DnD 5e Encounter Keep vs Heartforge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Real-time encounter management
- Player and enemy stat tracking
- Automated attack rolls
- Built-in monster sheets
- Custom monster creation
- Encounter generation
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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
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.
- Character sheet management
- Campaign building tools
- Combat encounter tracker
- Searchable compendium
- Offline functionality
- Soundscape integration
- Guided character leveling
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | DnD 5e Encounter Keep | Heartforge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (2 ratings) — better | 3.8 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 8 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 203 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Fanni Putnoczki | Lauri Kieksi |
Customer experience
DnD 5e Encounter Keep
Heartforge
In-app purchases
DnD 5e Encounter Keep
No in-app purchases
Heartforge
- Heartforge Premium (Monthly)$2.991 Month
- Heartforge Premium Yearly$22.991 Year
- Heartforge Premium Lifetime$38.99
Questions
Is DnD 5e Encounter Keep free?
Is Heartforge free?
Which has better reviews, DnD 5e Encounter Keep or Heartforge?
Do DnD 5e Encounter Keep or Heartforge have ads?
Which is updated more often, DnD 5e Encounter Keep or Heartforge?
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