# Carbon vs Gauntlet

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gauntlet at none against Carbon's 1. Carbon's advantage is ratings volume (3.5K vs 309) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.4). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Carbon sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Gauntlet asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Carbon against 4.9 for Gauntlet. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Carbon has 3.5K ratings behind it against 309, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Carbon's written reviews are positive against 83% of Gauntlet's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Carbon | Gauntlet |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carbon-mtg-utility/id1209153225/reviews)** | [4.9 (309 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gauntlet-mtg-tracker/id1466578932/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.5K** | 309 |
| Positive reviews | **84.7% of reviews** | 83.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 71 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nanotube](https://appshunter.io/developer/1228694482) | [Scott Campbell](https://appshunter.io/developer/1266366249) |

## What reviewers say

### Carbon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carbon-mtg-utility/id1209153225)

This app provides a comprehensive tabletop utility for Magic: The Gathering players. It supports multiple players and offers a clean, customizable interface for managing games.

**Highlights:** Supports up to 6 players, Clean design, Fun design, Ultra customizable

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Carbon Pro | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Sleek and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Responsive and efficient
- 💡 Useful additional counters
- 🎨 Customizable colors and themes
- 💰 Free app with paid upgrade option

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- ⏱️ Lack of turn/round timer
- 🔀 Inconsistent player color orientation
- 📝 No option to add player names

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to remove certain counters
- Screen orientation issues
- Unreliable shake functionality

**Requested features**

- Commander damage tracking
- Damage history log with consolidated values
- Preset game modes and settings
- Online/multiplayer functionality
- More customization options


### Gauntlet

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gauntlet-mtg-tracker/id1466578932)

This app helps Magic: The Gathering players track game lives, build and customize decks, and record game history. It offers detailed stats for players and decks, supports multiple players, and includes a powerful hand simulator.

**Highlights:** Life tracking for up to 6 players, Deck building and importing, Game history and stats, Hand simulator, Deck customization with card art, Deck organization with folders

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great deck builder
- 👍 Excellent life tracker
- 👍 Covers player profiles and match records
- 👍 Useful for tracking win/loss records
- 👍 Good for looking at card collections

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Search engine requires precise typing
- 🐛 General load time for cards is slow
- 🐛 Scrolling on the board can be annoying
- 🐛 App appears small on iPad Pro
- 🐛 Does not track win-rate for non-primary deck in matches

**Reported bugs**

- Developers have seemingly given up (according to one review)
- App ruined for jailbroken phones (iOS 14 and up)
- Board scrolls every time life or counters are moved
- Does not track win-rate for the deck not shown as primary in a match
- App is very small on iPad Pro

**Requested features**

- Scan cars to make adding decks easier
- More precise search engine
- Faster card loading times
- Display card prices
- Scan cards in deck building


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Carbon free?

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

### Is Gauntlet free?

Gauntlet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Carbon or Gauntlet?

Carbon is rated higher. Carbon averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while Gauntlet averages 4.9 from 309 ratings.

### Do Carbon or Gauntlet have ads?

Neither Carbon nor Gauntlet shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Carbon or Gauntlet?

Carbon ships an update weekly, and Gauntlet weekly. Most recently, Carbon was updated on November 6, 2026 and Gauntlet on November 6, 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.*