# D&D Beyond vs Pocket Beacon

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 28%) and ratings volume (93K vs 366). Pocket Beacon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. D&D Beyond sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Pocket Beacon asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 93K ratings behind it against 366, 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 28% of Pocket Beacon's.

D&D Beyond ships an update every 3 weeks, Pocket Beacon fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | D&D Beyond | Pocket Beacon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (93K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/d-and-d-beyond/id1501810129/reviews)** | [3.3 (366 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-beacon/id6477957665/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **93K** | 366 |
| Positive reviews | **53.9% of reviews** | 27.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#64** | — |
| Size | 306 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Wizards of the Coast](https://appshunter.io/developer/491192018) | [Critical Role Productions, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1731211696) |

## What reviewers say

### D&D Beyond

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

**Currently charting:** #64 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 (10)**

| 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 |
| 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 |

**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


### Pocket Beacon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-beacon/id6477957665)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Videos starting from the beginning
- Freezing when switching to audio mode
- Inconsistent behavior when locking screen

**Requested features**

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


## Frequently asked 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 93K ratings, while Pocket Beacon averages 3.3 from 366 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 fortnightly. Most recently, D&D Beyond was updated on November 5, 2026 and Pocket Beacon on October 30, 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.*