D&D Beyond vs Monster Compendium
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Digital character sheets
- Built-in dice roller
- Offline library access
- Guided character creator
- Monster stat lookup
- Spell and item management
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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/
Monster Compendium
This app is a comprehensive resource for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition players, offering detailed monster entries with stat blocks, lore, and images. It features intuitive navigation, a powerful search function, and the ability to organize monsters into custom folders for campaign management.
- Comprehensive monster entries
- High-resolution monster images
- Detailed spell information
- Powerful search function
- Customizable monster folders
- SRD content and custom content support
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The Monster Compendium app is an excellent resource for players of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition role-playing game, providing comprehensive information on monsters and spells. The app features: - An intuitive, well-organized compendium, complete with visually appealing images for an engaging user experience. - Easy navigation through the compendium pages, which simulate the feel of paging through a physical book. - Access to default content from the SRD (System's Reference Document) and the ability to add new content to the app. - Comprehensive monster entries that include stat blocks, lore, captivating high-resolution images, and links to related spell details. - Quick access to spell details of the monsters, providing essential information at the user's fingertips. - A powerful search function, enabling users to quickly find specific monsters. - A user-friendly interface that allows users to organize monsters into customizable folders, making it easier to manage campaigns. Enhance your Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition experience today! Terms of use: https://alexandregpereira.github.io/Monster-Compendium/docs/terms_of_use.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Monster Compendium at none against D&D Beyond's 29. Monster Compendium also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). D&D Beyond's advantage is ratings volume (92K vs 1) and chart position (#65 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. D&D Beyond sells 28 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Monster Compendium asks for nothing beyond the download.
Monster Compendium holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: D&D Beyond has 92K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | D&D Beyond | Monster Compendium |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (92K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 92K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #65 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 321 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Wizards of the Coast | Alexandre Gomes Pereira |
Customer experience
D&D Beyond
Monster Compendium
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
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- 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
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- 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
Monster Compendium
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
D&D Beyond
- Hero Monthly$2.991 Month
- Master Monthly$5.991 Month
- Hero Annual$25.991 Year
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- Master Annual$54.991 Year
- The Magus Class$14.99
- Valda’s Spire of Secrets:...$14.99
- The Pugilist Class (2024)$14.99
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- Valda’s Spire of Secrets$14.99
- 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
- Arcana Unleashed$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
Monster Compendium
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is D&D Beyond free?
Is Monster Compendium free?
Which has better reviews, D&D Beyond or Monster Compendium?
Do D&D Beyond or Monster Compendium have ads?
Which is updated more often, D&D Beyond or Monster Compendium?
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