Comparison

Calamus vs DnD Combat Initiative Tracker

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Calamus

Create expansive battlemaps with hand-drawn tiles for tabletop RPGs. Design custom character tokens and host real-time games where players can move their own pieces. Engage in robust chat, sending messages as yourself or any in-game token.

Highlights
  • Create large battlemaps
  • Dozens of hand-drawn tiles
  • Custom PC, NPC, FOE tokens
  • Host real-time games
  • Player character movement
  • Robust in-game chat
  • Send messages as tokens
Features
Read full description

The Calamus is a companion for tabletop roleplaying games, such as Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder, that allows you to create huge battlemaps utilizing dozens of hand-drawn tiles, create custom PC, NPC, and FOE tokens, and host games in which players can add and move their own characters in real-time. It also features a robust chat, in which you can send messages as yourself or any token you have in play, publicly or privately. You can find our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy here: http://trapstreetstudios.com/theCalamus/tos/

About

DnD Combat Initiative Tracker

Features
Read full description

Run 5e combat without the spreadsheets, index cards, or scraps of paper. Ultimate 5e Initiative Tracker keeps every combatant, stat, and condition on one screen, built specifically for running a game at the table. ROLL AND TRACK - Roll initiative with one tap or type it in directly - Sort the whole order by initiative automatically - HP, Temp HP, AC, Passive Perception, and Exhaustion for every combatant - Every number field has quick +/- buttons, no keyboard required NEVER LOSE YOUR PLACE - Undo and Redo any change, up to 30 steps back, including deletions and sorting - Everything saves automatically as you play - close the app and pick up right where you left off - Death save boxes appear automatically at 0 HP, and skip a downed character in the turn order - Track Concentration and Reaction per character, so nobody forgets an active spell mid-fight TRACK CONDITIONS WITHOUT THE TYPING - Tap to add Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, and every standard condition - Add your own custom conditions just as easily - Exhaustion tracked by level, with the tag updating itself as it changes - Death save marks use distinct shapes and colorblind-friendly colors, not just red and green RUN THE WHOLE ENCOUNTER - The active card is clearly highlighted with an End Turn button - Add Lair Actions that sort themselves into the initiative order like any other combatant - Duplicate a card in one tap for a pack of identical enemies - Drag and drop to reorder combatants by hand - A Notes field for tactics, loot, or anything worth remembering BUILT FOR THE TABLE - Six color palettes, three light and three dark, for any table or lighting - Export an encounter to share or back up, and import it again later - Runs on iPhone and iPad, portrait or landscape WORKS OFFLINE, RESPECTS YOUR DATA No account, no sign-in, and no internet connection required. Everything is saved locally on your device only. Nothing is ever uploaded, tracked, or shared with anyone, including us. This app includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. It is unofficial content, not approved, endorsed, or sponsored by Wizards of the Coast.

Screenshots

Calamus4 screens
DnD Combat Initiative Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Calamus at Free against DnD Combat Initiative Tracker's $1.99. Calamus also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). DnD Combat Initiative Tracker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 15) and update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Calamus is free to download; DnD Combat Initiative Tracker costs $1.99 up front. Calamus sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. DnD Combat Initiative Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Calamus ships an update monthly, DnD Combat Initiative Tracker every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Calamus versus DnD Combat Initiative Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalamusDnD Combat Initiative Tracker
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating3.3 (83 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews32.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings83 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTrapStreet StudiosERIC ELIOT

Bugs and requests

Calamus

Reported bugs

40 issues
  • No undo option
  • Walls erase when removing objects
  • Rune password login issues
  • Water turns light blue when saving/cropping
  • App repeatedly asks for password
Show 35 more
  • Pop-ups are disruptive
  • Download issues
  • Support issues
  • Map saving issues
  • App crashes
  • Broken text formatting
  • Tabs do not work
  • Program freezes while placing tiles
  • Login issues after canceling subscription
  • Pinch and pull zoom doesn't work
  • Erase button in wrong menu
  • Forced password system
  • Locked out if away from app for too long
  • Not designed for mobile user experience
  • Maps don't save properly
  • App never loads
  • Never got to do much of anything
  • Non-functional, never makes it past loading screen
  • Monetization model kills it
  • Forced subscription after idle period
  • Limited variety of items
  • Cannot download saved maps
  • App asks for subscription after payment
  • Free app with subscription service
  • Too complicated login process
  • Freezes when adding players
  • Rune password is confusing
  • Subscription is a big problem
  • Keeps locking, requires frequent passcode entry
  • Slowdown on larger maps
  • Text is incredibly small
  • Menu screen swipe function doesn't work
  • Cannot figure out rune password
  • Slow learning curve
  • No simple tutorial

Requested features

18 requests
  • Add undo option
  • Improve Apple Pencil support
  • Add more assets like columns
  • Add desert themed items
  • Add steering wheel and crows nest
Show 13 more
  • Add fungi for underdark maps
  • Allow watching ads instead of subscription
  • Fix water color issue when saving/cropping
  • Improve login process
  • Add more variety of items
  • Allow downloading saved maps to device
  • Implement a one-time purchase option
  • Add more content
  • Change rune password system to typed password or tap option
  • Add more VTT features
  • Provide a simple tutorial
  • Allow maps to be exported as PDFs
  • Allow maps to be printed

DnD Combat Initiative Tracker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

15 purchases

Calamus

Subscriptions5
  • Calamus Player Only$0.991 Month
  • Full Version - Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Calamus Monthly Subscription$3.491 Month
Show 2 more
  • Full Version - Yearly$29.991 Year
  • Calamus Yearly Subscription$39.991 Year
One-time10
  • More Tokens Slots (12)$0.99
  • More Tokens Slots (30)$0.99
  • More Tokens Slots (24)$0.99
Show 7 more
  • All Epic Token Icons$0.99
  • 2x2 Token Ring$0.99
  • More Map Slots (6)$0.99
  • More Tokens Slots (6)$0.99
  • Full Roommaker$1.99
  • All Epic Token Rings$2.99
  • Player Enhanced Version$2.99
None

DnD Combat Initiative Tracker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Calamus free?
Calamus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DnD Combat Initiative Tracker free?
DnD Combat Initiative Tracker costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Calamus or DnD Combat Initiative Tracker have ads?
Neither Calamus nor DnD Combat Initiative Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Calamus or DnD Combat Initiative Tracker?
Calamus ships an update monthly, and DnD Combat Initiative Tracker every 5 days. Most recently, Calamus was updated on October 24, 2026 and DnD Combat Initiative Tracker on October 29, 2026.

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