Comparison

D&D Beyond vs Pocket Beacon

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

Pocket Beacon

Unlock exclusive content and benefits for fans of a popular web series. Enjoy ad-free viewing, early access to events, merchandise discounts, and bonus episodes. Support independent creator-owned media.

Highlights
  • Ad-free access to video and podcast library
  • Exclusive pre-sales for live events
  • Invitation to a private Discord server
  • Persistent merchandise discount
  • Bonus content (Cooldown, Fireside Chats)
  • Same-day podcast releases
Features
Read full description

Beacon is a special membership program that offers unparalleled and ad-free access to Critical Role and its vast video and podcast library, exclusive pre-sales for live events, invitation to a private Discord server, and a persistent discount on merchandise throughout all international online shops! By becoming a Beacon member, you’ll unlock special bonus content like Critical Role Cooldown and Fireside Chats, same-day Critical Role podcast releases alongside the VODs, and more, all while directly supporting creator-owned independent media.

Screenshots

D&D Beyond4 screens
Pocket Beacon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: D&D Beyond at 4.7 against Pocket Beacon's 3.3. D&D Beyond also leads on review sentiment (54% vs 27%) and ratings volume (91K vs 356). Pocket Beacon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 27) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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 26 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Pocket Beacon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

D&D Beyond holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: D&D Beyond has 91K ratings behind it against 356, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of D&D Beyond's written reviews are positive against 27% of Pocket Beacon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
D&D Beyond versus Pocket Beacon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterD&D BeyondPocket Beacon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (91K ratings) — better3.3 (356 ratings)
Positive reviews54.0% of reviews — better27.5% of reviews
Number of ratings91K — better356
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#62 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size333 MB51 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperWizards of the CoastCritical Role Productions, LLC

Customer experience

D&D Beyond

All ratings90,992 ratings
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.4%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews995 reviews
Positive54.0%
Neutral13.6%
Negative32.5%

Pocket Beacon

All ratings356 ratings
Positive47.5%
Neutral19.4%
Negative33.1%
Written reviews273 reviews
Positive27.5%
Neutral28.9%
Negative43.6%

User reviews

D&D Beyond

From 91K 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

Pocket Beacon

From 356 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth streaming
  • 🎥 Great content organization
  • 💰 Good value for subscription
  • 👍 Easy to navigate

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Inconsistent progress tracking
  • 🔇 No background audio playback
  • 🔒 Repeated login issues

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

Pocket Beacon

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Videos starting from the beginning
  • Freezing when switching to audio mode
  • Inconsistent behavior when locking screen

Requested features

4 requests
  • Picture-in-picture mode
  • Offline video downloads
  • Customizable playback controls
  • Apple TV app support

In-app purchases

26 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-time22
  • Valda’s Spire of Secrets:...$14.99
  • The Pugilist Class (2024)$14.99
  • Valda’s Spire of Secrets$14.99
Show 19 more
  • The Illrigger Revised$14.99
  • Grim Hollow: Player Pack$14.99
  • Eberron: Forge of the...$19.99
  • Monster Manual$29.99
  • The Book of Many Things$29.99
  • Dungeon Master's Guide$29.99
  • Xanathar's Guide to Everything$29.99
  • Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything$29.99
  • Player's Handbook$29.99
  • Monsters of the Multiverse$29.99
  • Player’s Handbook (2024)$29.99
  • Heliana’s Guide to Monster...2 variants$29.99
  • Obojima: Tales from the...$29.99
  • Monster Manual (2024)$29.99
  • The Griffon’s Saddlebag:...$29.99
  • Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024)$29.99
  • Ravenloft: The Horrors Within$39.99
  • Lord of the Rings Roleplaying$39.99
  • Book of Ebon Tides$39.99
None

Pocket Beacon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is D&D Beyond free?
D&D Beyond is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pocket Beacon free?
Pocket Beacon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, D&D Beyond or Pocket Beacon?
D&D Beyond is rated higher. D&D Beyond averages 4.7 out of 5 from 91K ratings, while Pocket Beacon averages 3.3 from 356 ratings.
Do D&D Beyond or Pocket Beacon have ads?
D&D Beyond shows ads; Pocket Beacon does not.
Which is updated more often, D&D Beyond or Pocket Beacon?
D&D Beyond ships an update every 3 weeks, and Pocket Beacon every 3 weeks. Most recently, D&D Beyond was updated on September 24, 2026 and Pocket Beacon on September 20, 2026.

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