PAX Nav vs Pocket Beacon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PAX Nav
Access the full schedule, exhibitor lists, and maps for official PAX events. Discover show specials and engage with PAX XP features.
- Full event schedule
- Exhibitor lists
- Interactive maps
- Show specials
- PAX XP access
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The official app of PAX West, PAX East, and PAX Unplugged. This app gives you access to the full schedule, exhibitor lists, maps, show specials, access into PAX XP, and much more.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: PAX Nav at ad-supported against Pocket Beacon's subscription. Pocket Beacon's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (366 vs 86). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.2 for PAX Nav against 3.3 for Pocket Beacon. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 86 and 366 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 28% and 28% positive.
PAX Nav ships an update every 4 months, Pocket Beacon fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PAX Nav | Pocket Beacon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (86 ratings) | 3.3 (366 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 28.0% of reviews — better | 27.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 86 | 366 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Reed Elsevier Inc. | Critical Role Productions, LLC |
Customer experience
PAX Nav
Pocket Beacon
Bugs and requests
PAX Nav
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
PAX Nav
No in-app purchases
Pocket Beacon
No in-app purchases
