Mapboard GIS vs 5e Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mapboard GIS
This iPad app allows users to draw field maps using an Apple Pencil, combining the ease of pen-and-paper with the precision of GIS. It's designed for geologists and others needing interpretive mapping, offering intuitive tools for creating topologically consistent geologic maps.
- Pen-based editing tools
- Intuitive reshaping and snapping
- Iterative topology solver
- Onboard Spatialite GIS engine
- Native GIS software compatibility
- User-configurable data types
- Tether to remote PostGIS
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Mapboard GIS is an iPad app for drawing maps with an Apple Pencil. Mapboard combines the intuitive workflow of pen-and-paper mapping with the precision, flexibility, and scale-independence of geospatial information systems (GIS). Its forward-looking design helps beginner and expert mappers produce multiscale, topologically consistent geologic maps. MOTIVATION AND DESIGN Mapboard GIS was born out of frustration with both paper– and GIS-based mapping workflows. It is primarily designed for geologists but is potentially useful in many situations demanding interpretive mapping. Mapboard attempts to bring digital mapping closer to the intuitive experience provided by paper. A sophisticated open-source spatial engine drives simple tools for drawing, erasing, and reshaping features. Outputs are natively compatible with common GIS software. Mapboard allows mapping time to be spent refining interpretations instead of fighting with technical tools. KEY FEATURES - Editing tools geared towards pen-based mapping - Powerful and intuitive reshaping, snapping, and erasing - Iterative topology solver to fill map units - Sophisticated onboard Spatialite GIS engine - Project files natively readable by standard GIS software (QGIS, ArcGIS, etc.) - User-configurable data types for line and polygon features - Tether to remote PostGIS for work across large datasets and real-time collaboration - Interoperable with standard formats (mbtiles, Spatialite, PostGIS) and open-source + commercial software OTHER FEATURES - Load MBTiles basemaps - Satellite, streets, and topographic basemaps - Dark mode support - Geologic line types TERMS OF USE: https://mapboard-gis.app/terms-of-service PRIVACY POLICY: https://mapboard-gis.app/privacy CHANGELOG: https://mapboard-gis.app/docs/ios/releases
5e Buddy
This app serves as a digital companion for tabletop role-playing games, offering interactive character sheets, dice rolling, and campaign management. It allows for the creation and tracking of multiple characters, including homebrewed content, and supports importing and exporting character data.
- Interactive character sheets
- Character building from scratch
- Homebrew content support
- Virtual dice rolling
- Multiple character organization
- Import/export character data
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Hold your adventure in the palm of your hand! 5e Buddy is the ultimate third party companion for 5th Edition champions, homebrew heroes, or average RPG gamers. 5e Buddy replaces a traditional character-sheet with an interactive application that can easily: *Track stats, spells, or equipment *Build characters from scratch *Record character backstory and party data *Roll dice virtually *Accommodate homebrewed species, stats, or equipment *Organize multiple characters for multiple campaigns *Import existing characters from PDF character-sheets *Export character-sheets or character data *And so much more! 5e Buddy is ideal for players of all levels, providing full class, species, and background information in the app. As your character evolves, so does the app! 5e Buddy is perfect for players at every table and allows you to connect with your characters from the palm of your hand. All players are able to use 5e Buddy free of charge. 5e Buddy will automatically allow each user full access to one character of their making. To unlock access to unlimited character creation, a user can pay a small fee. This small fee allows the 5e Buddy team to continue to update and improve the app for all players. 5e Buddy was created by the development team at Magical Duck Studios LLC. Magical Duck Studios is a small software development company dedicated to creating magical tools to improve your daily experiences. For more information about their story or to learn about updates coming to 5e Buddy, please visit their website at https://magicalduckstudiosllc.com. Disclaimer: This app was created by a third party provider and uses SRD for all of its content. Magical Duck Studios is not associated with Wizards of the Coast or any of their official content.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: 5e Buddy at 5.0 against Mapboard GIS's 4.5. 5e Buddy also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). Mapboard GIS's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Mapboard GIS sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per year and 5e Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
5e Buddy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Mapboard GIS ships an update every 2 months, 5e Buddy every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mapboard GIS | 5e Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 69 MB | 137 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Daven Quinn | Magical Duck Studios LLC |
Customer experience
Mapboard GIS
5e Buddy
In-app purchases
Mapboard GIS
- Full Version$29.991 Year
5e Buddy
- 5eBuddy Premium$7.99









