings Roleplaying | $39.99 | one-time |
| Book of Ebon Tides | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful resource
- 👍 Best fit for purpose
- 🚀 Brilliant idea
- 👍 Crazy useful
- 👍 Great app to help keep track of things

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Slow online, barely usable offline
- 🔒 Can't play the game
- 🔒 Poor UI for perusing books
- 🐛 Styling broken on iPad
- 🔒 Paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Artificial character creation issues
- Inconsistent character sheet data
- Crashes and freezes
- Incompatibility with older devices
- Login issues

**Requested features**

- Ability to scan physical books
- More customization options
- Game log tracker
- Integrate ApplePay for subscription
- Ability to manage experience, levels, items, etc. within the app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Patreon free?

Patreon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is D&D Beyond free?

D&D Beyond is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Patreon or D&D Beyond?

Patreon is rated higher. Patreon averages 4.9 out of 5 from 577K ratings, while D&D Beyond averages 4.7 from 91K ratings.

### Do Patreon or D&D Beyond have ads?

D&D Beyond shows ads; Patreon does not.

### Which is updated more often, Patreon or D&D Beyond?

Patreon ships an update weekly, and D&D Beyond every 3 weeks. Most recently, Patreon was updated on September 27, 2026 and D&D Beyond on September 27, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Patreon or D&D Beyond?

Patreon currently peaks at #30 in the App Store charts, and D&D Beyond at #64. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*