# Complete Reference for D&D 5 vs Cascade

The clearest difference is rating: Cascade at 4.6 against Complete Reference for D&D 5's 3.7. Cascade also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). Complete Reference for D&D 5's advantage is iOS requirement (11.2 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Complete Reference for D&D 5 sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Cascade sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Cascade holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 273 and 282 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Complete Reference for D&D 5's written reviews are positive against 65% of Cascade's.

Complete Reference for D&D 5 ships an update fortnightly, Cascade every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Complete Reference for D&D 5 | Cascade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.7 (273 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/complete-reference-for-d-and-d-5/id1225927257/reviews) | **[4.6 (282 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cascade-mtg-card-scanner/id1528247277/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 273 | **282** |
| Positive reviews | 50.5% of reviews | **65.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 38 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.2** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [van Stein en Groentjes](https://appshunter.io/developer/550131050) | [Cascade MTG LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1528247279) |

## What reviewers say

### Complete Reference for D&D 5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/complete-reference-for-d-and-d-5/id1225927257)

This app serves as a comprehensive guide for playing tabletop role-playing games, offering quick access to spells, items, and monsters without needing internet. It includes tools for Dungeon Masters and a character sheet manager, with the option to add custom content and print cards.

**Highlights:** Offline access to spells, items, and monsters, Searchable SRD 5 content, Online Content Creator for custom content, Printable spell, monster, and equipment cards, DM tools: map, name, loot, encounter generators, Character Sheet Manager with export and print, Initiative tracker

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Character Manager | $3.99 | one-time |
| DM Tools | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful reference for D&D players
- 🚀 Convenient and easy to use
- 💡 Useful for DMs and new players
- 🚀 Great for quick lookup of information

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes when trying to access custom content
- 🐛 Deletes user-created content
- 🐛 Glitchy character sheet and DM tools
- 🐛 Missing important information (spells, classes, etc.)

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to access custom content
- Deletes user-created content
- Issues with character sheet and DM tools
- Incomplete information compared to official sources

**Requested features**

- Add more official content (spells, classes, races, etc.)
- Improve search functionality and organization
- Allow backing up and restoring user-created content
- Provide better instructions and tutorials for features


### Cascade

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cascade-mtg-card-scanner/id1528247277)

Effortlessly manage your Magic: The Gathering collection and decks. Scan cards quickly, track their value with daily updated prices, and build/playtest various deck formats. Sync your collection across all your devices for seamless access.

**Highlights:** Fast card scanning, Unlimited collection tracking, Real-time price updates, Deck building and playtesting, Cross-device sync, Import/export collection data

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cascade Premium - Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Cascade Premium - Annual | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean and intuitive user interface
- 🚀 Fast and smooth app performance
- 📱 Excellent card scanning feature (when working)
- 🎯 Great organizational tool for decks and collections
- 💾 Batch importer for quick card addition

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Misleading 'free' app with significant paywall ($50/year or $5/month)
- 🐛 Unreliable card scanner with high error rates
- 🐛 Scanner fails on extended art, special symbols, and non-English cards
- 🐛 Manual search often returns zero results
- 🐛 Missing card printings and special sets in database

**Reported bugs**

- Card scanner misidentifies cards or fails to scan entirely
- Manual entry bug deletes all previously manually-entered cards from scanning session
- Incorrect card name mapping (e.g., Maarika showing as Zangief)
- App crashes or fails to open after adding many cards
- Account access lost after reinstalling app

**Requested features**

- Search function within decks
- Average mana value/CMC statistics for decks
- Easier deck identification when viewing cards
- CSV and table format import support
- Duplicate card detection feature


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Complete Reference for D&D 5 free?

Complete Reference for D&D 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Cascade free?

Cascade is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Complete Reference for D&D 5 or Cascade?

Cascade is rated higher. Complete Reference for D&D 5 averages 3.7 out of 5 from 273 ratings, while Cascade averages 4.6 from 282 ratings.

### Do Complete Reference for D&D 5 or Cascade have ads?

Complete Reference for D&D 5 shows ads; Cascade does not.

### Which is updated more often, Complete Reference for D&D 5 or Cascade?

Complete Reference for D&D 5 ships an update fortnightly, and Cascade every 4 days. Most recently, Complete Reference for D&D 5 was updated on October 29, 2026 and Cascade on November 3, 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.*