# Campaign Codex vs 5e Buddy

The clearest difference is ads: Campaign Codex at none against 5e Buddy's shown. 5e Buddy's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Campaign Codex sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and 5e Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Campaign Codex against 5.0 for 5e Buddy. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Campaign Codex ships an update every 2 weeks, 5e Buddy every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Campaign Codex | 5e Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/campaign-codex/id6754894239/reviews) | [5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/5e-buddy/id6757008110/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **3** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 35 MB | 137 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [CommonGroundTech, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1692665054) | [Magical Duck Studios LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1864174984) |

## What reviewers say

### Campaign Codex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/campaign-codex/id6754894239)

This app is a comprehensive campaign manager for Game Masters, designed for iPad. It offers tools for combat tracking, quest management, NPC details, and quick rule references, all accessible offline for seamless live sessions.

**Highlights:** Combat tracking with initiative and HP, Campaign journal for notes and prep, Quest tracking with status and rewards, NPC management and story hooks, Party and character reference, Loot tracking, Quick rules reference, Offline-first storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Campaign Codex Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Campaign Codex Premium Annual | $34.99 | per year |


### 5e Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/5e-buddy/id6757008110)

This app serves as a digital companion for tabletop role-playing games, offering interactive character sheets, dice rolling, and campaign management. It allows for the creation and tracking of multiple characters, including homebrewed content, and supports importing and exporting character data.

**Highlights:** Interactive character sheets, Character building from scratch, Homebrew content support, Virtual dice rolling, Multiple character organization, Import/export character data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 5eBuddy Premium | $7.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Campaign Codex free?

Campaign Codex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is 5e Buddy free?

5e Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Campaign Codex or 5e Buddy?

Campaign Codex and 5e Buddy are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 3 ratings respectively.

### Do Campaign Codex or 5e Buddy have ads?

5e Buddy shows ads; Campaign Codex does not.

### Which is updated more often, Campaign Codex or 5e Buddy?

Campaign Codex ships an update every 2 weeks, and 5e Buddy every 5 days. Most recently, Campaign Codex was updated on October 21, 2026 and 5e Buddy on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*