Comparison

TopDecked MTG vs Helvault

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

Head to head
About

TopDecked MTG

This app is a comprehensive tool for Magic: The Gathering players. It allows users to build, simulate, and manage decks, track card collections, and stay updated on game trends and tournament results.

Highlights
  • Intuitive deck builder with legality checking
  • Virtual battlefield for deck simulation
  • Life counter for up to 6 players
  • Advanced card search with pricing
  • Collection tracker with value estimation
  • Metagame analysis and tournament results
  • Deck import/export for Arena and MTGO
Features
Read full description

TopDecked® is the essential Magic app for brewers, collectors, traders, competitors, and fans. Simulate decks on a virtual battlefield, test new ideas, and keep up with the latest decks and strategies. Run tournaments at home. We’re on your side of the battlefield - your portal for everything MTG. Basic accounts are free to use, forever (Power-ups available.) — Your account syncs between devices, including our website. Real, human customer support available for all users. Feedback and ideas welcome! DECK BUILDER - Easy to use intuitive design, with legality checking for popular formats. - See recommended cards & ideas - Support for Commander, Oathbreaker, Brawl, and more. - Cloud sync, share to friends or social networks. - Deck charts, analysis, hypergeometric probabilities, mana curve, and more. - Move cards between main, side, and maybe board. - Import, share, and export MTG Arena, MTGO, .dec, and text deck-lists - See missing cards and cost to complete or buy decks. - Tag, archive, and color code decks in your account - Track decks in your collection DECK SIMULATOR - Drag, drop and test on the go. - Test on a real battlefield. - Swipe between your hand, library and other zones. - Tap to select and drag, or double-tap for menus. LIFE COUNTER - Quickly start games for up to 6 people - Swipe open or closed to access card search or other app features while in-game - Quickly track commander damage & counters CARDS & PRICES - Advanced search - Quickly find any card, any types, any printing, any artist, any colors (and more filters available). - Daily and weekly trends - for each set and printing (including promos!) - Simple and fast card search, with images, text and rulings. - Always up to date with latest sets and special products. COLLECTION TRACKER - Track the value of your cards with intuitive haves and wants lists. - Quickly add and remove cards of any set or printing. - Cloud sync, always available in app or website. - Easily move cards between decks and binders. Always know where your treasure is! ARTICLES & METAGAME - Read the latest articles - always up to date. - Browse local and national top-8 tournament results and deck lists. - See a breakdown of the top cards & decks, by format. TRADE TOOL - Up to date cards and prices. - Select set, foil, and/or custom price by condition. - Updates your collection at the push of a button. TOURNAMENTS - Run tournaments at home or on the go - Set custom rounds, see standings & stats PREMIUM FEATURES: - Upgraded accounts (Spark, Powered, and Elite) are available for sale as Monthly or Yearly Subscriptions. Upgrades increase the features and storage capacity beyond basic free services - see "Power up" screen in-app for more details on individual features. PURCHASE TERMS: - Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. You can switch between plans at any time --- you'll only pay the prorated difference in plan price, if any. - Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions renew at the same price at which they were purchased. - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. - Your subscription may be managed by visiting your "Account" -> "Power level" screen after purchase, or via iTunes. If you cancel your TopDecked subscriptions, you will retain access your purchased items through the current period's expiry date. - All purchases are final and subject to the TopDecked Terms of Service (https://www.topdecked.com/terms) and Privacy policy (https://www.topdecked.com/privacy). Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC. © 1995-2025 Wizards. All rights reserved. TopDecked, LLC. is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast LLC.

About

Helvault

Effortlessly manage your Magic: The Gathering card collection with an AI-powered scanner. Organize, filter, and analyze your cards with detailed stats and pricing information. Sync across devices and export your collection.

Highlights
  • AI-powered MTG card scanner
  • Unlimited card collection storage
  • Detailed collection statistics
  • Card pricing and details
  • CSV collection export
  • iCloud syncing
Features
Read full description

Helvault is a collection manager for Magic: The Gathering players and collectors who want to spend more time enjoying their cards, instead of typing names... With a powerful card scanner featuring an exclusive AI, Helvault is capable of identifying cards from all Magic's history without a hassle. Sort, filter, play and understand your card collection like never before! Key features: - Powerful MTG card scanner - Unlimited cards on your collection - Detailed stats about your collection - Card details, including prices - Export your collection as a CSV file - iCloud Syncing between devices - No ads, forever Helvault brings unlimited card collection management to your mobile device, for free. Some features however are unlocked through NON-RECURRING purchases (they are NOT subscriptions).

Screenshots

TopDecked MTG4 screens
Helvault4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: TopDecked MTG at 73% against Helvault's 32%. TopDecked MTG also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 293). Helvault's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. TopDecked MTG sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Helvault sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TopDecked MTG holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TopDecked MTG has 2.8K ratings behind it against 293, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of TopDecked MTG's written reviews are positive against 32% of Helvault's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
TopDecked MTG versus Helvault: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTopDecked MTGHelvault
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.8K ratings) — better4.2 (293 ratings)
Positive reviews73.3% of reviews — better31.8% of reviews
Number of ratings2.8K — better293
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB58 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperTopDecked LimitedVitor Cesco

Customer experience

TopDecked MTG

All ratings2,587 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral1.0%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews161 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral5.6%
Negative21.1%

Helvault

All ratings279 ratings
Positive79.9%
Neutral3.9%
Negative16.1%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive31.8%
Neutral6.4%
Negative61.8%

User reviews

TopDecked MTG

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fantastic mobile experience
  • 👍 Great deck builder and management tool
  • 💡 Helpful features like deck simulation and price tracking
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive user interface
  • 🚀 Responsive and helpful customer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy performance, crashes, and data loss issues
  • 💰 Subscription model with limited free features
  • 🔍 Unintuitive and limited search functionality
  • 🔍 Incomplete card database and missing new cards
  • 👁‍🗨 Small font size and poor visual accessibility

Helvault

From 293 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent scanning and recognition
  • 👍 Versatile product for managing collections
  • 🚀 Quick and easy to use
  • 👍 Dedicated developer with good customer service

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent card scanning, struggles with certain card types
  • 💰 Expensive, especially for users who already paid for the legacy app
  • 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
  • 🔀 Difficulty moving cards between binders
  • 🔒 No way to restore scans/data on new devices

Bugs and requests

TopDecked MTG

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Decks disappearing or reverting to previous versions
  • Card prices not displaying correctly
  • Slow loading times and freezing issues
  • Compatibility problems with newer devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Card scanning functionality
  • Improved deck sharing and collaboration
  • More advanced deck building and analysis tools
  • Better integration with other Magic platforms

Helvault

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Keypad issues when searching
  • Disappearing settings icons
  • Incorrect set identification for some cards
  • Missing card prices and details

Requested features

5 requests
  • Deck building and management tools
  • Advanced search and filtering options
  • Bulk card management and transfer
  • Improved support for special card versions and frames
  • Seamless data migration from legacy app

In-app purchases

6 purchases

TopDecked MTG

Subscriptions6
  • Spark (Monthly)$2.991 Month
  • Powered (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Elite (Monthly)$8.491 Month
Show 3 more
  • Spark (Yearly)$29.991 Year
  • Powered (Yearly)$49.991 Year
  • Elite (Yearly)$84.991 Year
6 purchases

Helvault

One-time6
  • Common Donation$0.99
  • Rare Donation$4.99
  • iCloud Syncing$4.99
Show 3 more
  • Advanced Card Export/Import$6.99
  • MTG Card Scanner - Lifetime$9.99
  • Mythic Donation$9.99

Questions

Is TopDecked MTG free?
TopDecked MTG is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Helvault free?
Helvault is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TopDecked MTG or Helvault?
TopDecked MTG is rated higher. TopDecked MTG averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while Helvault averages 4.2 from 293 ratings.
Do TopDecked MTG or Helvault have ads?
TopDecked MTG shows ads; Helvault does not.
Which is updated more often, TopDecked MTG or Helvault?
TopDecked MTG ships an update fortnightly, and Helvault fortnightly. Most recently, TopDecked MTG was updated on November 6, 2026 and Helvault on November 3, 2026.

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