# D&D Beyond vs Dnd Character Journal

The clearest difference is ads: Dnd Character Journal at none against D&D Beyond's shown. Dnd Character Journal also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). D&D Beyond's advantage is ratings volume (92K vs 11) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. D&D Beyond sells 28 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Dnd Character Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for D&D Beyond against 4.8 for Dnd Character Journal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: D&D Beyond has 92K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of D&D Beyond's written reviews are positive against 60% of Dnd Character Journal's.

D&D Beyond ships an update every 3 weeks, Dnd Character Journal every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | D&D Beyond | Dnd Character Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (92K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/d-and-d-beyond/id1501810129/reviews) | **[4.8 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dnd-character-journal/id6469010732/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **92K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 53.9% of reviews | **60.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#62** | — |
| Size | 306 MB | 61 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Wizards of the Coast LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/491192018) | [Michael Wu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1528248706) |

## What reviewers say

### D&D Beyond

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/d-and-d-beyond/id1501810129)

**Currently charting:** #62 Top Grossing · Entertainment (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (28)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hero Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Master Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Hero Annual | $25.99 | per year |
| Master Annual | $54.99 | per year |
| The Magus Class | $14.99 | one-time |
| Valda’s Spire of Secrets:... | $14.99 | one-time |
| The Pugilist Class (2024) | $14.99 | one-time |
| Valda’s Spire of Secrets | $14.99 | one-time |
| The Illrigger Revised | $14.99 | one-time |
| Grim Hollow: Player Pack | $14.99 | one-time |
| Eberron: Forge of the... | $19.99 | one-time |
| Monster Manual | $29.99 | one-time |
| The Book of Many Things | $29.99 | one-time |
| Arcana Unleashed | $29.99 | one-time |
| Dungeon Master's Guide | $29.99 | one-time |
| Xanathar's Guide to Everything | $29.99 | one-time |
| Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything | $29.99 | one-time |
| Player's Handbook | $29.99 | one-time |
| Monsters of the Multiverse | $29.99 | one-time |
| Player’s Handbook (2024) | $29.99 | one-time |
| Heliana’s Guide to Monster... | $29.99 | one-time |
| Obojima: Tales from the... | $29.99 | one-time |
| Monster Manual (2024) | $29.99 | one-time |
| The Griffon’s Saddlebag:... | $29.99 | one-time |
| Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024) | $29.99 | one-time |
| Ravenloft: The Horrors Within | $39.99 | one-time |
| Lord of the Rings Roleplaying | $39.99 | one-time |
| Book of Ebon Tides | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Artificial character creation issues
- Inconsistent character sheet data
- Crashes and freezes
- Incompatibility with older devices
- Login issues

**Requested features**

- 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


### Dnd Character Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dnd-character-journal/id6469010732)

This app helps Dungeons & Dragons 5e players manage their characters and campaign world. It offers tools for downtime activities, character development, and campaign documentation, with an optional premium upgrade for more features.

**Highlights:** Downtime activity completion, Character backstory prompts, Campaign world documentation, Session note-taking, In-session inspiration, Share downtime results

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Version | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is D&D Beyond free?

D&D Beyond is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Dnd Character Journal free?

Dnd Character Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, D&D Beyond or Dnd Character Journal?

Dnd Character Journal is rated higher. D&D Beyond averages 4.7 out of 5 from 92K ratings, while Dnd Character Journal averages 4.8 from 11 ratings.

### Do D&D Beyond or Dnd Character Journal have ads?

D&D Beyond shows ads; Dnd Character Journal does not.

### Which is updated more often, D&D Beyond or Dnd Character Journal?

D&D Beyond ships an update every 3 weeks, and Dnd Character Journal every 3 months. Most recently, D&D Beyond was updated on October 30, 2026 and Dnd Character Journal on October 24, 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.*