Soundboard Studio Pro vs Pocket Bard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Soundboard Studio Pro
This professional audio playback app is designed for live shows, offering a customizable grid of buttons to trigger music, sound effects, and voiceovers. It provides advanced features like simultaneous track playback, fading, and automation for seamless audio control.
- Play multiple tracks simultaneously
- Fade in/out tracks
- Individual track volume control
- Trim audio tracks
- Smart Track Automations
- Background audio playback
- Create multiple soundboards
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Soundboard Studio is the professional and smart sound playback app, perfect for for music, sound effects, voiceovers, pads, soundbites or anything else! This app offers the same extra features as the Pro upgrade in Soundboard Studio as a standalone App Store purchase instead of an in-app purchase. Soundboard Studio is designed for playing ad-lib sounds and music, with its large grid of buttons for each of your tracks. You can customise the layout, colours and detailed settings for all of your tracks. Make the PERFECT soundboard for your show, studio or event! Soundboard Studio is the fully featured soundboard solution for iOS, with all of the reliable pro tools you need for a great show. For years, Soundboard Studio has been the app of choice for many pro podcasters, studios, event venues and more. Here's just a few of their thoughts: • “For the price it knocks everything else out of the ring that compares to work on a tablet or laptop.” • “For me, this is the best of any program out there, and I’ve tried a lot.” • “My worship Live looping is in a whole new Level! Thank you guys!” • “This app is professional grade and made for—you guessed it—professionals! You won't regret this investment.” • “Podcasters, look no further: This is your soundboard app!” • “This is for serious professionals, so if that's you, add this app to your arsenal immediately.” Top Features: • Play multiple tracks simultaneously • Set tracks to fade in and/or fade out • Set individual volume levels for each track • Trim the start and end of individual tracks • Program smart Track Automations to trigger events such as playing other tracks, or changing other track volumes • Set tracks to automatically play the next adjacent track when they reaches their end • Background audio playback: Your tracks will continue playing when you close the app • Monitor and control multiple playing tracks • Add images to your tracks to make them instantly recognisable • Create multiple 'Boards' of tracks and quickly navigate between them • Assign default track settings to apply to all newly imported tracks • Import tracks from the Music library on your device • Import audio files from your favourite apps and services like Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Drive and more via the Files app • Use iTunes File Sharing to import files directly from your computer • Drag & drop support – Drag any compatible audio files into Soundboard Studio to quickly import them as tracks • Connect your device to an external display and chose from three realtime visualisers fo your sound • See which tracks you have already played • Low latency playback using the power and simplicity of iOS What's New in Soundboard Studio 2? • Create unlimited boards • Colours! Select from 6 colours for your tracks and boards • Collapsible view of all playing tracks for better control • Easier drag & drop track arrangement • Move tracks between boards • Import multiple files at once from the Files app • iPad split-screen multitasking support • iPad slide-over multitasking support Soundboard Studio was designed to be perfect for... • Podcasts • Events • Live theatre • Church services • Workshops • Voice presenters • Wedding planners • Choreographers • Stage Managers • Magicians • Puppeteers • Dance recitals No other soundboard app comes close to the versatility, usability and experience of using Soundboard Studio.
Pocket Bard
Enhance your tabletop RPG sessions with an immersive audio experience. Instantly change soundscapes to match the mood of your game, dynamically adjusting music and sound effects to perfectly complement your gameplay.
- Immersive audio experience
- Dynamic soundscape changes
- Match session tone
- Alter music intensity
- Adjust sound effects
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Pocket Bard is a fully immersive audio experience for your D&D or tabletop RPG session. With just a tap, change your entire soundscape to match the tone of your session. From moment to moment, alter the intensity of the music, ambience, and sound effects to pair perfectly with your gameplay. Free to download, no ads. The free library gives you 20+ complete scenes, including the full Fantasy Essentials collection (tavern, town, forest, cave, swamp, graveyard, dungeons, and more), enough to run an entire fantasy campaign without paying a thing. HOW IT WORKS More than a soundboard or a background playlist, every scene is a complete, layered soundscape you control live at the table. • Intensity slider (patented): one control reshapes the arrangement of the music in real time, from minor encounter to intense battle. • Music state controls: jump from exploration to combat with a single tap, and trigger a victory stinger when the fight ends. • Layered ambience: rain, wind, crowds, and creatures, each with its own intensity control. • Ambience variations: step indoors or out, into open fields or forest paths. • One-shot sound effects: a door slam, sword clash, thunderclap, or howl right on cue. • A mix that's already balanced: music, ambience, and effects are mastered to sit together at any volume. No mixing required. PREP LESS, PLAY MORE Built for game masters and dungeon masters, Pocket Bard runs on the phone, tablet, or desktop computer you already bring to the table. The controls stay out of your way, so you can shift the mood without breaking the flow of the story. When the party moves on, switch scenes with one tap, and the music and ambience automatically adapt. No more interrupting ads, juggling browser tabs, or clunky UI. No files to manage, no audio know-how needed. WORKS WITH ANY GAME Your weekly DnD group, a Pathfinder campaign, a Sci-fi one-shot, Blades in the Dark, Mothership, or your own homebrew. Scenes are built around places and moods, not rulebooks, so they fit any TTRPG and any setting. WORLDS TO EXPLORE Free with Fantasy Essentials: Tavern, Town, City, Village, Dark Streets, Mountains, Plains, Forest, Cave, Ancient Grove, Swamp, Graveyard, Dungeon Entrance, Dungeon Corridors, Dungeon Lair, Dwarven Kingdom, and more. Your free library also includes select scenes from other collections, like Deep Space and Shipwreck Cove. Open Worlds unlocks many more collections: Sci-Fi, Horror, Seafaring, Desert, Feywild, Northern, Cyberpunk, and Modern Urban. Think starships and derelict stations, haunted libraries and cursed lands, frozen harbors, buried tombs, enchanted glades, and high-speed chases. New scenes are added throughout the year. MADE BY HUMANS Every note, sound, and piece of art in Pocket Bard is thoughtfully crafted by real humans. Scenes are composed by professional musicians and mastered by our audio team. No AI-generated music or art. STREAM IT Pocket Bard owns the rights to its music, and you're welcome to use it in your streams and videos. A credit is always appreciated. OPEN WORLDS Open Worlds is our subscription: every collection, plus every new scene as it's released, billed monthly or yearly. One subscription, everything included. Immersive audio, made simple. With Pocket Bard, you can focus on what matters most: your story. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Service: https://www.pocketbard.app/terms-of-service.html Privacy Policy: https://www.pocketbard.app/privacy-policy.html Pocket Bard is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast, Paizo, Chaosium, or any other game publisher. Dungeons & Dragons and D&D are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Pocket Bard at Free against Soundboard Studio Pro's $159.99. Pocket Bard also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 66%) and chart position (#168 vs unranked). Soundboard Studio Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 weeks). On rating, 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
Pocket Bard is free to download; Soundboard Studio Pro costs $159.99 up front. Pocket Bard sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Soundboard Studio Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Soundboard Studio Pro against 4.8 for Pocket Bard. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Bard has 1.8K ratings behind it against 200, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Soundboard Studio Pro's written reviews are positive against 86% of Pocket Bard's.
Soundboard Studio Pro ships an update every 2 weeks, Pocket Bard every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Soundboard Studio Pro | Pocket Bard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $159.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (200 ratings) — better | 4.8 (1.8K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 65.5% of reviews | 86.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 200 | 1.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #168 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 109 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | App Business Ventures LLC | Pocket Bard Inc. |
Customer experience
Soundboard Studio Pro
Pocket Bard
User reviews
Soundboard Studio Pro
From 200 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great for live gigs
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Excellent for podcasts
- 👍 Professional feel
- 👍 Good for magic shows
Room to improve
- 💰 Overpriced for features
- 💰 Forced upgrade to version 2
- 💰 High price tag
- 👎 Buttons too large
- 👎 Not intuitive for some
Pocket Bard
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Seamless transitions
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🎨 Great customization options
- 🎶 High-quality music and sound effects
- 💡 Versatile for various use cases (TTRPG, reading, writing, etc.)
Room to improve
- 🔒 Unclear subscription model and pricing
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes for some users
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 📦 Limited content in free version
Bugs and requests
Soundboard Studio Pro
Reported bugs
7 issues- Cannot get audio from iPad to Soundboard (OS issue?)
- Tracks unplayable after copying between boards
- System auxiliary keyboard function not working
- Tracks not loading/unplayable when imported from Files
- Popping noise when song stops on newer iPad Pro
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- Sounds delayed on tap (1-2 seconds)
- App broken/not loading anything in version 1
Requested features
14 requests- Add search feature
- Add stock sound FX library
- Robust wireless sync between devices
- Type exact parameter values for fades
- Draw fade in/out automation
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Change track button size
- Alternative layouts (list view)
- Button to automatically start next track
- Placeholder/blank tracks
- Easier way to see all boards
- Move sounds to change order
- Duplicate sound option
- Batch assign track properties
- Full keyboard control for accessibility
Pocket Bard
Reported bugs
4 issues- Downloading content causes crashes
- Repeated terms of service pop-ups
- One-shot sound effects not working
- Inconsistent audio quality and balance
Requested features
6 requests- More sound effects (creature sounds, weather, etc.)
- Ability to import custom music and sounds
- AirPlay support for streaming to speakers
- Offline mode or caching for downloaded content
- Customizable scenes and soundscapes
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Shortcut integration for quick access
In-app purchases
Soundboard Studio Pro
No in-app purchases
Pocket Bard
- Pocket Bard Open Worlds14 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Pocket Bard Open Worlds Yearly14 Days trial$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Soundboard Studio Pro free?
Is Pocket Bard free?
Which has better reviews, Soundboard Studio Pro or Pocket Bard?
Do Soundboard Studio Pro or Pocket Bard have ads?
Which is updated more often, Soundboard Studio Pro or Pocket Bard?
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