# Emerald City Comic Con vs Pocket Beacon

The clearest difference is monetization model: Emerald City Comic Con at ad-supported against Pocket Beacon's subscription. Pocket Beacon's advantage is rating (3.3 vs 2.8) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Pocket Beacon holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Beacon has 366 ratings behind it against 72, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 34% of Emerald City Comic Con's written reviews are positive against 28% of Pocket Beacon's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Emerald City Comic Con ships an update every 5 months, Pocket Beacon fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emerald City Comic Con | Pocket Beacon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (72 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emerald-city-comic-con/id1094373497/reviews) | **[3.3 (366 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-beacon/id6477957665/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 72 | **366** |
| Positive reviews | **34.4% of reviews** | 27.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Subscription |
| Size | 167 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Reed Elsevier Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/387940180) | [Critical Role Productions, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1731211696) |

## What reviewers say

### Emerald City Comic Con

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emerald-city-comic-con/id1094373497)

Navigate your experience at Emerald City Comic Con with this official digital guide. Access schedules, guest lists, exhibitor details, and event information all in one place. Stay updated with the latest news and announcements to ensure you don't miss any highlights.

**Highlights:** Panel schedules, Guest and creator lists, Exhibitor directory, Show features, Event notifications, Latest news updates

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Pocket Beacon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-beacon/id6477957665)

Unlock exclusive content and benefits for fans of a popular web series. Enjoy ad-free viewing, early access to events, merchandise discounts, and bonus episodes. Support independent creator-owned media.

**Highlights:** Ad-free access to video and podcast library, Exclusive pre-sales for live events, Invitation to a private Discord server, Persistent merchandise discount, Bonus content (Cooldown, Fireside Chats), Same-day podcast releases

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth streaming
- 🎥 Great content organization
- 💰 Good value for subscription
- 👍 Easy to navigate

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Inconsistent progress tracking
- 🔇 No background audio playback
- 🔒 Repeated login issues

**Reported bugs**

- Videos starting from the beginning
- Freezing when switching to audio mode
- Inconsistent behavior when locking screen

**Requested features**

- Picture-in-picture mode
- Offline video downloads
- Customizable playback controls
- Apple TV app support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emerald City Comic Con free?

Emerald City Comic Con is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pocket Beacon free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Emerald City Comic Con or Pocket Beacon?

Pocket Beacon is rated higher. Emerald City Comic Con averages 2.8 out of 5 from 72 ratings, while Pocket Beacon averages 3.3 from 366 ratings.

### Do Emerald City Comic Con or Pocket Beacon have ads?

Neither Emerald City Comic Con nor Pocket Beacon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Emerald City Comic Con or Pocket Beacon?

Emerald City Comic Con ships an update every 5 months, and Pocket Beacon fortnightly. Most recently, Emerald City Comic Con was updated on October 21, 2026 and Pocket Beacon on October 25, 2026.

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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.*