Comparison

TCGplayer vs Magic

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

Head to head
About

TCGplayer

Quickly scan and identify trading cards to track their market prices and manage your collection. Access your entire collection on the go and browse the extensive marketplace for seamless shopping.

Highlights
  • Blazingly fast card scanning
  • Effortless price tracking
  • Access collection anytime, anywhere
  • Seamless in-app shopping
  • Supports numerous TCGs
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Blazingly Fast Card Scanning Say goodbye to tediously typing and searching for the correct card versions! The TCGplayer app scans your cards with unparalleled speed and accuracy, giving you more time to enjoy the games you love. Track Prices with Ease From the top TCGs to the hottest new games, the TCGplayer app lets you effortlessly scan, organize, and track the market price for every card from every TCG on our marketplace for free! Access Your Collection Anytime Your entire TCG collection is just a tap away! Whether at home or on the go, you can access your entire collection whenever and wherever you need from your mobile device. Simply log in to the app and your collection is at your fingertips! Seamless Shopping Browse and shop the extensive catalog on the TCGplayer marketplace from thousands of sellers with just a few taps. Supported Games: Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, One Piece TCG, Star Wars Unlimited, Digimon Card Game, Disney Lorcana, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Dragon Ball Super: Fusion World, Dragon Ball Super: Masters, Final Fantasy, Flesh and Blood, Grand Archive TCG, Shadowverse: Evolve, Sorcery: Contested Realm, Union Arena, UniVersus, Weiss Schwarz, Akora TCG, Alpha Clash, Argent Saga TCG, BAKUGAN TCG, Battle Spirits Saga, Chrono Clash System, Dice Masters, Dragoborne, Dragon Ball Z TCG, Elestrals, Exodus TCG, Force of Will, Future Card Buddyfight, Gate Ruler Gundam Card Game, Kryptik, Lightseekers TCG, MetaX TCG, MetaZoo, Munchkin CCG, Star Wars: Destiny, The Caster Chronicles, Transformers TCG, Warhammer Age of Sigmar Champions, WIXOSS, World of Warcraft TCG, Gundam

About

Magic

Experience the original fantasy collectible card game digitally. Discover strategies, build unique decks, and battle friends worldwide. Offers a comprehensive tutorial for new players and various game modes for seasoned veterans.

Highlights
  • Digital collectible card game
  • Deck building and strategy
  • Online multiplayer battles
  • Tutorial for new players
  • Multiple game formats
  • Cosmetic customization
Features
Read full description

Welcome to the digital Multiverse! Magic: The Gathering is the original trading card game- and now you can download and start playing for free with your friends from anywhere! Magic: The Gathering Arena empowers you to discover your strategy, meet the planeswalkers, explore the multiverse, and battle friends around the world. Collect, build and master your unique deck that will become its own legend. Your battle is only the beginning; duel on stunning battlefields, and enjoy Arena’s game changing battle effects and immerse yourself in the game. Start playing for free, challenge your friends, unlock cards, and feel the magic of the original fantasy CCG! NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY Never played Magic before? No problem! Magic: The Gathering Arena’s tutorial system takes you through the playstyles so you can find your strategy and decide if you’re the type to overwhelm your opponent with brute strength, if subterfuge is more your style, or anything in between. Meet characters from around the multiverse and try out spells and artifacts that make learning to play the original fantasy collectible card game quick and fun. It’s never been easier to play Magic! Collect cards to build a deck that matches your personality, then master your strategy to battle friends and be part of the TCG that started them all. GAME ON(LINE) The original TCG is now digital! Explore the fantasy worlds of Magic: The Gathering Arena and build your deck, play a variety of game formats to collect cards, master multiple strategies, and hone your skills against friends or the AI. With multiple game formats like Draft and Brawl, 15 unlockable collectible decks, and explosive card combo effects: Your ideal Magic: The Gathering playstyle is at your fingertips! Show off eye-popping cosmetics like avatars, card sleeves, and pets and collect daily rewards to grow your collection and build powerful decks that reflect your personal strategy. CHALLENGE AND PLAY Duel your friends for glory or enter in-game tournaments for exciting prizes! With Draft and Brawl pairing, there is always someone to game with. Special in-game events offer exciting rewards, and with Esports qualifiers your Pro-Magic dreams are closer than you think in the Arena Premier Play League! Queue into casual battles to hone your strategy at your own pace, or battle in Esports qualifiers and frequent tournaments to flaunt your mastery. FANTASY AND MAGIC Dive into the fantasy planes of Magic: The Gathering and write your own legend through Magic’s immersive lore and vibrant card art. Find your path through the multiverse using only favorite characters and their most iconic spells and artifacts, or create a theme deck with a narrative that makes sense only to you. Your story is only just beginning! All prices inclusive of VAT. Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering, Magic: The Gathering Arena, their respective logos, Magic, the mana symbols, the planeswalker symbol, and all character names and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. ©2019-2026 Wizards. Please visit https://company.wizards.com/legal/wizards-coasts-privacy-policy to view Wizards of the Coast's privacy policy and https://company.wizards.com/legal/terms to view Wizards of the Coast's terms of use.

Screenshots

TCGplayer4 screens
Magic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TCGplayer at none against Magic's 24. Magic's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (156K vs 18K). On price, update cadence, ads and chart position 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. Magic sells 17 one-off in-app purchases. TCGplayer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Magic holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magic has 156K ratings behind it against 18K, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TCGplayer ships an update fortnightly, Magic weekly. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
TCGplayer versus Magic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTCGplayerMagic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (18K ratings)4.6 (156K ratings) — better
Number of ratings18K156K — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#20#14 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB265 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperTCGplayer, Inc.Wizards of the Coast

Customer experience

TCGplayer

All ratings17,317 ratings
Positive79.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative16.5%

Magic

All ratings155,740 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.8%
Negative6.9%

User reviews

TCGplayer

From 18K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast scanning
  • 👍 Convenient for cataloging cards
  • 💡 Integrated with TCGplayer website

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate scanning
  • 🐛 Buggy and laggy performance
  • 🔒 Poor account/login management
  • 👎 Limited sorting/organization options

Magic

From 156K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great way to play Magic on the go
  • 🎨 Excellent visual representation of the game
  • 💰 Generous free-to-play model
  • 🕹️ Smooth and intuitive gameplay
  • 🕰️ Convenient for players who can't meet in person

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🕹️ Clunky UI and navigation
  • 💰 Aggressive monetization and pay-to-win concerns
  • 🔀 Rigged matchmaking and unfair shuffling algorithm
  • 🕰️ Slow performance on older devices

Bugs and requests

TCGplayer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Incorrect card information displayed
  • Inability to properly scan certain card types (foils, black cards, etc.)

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to sync collection across devices
  • More sorting/filtering options for collections
  • Support for additional card games beyond MTG, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh

Magic

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cards not working as intended
  • Inability to select or interact with certain game elements
  • Inconsistent behavior when app crashes during matches
  • Sync issues between mobile and desktop accounts

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to trade or recycle unwanted cards
  • Improved deck building tools and organization
  • Support for multiplayer formats like Commander and Two-Headed Giant
  • Option to disable animations and speed up gameplay
  • Better integration between mobile and desktop versions

In-app purchases

None

TCGplayer

No in-app purchases

17 purchases

Magic

One-time17
  • 750 Gems$4.99
  • Starter Bundle$4.99
  • Jurassic World Lands$9.99
Show 14 more
  • Fallout Companion Bundle$9.99
  • 1,600 Gems$9.99
  • 4x Rare Wildcards$9.99
  • Adventurer Bundle$14.99
  • Pre-order: Pass Bundle$14.99
  • 3,400 Gems$19.99
  • 4x Mythic Wildcards$19.99
  • Spark Bundle$24.99
  • Massacre Girl Pack Pre-order$49.99
  • Pre-order: Oko Pack Bundle$49.99
  • Pre-order: Pack Bundle8 variants$49.99
  • 9,200 Gems$49.99
  • Pre-order: Sorin Pack Bundle$49.99
  • 20,000 Gems$99.99

Questions

Is TCGplayer free?
TCGplayer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Magic free?
Magic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TCGplayer or Magic?
Magic is rated higher. TCGplayer averages 4.2 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while Magic averages 4.6 from 156K ratings.
Do TCGplayer or Magic have ads?
Neither TCGplayer nor Magic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TCGplayer or Magic?
TCGplayer ships an update fortnightly, and Magic weekly. Most recently, TCGplayer was updated on October 26, 2026 and Magic on October 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, TCGplayer or Magic?
TCGplayer currently peaks at #20 in the App Store charts, and Magic at #14. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons