# Duel vs Gauntlet

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gauntlet at none against Duel's 1. Gauntlet also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Duel's advantage is iOS requirement (12.1 vs 16.4). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Gauntlet holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gauntlet has 309 ratings behind it against 49, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of Duel's written reviews are positive against 83% of Gauntlet's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Duel ships an update every 4 months, Gauntlet weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duel | Gauntlet |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (49 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duel-life-point-tracker/id1312146823/reviews) | **[4.9 (309 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gauntlet-mtg-tracker/id1466578932/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 49 | **309** |
| Positive reviews | **89.7% of reviews** | 83.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 33 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.1** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [John Bussell](https://appshunter.io/developer/1312146822) | [Scott Campbell](https://appshunter.io/developer/1266366249) |

## What reviewers say

### Duel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duel-life-point-tracker/id1312146823)

Easily track life points for two players during Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game duels on a single device. Features include customizable themes, background support, and quick operations for life point adjustments. It also offers randomized dice rolls, coin flips, and match progress tracking.

**Highlights:** Two-player interface, Customizable themes and backgrounds, Speed Duel support, Randomized die roll and coin flip, Match progress and history tracking, Quick life point operations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Version | $0.99 | one-time |


### 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 Duel free?

Duel 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, Duel or Gauntlet?

Gauntlet is rated higher. Duel averages 4.6 out of 5 from 49 ratings, while Gauntlet averages 4.9 from 309 ratings.

### Do Duel or Gauntlet have ads?

Neither Duel nor Gauntlet shows ads.

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

Duel ships an update every 4 months, and Gauntlet weekly. Most recently, Duel was updated on October 24, 2026 and Gauntlet on October 25, 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.*