Summoning Stone vs Pocket Bard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Summoning Stone
Enhance tabletop RPGs with immersive soundscapes and sound effects. Create custom audio environments for any adventure, trigger sound effects instantly, and blend layered ambiences for a truly unforgettable experience.
- Scene Creator for custom soundscapes
- Soundboard for instant SFX
- Layered ambience blending
- Apple Music integration
- Pre-made campaign library
- Reverb effects for depth
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Epic music. Instant sound effects. Immersive ambiences. Bring your tabletop RPGs to life with Summoning Stone, the soundboard built for DnD, Pathfinder, and every adventure you run. Bring your world to life: • Explore dungeons echoing with dripping water, creaking boards, and distant howls. • Sail stormy seas with crashing waves, salt spray, and gulls overhead. • Wander bustling markets alive with chatter, coins, and music. With Summoning Stone, every adventure feels unforgettable. Features • Scene Creator – Build custom soundscapes for any encounter and switch seamlessly as the story unfolds. • Soundboard – Trigger sound effects at the perfect moment, from dice rolls to dragon roars. • Layered Ambience – Blend natural sounds, wind, and wildlife for total immersion. • Screen Mirroring – Share artwork and maps alongside soundscapes for cinematic play. • Apple Music Integration – Stream your own playlists or use the built-in safe-to-stream catalog. • Shortcuts Support – Automate lights and devices to react to in-game events. • Campaign Manager – Keep scenes and encounters organized by campaign. • Reverb Effects – Add depth and realism to every soundscape. • Pre-made Campaigns – Don't have time to prep? Get started faster with our library of pre-made campaigns and one-shots. Ready to play? Transform your table into a world your players will never forget. Download Summoning Stone today and start crafting adventures that live on long after the session ends. Terms of Use: https://summoningstone.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://summoningstone.app/privacy-policy
Pocket Bard
Enhance your tabletop RPG sessions with an immersive audio experience. Instantly change soundscapes to match the mood of your game, dynamically adjusting music and sound effects to perfectly complement your gameplay.
- Immersive audio experience
- Dynamic soundscape changes
- Match session tone
- Alter music intensity
- Adjust sound effects
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Pocket Bard is a fully immersive audio experience for your D&D or tabletop RPG session. With just a tap, change your entire soundscape to match the tone of your session. From moment to moment, alter the intensity of the music, ambience, and sound effects to pair perfectly with your gameplay. Free to download, no ads. The free library gives you 20+ complete scenes, including the full Fantasy Essentials collection (tavern, town, forest, cave, swamp, graveyard, dungeons, and more), enough to run an entire fantasy campaign without paying a thing. HOW IT WORKS More than a soundboard or a background playlist, every scene is a complete, layered soundscape you control live at the table. • Intensity slider (patented): one control reshapes the arrangement of the music in real time, from minor encounter to intense battle. • Music state controls: jump from exploration to combat with a single tap, and trigger a victory stinger when the fight ends. • Layered ambience: rain, wind, crowds, and creatures, each with its own intensity control. • Ambience variations: step indoors or out, into open fields or forest paths. • One-shot sound effects: a door slam, sword clash, thunderclap, or howl right on cue. • A mix that's already balanced: music, ambience, and effects are mastered to sit together at any volume. No mixing required. PREP LESS, PLAY MORE Built for game masters and dungeon masters, Pocket Bard runs on the phone, tablet, or desktop computer you already bring to the table. The controls stay out of your way, so you can shift the mood without breaking the flow of the story. When the party moves on, switch scenes with one tap, and the music and ambience automatically adapt. No more interrupting ads, juggling browser tabs, or clunky UI. No files to manage, no audio know-how needed. WORKS WITH ANY GAME Your weekly DnD group, a Pathfinder campaign, a Sci-fi one-shot, Blades in the Dark, Mothership, or your own homebrew. Scenes are built around places and moods, not rulebooks, so they fit any TTRPG and any setting. WORLDS TO EXPLORE Free with Fantasy Essentials: Tavern, Town, City, Village, Dark Streets, Mountains, Plains, Forest, Cave, Ancient Grove, Swamp, Graveyard, Dungeon Entrance, Dungeon Corridors, Dungeon Lair, Dwarven Kingdom, and more. Your free library also includes select scenes from other collections, like Deep Space and Shipwreck Cove. Open Worlds unlocks many more collections: Sci-Fi, Horror, Seafaring, Desert, Feywild, Northern, Cyberpunk, and Modern Urban. Think starships and derelict stations, haunted libraries and cursed lands, frozen harbors, buried tombs, enchanted glades, and high-speed chases. New scenes are added throughout the year. MADE BY HUMANS Every note, sound, and piece of art in Pocket Bard is thoughtfully crafted by real humans. Scenes are composed by professional musicians and mastered by our audio team. No AI-generated music or art. STREAM IT Pocket Bard owns the rights to its music, and you're welcome to use it in your streams and videos. A credit is always appreciated. OPEN WORLDS Open Worlds is our subscription: every collection, plus every new scene as it's released, billed monthly or yearly. One subscription, everything included. Immersive audio, made simple. With Pocket Bard, you can focus on what matters most: your story. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Service: https://www.pocketbard.app/terms-of-service.html Privacy Policy: https://www.pocketbard.app/privacy-policy.html Pocket Bard is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast, Paizo, Chaosium, or any other game publisher. Dungeons & Dragons and D&D are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pocket Bard at 4.8 against Summoning Stone's 4.3. Pocket Bard also leads on ratings volume (1.6K vs 9) and review sentiment (86% vs 67%). Summoning Stone's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Summoning Stone sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Pocket Bard sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Pocket Bard holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Bard has 1.6K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Summoning Stone's written reviews are positive against 86% of Pocket Bard's.
Summoning Stone ships an update weekly, Pocket Bard every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Summoning Stone | Pocket Bard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (9 ratings) | 4.8 (1.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 85.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 1.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #198 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 211 MB | 109 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Beau Nouvelle | Pocket Bard Inc. |
Customer experience
Summoning Stone
Pocket Bard
Bugs and requests
Summoning Stone
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Pocket Bard
Reported bugs
4 issues- Downloading content causes crashes
- Repeated terms of service pop-ups
- One-shot sound effects not working
- Inconsistent audio quality and balance
Requested features
6 requests- More sound effects (creature sounds, weather, etc.)
- Ability to import custom music and sounds
- AirPlay support for streaming to speakers
- Offline mode or caching for downloaded content
- Customizable scenes and soundscapes
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- Shortcut integration for quick access
In-app purchases
Summoning Stone
- 1 Week$2.997 Days
- 1 Month7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- 3 Months14 Days trial$9.993 Months
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- 1 Year14 Days trial$39.991 Year
Pocket Bard
- Pocket Bard Open Worlds14 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Pocket Bard Open Worlds Yearly14 Days trial$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Summoning Stone free?
Is Pocket Bard free?
Which has better reviews, Summoning Stone or Pocket Bard?
Do Summoning Stone or Pocket Bard have ads?
Which is updated more often, Summoning Stone or Pocket Bard?
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