Comparison

DnD 5e Encounter Keep vs Heartforge

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

DnD 5e Encounter Keep

This app helps Dungeon Masters manage Dungeons and Dragons 5e encounters in real-time. It allows for pre-planning battles, inviting players to see stats, and automating combat actions. Features include monster management, encounter generation, and built-in cheatsheets for easier gameplay.

Highlights
  • Real-time encounter management
  • Player and enemy stat tracking
  • Automated attack rolls
  • Built-in monster sheets
  • Custom monster creation
  • Encounter generation
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Encounter Keep, your real-time battle tracker for Dungeons and Dragons 5e. As a Dungeon Master, you can plan your encounters and invite your players to join, enabling you to see each other's stats. With the built-in cheatsheets, monster sheets, and automatic attack system, running encounters has never been easier. Leave the battle management to Encounter Keep, so you can focus on having fun. DESIGN YOUR BATTLES: - Prepare for your next session by creating encounters in advance. - Select a difficulty and add monsters from a vast list of enemies. - Create custom monsters for your epic boss battles. GENERATE ENCOUNTERS: - Automatically generate encounters for different player levels and difficulties. - Support different encounter types: boss fight, boss with minions, horde of monsters etc... - Specify environment and enemy type for a better monster match. INVITE YOUR PLAYERS: - You and your players can see each other's characters in real time. - Roll for initiative and control the encounter as you want. - Check your players' character sheets as they update their HP and other stats. MANAGE ENEMIES: - Streamline the encounter with automated enemy attack rolls. - Access built-in detailed info sheets for hundreds of monsters. - Quickly manage the enemies, tracking their hit points, armour class, and other stats during the fight. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

About

Heartforge

This app is a digital assistant for the Daggerheart tabletop role-playing game, offering tools for both game masters and players. It facilitates character sheet management, campaign building, encounter tracking, and provides a searchable compendium of game content. Features include offline functionality, soundscapes, and guided leveling up.

Highlights
  • Character sheet management
  • Campaign building tools
  • Combat encounter tracker
  • Searchable compendium
  • Offline functionality
  • Soundscape integration
  • Guided character leveling
Features
Read full description

Forge your next adventure. Heartforge is a powerful, tactile Daggerheart-compatible assistant for both game masters and players. Whether you’re building a campaign, running a tense encounter, or managing your character sheet, Heartforge brings your table together on iPad or iPhone. It’s designed to be fast, visual, and easy to use. For Game Masters • Adventures: Build, organize, and run your worlds with characters, loot, encounters, and locations. Link content with notes, @-mentions, and embedded statblocks. Invite your players to join to sync character stats and homebrew content. • Encounters: Track combat with tools built for Daggerheart. Manage Hit Points, Stress, and Fear with quick taps. Add adversaries directly from the environment your players are exploring. • Compendium: A searchable library of creatures, loot, equipment, and environments, now with Daggerheart SRD 2.0. Create your own, import content, and drop items into adventures or encounters with a tap. • Embed music and sounds in statblocks, encounters, and your prep notes for instant atmospheres at the tabletop. • Enjoy regular new creatures and environments, each with a One Page Adventure that works as a one-shot or a drop-in for ongoing campaigns. • Handy utilities like a dice calculator and Fear tracker. • Fully customizable Home view that works as your rules reference or a custom GM screen. For Players • Character Sheets: Track your abilities, Hope, Feats, equipment, and advancements in a clean, touch-friendly layout. • Join your GM’s adventure: Enter a join code to link your character to the adventure. Your GM can bring it into encounters and track its status, while its details and stats stay yours. • Level Up: Follow a guided flow to apply new traits and improvements without digging through reference material. • Companions & Beastforms: Manage companion stats and transformations right from your sheet. • Offline Ready: Everything works with or without an internet connection. Heartforge content is written by people, not AI, and the app is illustrated by real artists. Unlock the full Heartforge experience with a monthly or yearly subscription, granting access to all features and content drops. Why people love it • Supports user-generated content, free of charge • Scales from quick one-shots to sprawling campaigns • Tactile, approachable interface for both GMs and players • Built for Daggerheart from the ground up • Works offline Heartforge is not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by Darrington Press. Terms of use: https://www.heartforge.app/terms-of-use/ Privacy policy: https://www.heartforge.app/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

DnD 5e Encounter Keep4 screens
Heartforge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DnD 5e Encounter Keep at 4.5 against Heartforge's 3.8. DnD 5e Encounter Keep also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 16.4). Heartforge's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment and device support 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. Heartforge sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. DnD 5e Encounter Keep asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DnD 5e Encounter Keep holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 8 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DnD 5e Encounter Keep ships an update every 2 months, Heartforge every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
DnD 5e Encounter Keep versus Heartforge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDnD 5e Encounter KeepHeartforge
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better3.8 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings28 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.4 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB203 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperFanni PutnoczkiLauri Kieksi

Customer experience

DnD 5e Encounter Keep

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Heartforge

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

DnD 5e Encounter Keep

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Heartforge

Subscriptions2
  • Heartforge Premium (Monthly)$2.991 Month
  • Heartforge Premium Yearly$22.991 Year
One-time1
  • Heartforge Premium Lifetime$38.99

Questions

Is DnD 5e Encounter Keep free?
DnD 5e Encounter Keep is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Heartforge free?
Heartforge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DnD 5e Encounter Keep or Heartforge?
DnD 5e Encounter Keep is rated higher. DnD 5e Encounter Keep averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Heartforge averages 3.8 from 8 ratings.
Do DnD 5e Encounter Keep or Heartforge have ads?
DnD 5e Encounter Keep shows ads; Heartforge does not.
Which is updated more often, DnD 5e Encounter Keep or Heartforge?
DnD 5e Encounter Keep ships an update every 2 months, and Heartforge every 2 weeks. Most recently, DnD 5e Encounter Keep was updated on October 7, 2026 and Heartforge on October 8, 2026.

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