Comparison

D&D Beyond vs PortraitWorks

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

Head to head
About

D&D Beyond

Manage your Dungeons & Dragons characters, access your digital library of adventures and sourcebooks, and roll dice with a built-in dice roller. This app provides offline access to your content and tools to make gameplay faster and more convenient for players and Dungeon Masters alike.

Highlights
  • Digital character sheets
  • Built-in dice roller
  • Offline library access
  • Guided character creator
  • Monster stat lookup
  • Spell and item management
Features
Read full description

Make your Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition games faster, easier, and more fun wherever your fantasy role-playing adventures lead with the free D&D Beyond app! Never enter a D&D campaign without your character sheet - access all your characters online or offline, roll using the built-in dice roller and be ready for skill checks, attack rolls, saving throws, or whatever twists & monsters your DM throws at you. Manage health and spell slots, access your equipment, and know your proficiencies from the palm of your hand. Access all your Dungeons & Dragons content anywhere you go-adventures, sourcebooks, and more are at your fingertips. Forgot your favorite 20-sided die? Roll directly in the app and crit in style with themed digital dice sets. * Start playing D&D fast with premade characters from Baldur's Gate 3 and Lost Mine of Phandelver or use our Guided Character Creator * Use your D&D character sheets, spells, and stats on the go * Save time with the built-in dice roller to roll any D20, D100, D12, D10, D8, D6 & D4s - we do the math! * Pull up monster stats like owlbears, dragons, or mimics or others seen in movies such as Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves * Offline access to your library--never miss your books, even in areas without wifi * Bookmarks and Search so you can find the rules, spells, items, and monsters when you need them! * Great for beginners, regular players, and seasoned Dungeon Masters * Easy to use digital tools used on shows like Critical Role More features coming soon! Check back for updates. Find us on Discord, X, Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest: @dndbeyond or @wizards_dnd Watch us: https://www.twitch.tv/dndbeyond or https://www.youtube.com/c/dndbeyond D&D Beyond is the official digital toolset and tabletop game companion for Dungeons & Dragons from Wizards of the Coast. Learn more at http://www.dndbeyond.com https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

PortraitWorks

Create unique fantasy character portraits with hand-drawn art elements. Build from scratch in six steps or customize existing gallery creations. Offers extensive customization for races, genders, gear, and backgrounds.

Highlights
  • Create portraits from scratch
  • Customize gallery portraits
  • Millions of unique face combinations
  • Extensive gear and background options
  • Color control for all elements
  • D&D class integration
Read full description

PortraitWorks™ makes it easy to create great custom portraits for your D&D and other fantasy characters. This is not just another app using AI to create semi-random images. Every art element was hand-drawn by our team of professional artists, and you have total control over what goes into your portrait. There are two ways to make a portrait: 1. Create from scratch in 6 easy steps: role, body, hair, style, gear, and background. Then, optionally Edit for more detailed control of any element of the portrait. 2. Choose from thousands of curated portraits in the Gallery. These portraits can be customized with the same Edit controls. Make each portrait your own, with: * All the classes from the Player’s Handbook, plus NPCs and more * Millions of unique faces combining individual features and hairstyles, representing different races, ethnic groups, ages, and genders (including non-binary) * Gear, weapons, spells, and familiars appropriate for a wide range of character classes and professions * Nearly unlimited outfit possibilities from multiple layers of clothing, armor, helmets, hats, and jewelry * A large collections of backgrounds from textural to scenic * Color control of nearly every element All features are free except for Export and Favorite. You can pay to unlock those per role, or for all roles at once. Use your portraits on DnD character sheets, virtual tabletop tokens, mugs, tshirts, or anywhere else you can imagine. Publisher license for commercial use available separately.

Screenshots

D&D Beyond4 screens
PortraitWorks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: D&D Beyond at 4.7 against PortraitWorks's 4.2. D&D Beyond also leads on ratings volume (93K vs 52) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). PortraitWorks's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (70% vs 54%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Both are free to download. D&D Beyond sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and PortraitWorks sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

D&D Beyond holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: D&D Beyond has 93K ratings behind it against 52, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of D&D Beyond's written reviews are positive against 70% of PortraitWorks's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

D&D Beyond ships an update every 3 weeks, PortraitWorks every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
D&D Beyond versus PortraitWorks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterD&D BeyondPortraitWorks
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (93K ratings) — better4.2 (52 ratings)
Positive reviews53.9% of reviews69.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings93K — better52
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#63 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size306 MB647 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperWizards of the CoastWorldspinner LLC

Customer experience

D&D Beyond

All ratings92,416 ratings
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews1,064 reviews
Positive53.9%
Neutral13.0%
Negative33.1%

PortraitWorks

All ratings49 ratings
Positive77.6%
Neutral6.1%
Negative16.3%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive69.7%
Neutral12.1%
Negative18.2%

User reviews

D&D Beyond

From 93K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful resource
  • 👍 Best fit for purpose
  • 🚀 Brilliant idea
  • 👍 Crazy useful
  • 👍 Great app to help keep track of things

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Slow online, barely usable offline
  • 🔒 Can't play the game
  • 🔒 Poor UI for perusing books
  • 🐛 Styling broken on iPad
  • 🔒 Paywall

PortraitWorks

From 52 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Highly customizable portraits
  • ✨ Vast customization options
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💖 Supports real artists (non-AI)
  • 💰 One-time fee for full features

Room to improve

  • 👁️ Limited eye color control
  • 🔗 Face/eyes/ears tied together
  • 💸 Subscription model criticized
  • 🗑️ Content removed in updates
  • 🐛 Randomization of saved characters

Bugs and requests

D&D Beyond

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Artificial character creation issues
  • Inconsistent character sheet data
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Incompatibility with older devices
  • Login issues
Show 2 more
  • Incorrect spell/ability scaling
  • Unreliable offline functionality

Requested features

11 requests
  • Ability to scan physical books
  • More customization options
  • Game log tracker
  • Integrate ApplePay for subscription
  • Ability to manage experience, levels, items, etc. within the app
Show 6 more
  • Ability to create/edit campaigns, encounters, items, spells, etc. within the app
  • Ability to view custom modifications, backgrounds, frames, etc. within the app
  • Integrate dice rolling feature
  • Integrate character preparation features
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve accessibility for visually impaired users

PortraitWorks

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Saved characters' hairstyles/colors randomized
  • Hairstyles removed/unavailable after update
  • Watermark not removed from existing designs
  • App restarts frequently after purchasing packs

Requested features

16 requests
  • More control over eye color
  • Individual customization for face/eyes/ears
  • Glasses option
  • Scars
  • Face tattoos
Show 11 more
  • Freckles
  • Birthmarks
  • More explanation on app usage
  • Dog folk race
  • Genuine smiles
  • Labeling of options
  • Search function for options
  • Show all variations of a feature
  • Grey out unavailable options
  • Consistent order of options
  • Randomness as an option, not default

In-app purchases

10 purchases

D&D Beyond

Subscriptions4
  • Hero Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Master Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Hero Annual$25.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Master Annual$54.991 Year
One-time6
  • Dungeon Master's Guide$29.99
  • Xanathar's Guide to Everything$29.99
  • Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything$29.99
Show 3 more
  • Player's Handbook$29.99
  • Monsters of the Multiverse$29.99
  • Player’s Handbook (2024)$29.99
10 purchases

PortraitWorks

One-time10
  • Backgrounds & Frames$0.99
  • Orcs, Half-Orcs, Half-Devils$0.99
  • Reptilians$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Outlaw & Commoner Outfits$0.99
  • Light Armor$0.99
  • Spells & Spellcaster Gear$0.99
  • Hairstyles & Facial Hair$0.99
  • High Society Outfits$0.99
  • Bundle 1: Launch!$9.99
  • Unlock Export$9.99

Questions

Is D&D Beyond free?
D&D Beyond is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PortraitWorks free?
PortraitWorks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, D&D Beyond or PortraitWorks?
D&D Beyond is rated higher. D&D Beyond averages 4.7 out of 5 from 93K ratings, while PortraitWorks averages 4.2 from 52 ratings.
Do D&D Beyond or PortraitWorks have ads?
D&D Beyond shows ads; PortraitWorks does not.
Which is updated more often, D&D Beyond or PortraitWorks?
D&D Beyond ships an update every 3 weeks, and PortraitWorks every 2 months. Most recently, D&D Beyond was updated on November 9, 2026 and PortraitWorks on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons