Pocket Beacon vs BeaconTV
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
BeaconTV
Discover a vast library of premium paranormal content. Stream exclusive shows and documentaries covering mysteries, hauntings, and unexplained phenomena. Your ultimate destination for all things spooky and supernatural.
- Premium paranormal content
- Exclusive shows
- Documentaries
- Mysteries and hauntings
- Unexplained phenomena
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Your new home for premium paranormal content!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BeaconTV at 3.9 against Pocket Beacon's 3.3. BeaconTV also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 27%). Pocket Beacon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. BeaconTV sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Pocket Beacon asks for nothing beyond the download.
BeaconTV holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Beacon has 362 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of Pocket Beacon's written reviews are positive against 50% of BeaconTV's.
Pocket Beacon ships an update fortnightly, BeaconTV every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pocket Beacon | BeaconTV |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (362 ratings) | 3.9 (26 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.2% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 362 — better | 26 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Critical Role Productions, LLC | Joshua Purvis |
Customer experience
Pocket Beacon
BeaconTV
User reviews
Pocket Beacon
From 362 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth streaming
- 🎥 Great content organization
- 💰 Good value for subscription
- 👍 Easy to navigate
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Inconsistent progress tracking
- 🔇 No background audio playback
- 🔒 Repeated login issues
BeaconTV
From 26 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 High-quality content based on viewer recommendations
- 👂 Developer listens to fan feedback
- 🔍 Variety of new paranormal content
- 🎥 High-quality audio and video
- 🤩 Ability to watch favorite paranormal shows in one place
Bugs and 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
BeaconTV
No bugs or feature requests surfaced in reviews.
In-app purchases
Pocket Beacon
No in-app purchases
BeaconTV
- Basic Monthly Plan$4.991 Month
- Premium + Monthly Plan$6.991 Month
- Basic Annual Plan$49.991 Year
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- Legacy+ Annual$79.991 Year
