The DM Screen vs D&D Beyond: which one fits your table?
The DM Screen and D&D Beyond solve different problems, and many tables use both. D&D Beyond is the official platform for digital rulebooks and character options; The DM Screen is a table companion for actually running the session in person. This page lays out the differences honestly so you can pick what your table needs.
What D&D Beyond does better
D&D Beyond is the official home of Dungeons and Dragons content. If your players want the full spell lists, subclasses, and feats from published books, buying them there and building characters against them is the smoothest path anywhere. Its character builder is mature, its content is canonical, and its ecosystem (Maps, encounters, the marketplace) keeps growing.
What The DM Screen does better
The DM Screen is built around one specific moment: the in-person session. The battle tracker is designed for a DM's eyes mid-fight. Table mode puts initiative and party status on a TV so players read the room instead of their phones. Short rests, death saves, concentration, and legendary actions are one tap each. The dice are simulated physics you throw across the sheet. And it is one screen for more than one game: if your table drifts to Pathfinder 2e or Draw Steel someday, the toolkit comes along.
The money works differently too. One campaign in each game system is free forever with unlimited real-time multiplayer; $5 a month or $40 a year buys unlimited campaigns in every system; and every player is free forever. Generators for NPCs, loot, and names are procedural tables and dice, and everything exports. Your campaign is never locked in.
Which should you pick?
If your players want every published character option, D&D Beyond (possibly with a VTT) is the better fit; no SRD tool will carry the full books. If your group meets at a real table and you want the bookkeeping carried, The DM Screen was built for you, and the free tier is a full toolkit rather than a demo. Many DMs keep both: books and character options on D&D Beyond, the running of the session on The DM Screen.
Pricing side by side
| The DM Screen | D&D Beyond | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | One campaign in each game system, forever. Unlimited real-time multiplayer. | Free basic rules and a character builder against SRD content. |
| Paid | $5 a month or $40 a year for unlimited campaigns. | Buy books à la carte, with an optional subscription for sharing. |
| Do players pay? | Never. Every player is free on every tier. | Players can use free rules; owned content shares within a campaign. |
| What it is for | Running the in-person session across D&D 5e, Pathfinder 2e, and Draw Steel. | Official D&D rulebooks, character options, and content. |
D&D Beyond prices its books and subscription per their store, and those change; check dndbeyond.com for current pricing.
Common questions
Is The DM Screen a replacement for D&D Beyond?
Not exactly. D&D Beyond sells official rulebooks and character options; The DM Screen runs the in-person session. They solve different problems, and many tables use both together.
Can I use both together?
Yes, that is a common setup: books and character options on D&D Beyond, and the running of the session, the battle tracker, dice, rests, and lore, on The DM Screen.
Does The DM Screen have official D&D book content?
It draws on SRD content rather than the full published books. If your players want every subclass and feat from every sourcebook, D&D Beyond is the better fit for that.
Does The DM Screen work for games other than D&D?
Yes. It ships three systems with their real mechanics: D&D 5e (2014 and 2024), Pathfinder 2e, and Draw Steel.
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