Comparison

Pathrules 2e vs Heartforge

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

Head to head
About

Pathrules 2e

This app provides a streamlined reference for Pathfinder 2nd Edition rules, simplifying complex cross-references. It allows players and Game Masters to easily search and filter for actions, spells, feats, and more. The app aims to make navigating the game's extensive trait system more accessible.

Highlights
  • Pathfinder 2e rules reference
  • Simplified cross-references
  • Search by name
  • Filter options
  • Actions, spells, feats, skills, attributes, traits, conditions, creature abilities
Features
Read full description

Pathrules 2e The Pathfinder 2e rules reference app. Perfect for players and GMs alike. The Pathfinder 2e trait system is great, but it ends up with cross-references, which makes it a bit difficult to read. Pathrules 2e aims to solve this problem by easily showing the references. In addition, the app also allows you to search by name and apply filters, to make it easy to find what you are looking for. For now there are actions, spells, feats, skill, attributes, traits, conditions and creature abilities, but more are to come.

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

Pathrules 2e4 screens
Heartforge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pathrules 2e at 5.0 against Heartforge's 3.7. Pathrules 2e also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (12 vs 16.4). Heartforge's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Pathrules 2e sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Heartforge sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pathrules 2e holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 7 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 20, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pathrules 2e versus Heartforge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPathrules 2eHeartforge
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better3.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings47 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size106 MB199 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperVitor Abreu MartinsLauri Kieksi

Customer experience

Pathrules 2e

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Heartforge

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pathrules 2e

One-time1
  • Remove Ads Forever$2.99
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 Pathrules 2e free?
Pathrules 2e is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Heartforge free?
Heartforge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pathrules 2e or Heartforge?
Pathrules 2e is rated higher. Pathrules 2e averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Heartforge averages 3.7 from 7 ratings.
Do Pathrules 2e or Heartforge have ads?
Pathrules 2e shows ads; Heartforge does not.
Which is updated more often, Pathrules 2e or Heartforge?
Pathrules 2e ships an update fortnightly, and Heartforge fortnightly. Most recently, Pathrules 2e was updated on June 20, 2026 and Heartforge on September 22, 2026.

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