Bugko vs MTG Card Scanner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bugko
This fan-made app serves as an all-in-one companion for Magic: The Gathering players and judges. It offers news aggregation, spoiler alerts, deck building tools, and an offline card database with pricing. It also includes specialized features for judges, such as rule references and timers.
- News aggregation from 40+ sources
- Spoiler alerts with push notifications
- Offline card database with syntax search
- Card pricing from TCGPlayer and Cardmarket
- Life counter for 2-8 players
- Deck builder with winning decklists
- Tools for MTG judges (IPG, MTR, timers)
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Bugko is an unofficial app (fan made) all-in-one companion app designed for Magic: The Gathering (MTG) players and judges. Bugko focused on offering unique core features such as news aggregation, spoiler alert, tournament deck list update, card syntax search and many more. Other familiar features like life counter, wish list, collection tracker, offline card search, random card, comprehensive rule, deck building are also built inside Bugko for a complete experience. Bugko will be the first modern designed MTG app you will truly enjoy. Bugko is the only app that bring together all favorite MTG, MTGO and Arena news sources into one place. News channel currently available including Channel Fireball, MTG Goldfish, Mythic Spoiler, Star City Games and 40+ news sources. You can scroll through all news and spoilers happening right now once you open the app. With push notification in app, you surely will never miss a single important news update from your favorite news channels. Latest spoiled card? Bugko got you covered. Bugko is built with a powerful yet offline accessible cards database. You can choose to search through 30,000+ cards using our blazing fast syntax search designed for power users or simply use the search filter available with user friendly interface. With latest card pricing directly from TCGPlayer and Cardmarket, you can check, buy, trade, or track your collection wherever you are. Are you a Magic judge? Bugko has tools specially designed for judges. Scripted draft timer, Infraction Procedure Guide (IPG) reference, Magic Tournament Rule (MTR) document, offline comprehensive rule with complete search functionality inside etc. Many of the features in Bugko are carefully designed to cater to the needs of judges as well. For example, an offline card database, card text in multiple languages, judge blog or news update and more. Great for judges that travel around the world for events. Features: - Latest MTG news and spoiler from 40+ popular news channels with notification alert. - Life counter support 2-8 players, 15 different counters, counter changes history, mana pool and modern design. - Offline complete database including all latest cards printed, promo cards, 11+ printed languages, 20+ formats banlist, card rulings, reserved list and etc. - Powerful card search engine that support syntax search, 25+ card properties filter, random card and etc. - Latest card pricing including all promo cards, foil cards, different art variety directly from TCGPlayer or Cardmarket. - Auto currency converter available in 30+ currencies. - Track your collection, trading and wish list with up-to-date price wherever you go. - Deck builder with winning decklist from Standard, Modern and Legacy formats. - Tools for judges like offline searchable comprehensive rule, MTG, IPG, quick reference, scripted draft timer, decklist counter, offline documents and etc. Disclaimer: Magic: The Gathering (also known as MTG) card design, text, images, expansions, and symbols are trademark and copyright of Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, LLC. Bugko is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.
MTG Card Scanner
Instantly scan Magic: The Gathering cards with your camera to check live market values and track price changes. Organize your entire collection, build and analyze decks, and explore MTG sets. Make informed decisions for trading, selling, or investing.
- Instant card scanning
- Live market value detection
- Price change tracking
- Smart collection management
- Deck balance analysis
- MTG set exploration
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Mana Vault – MTG Card Scanner & Collection Manager Turn your camera into a powerful Magic: The Gathering scanner. Instantly detect any MTG card, check its live value, track price changes, and organize your entire collection in seconds. Instant Card Scanning - Scan any Magic: The Gathering card in real time - Automatic recognition of set, rarity, finish (foil/non-foil) - Instant market value detection - Fast, accurate, and built for collectors Live Prices & Market Tracking - See up-to-date card values - Track price changes over time with interactive charts - Monitor daily, weekly, and long-term trends - Spot rising cards before they spike - Perfect for trading, selling, or investing. Smart Collection Management - Organize cards into custom collections - Build and manage decks - Track total collection value automatically - See portfolio performance at a glance - Keep everything structured and easy to access. Deck Balance Analysis - Analyze mana curve and color distribution - View card type breakdown (creature, instant, sorcery, etc.) - Detect imbalances in lands vs spells - Improve consistency and competitiveness - Build smarter decks with data-backed insights. Explore All MTG Sets - Browse existing sets - Discover upcoming and unreleased expansions - Search by set, rarity, type, or color - Explore full card galleries - Stay ahead of new releases and evolving metas. Built for Collectors & Players - Whether you: - Buy and sell cards - Build competitive decks - Collect sealed products - Track long-term value - Mana Vault helps you make better decisions. Whether you're a casual collector or a competitive deck builder, Mana Vault gives you the tools to scan, analyze, and optimize your cards — all in one place. Terms of use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bugko at none against MTG Card Scanner's 4. Bugko also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 45%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). MTG Card Scanner's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks) and ratings volume (304 vs 89). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. MTG Card Scanner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Bugko asks for nothing beyond the download.
Bugko holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 89 and 304 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Bugko's written reviews are positive against 45% of MTG Card Scanner's.
Bugko ships an update every 2 weeks, MTG Card Scanner every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bugko | MTG Card Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (89 ratings) — better | 4.5 (304 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 73.3% of reviews — better | 44.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 89 | 304 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 501 MB | 251 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | +4 |
| Developer | Keng Siang Ooi | Giuseppe Lupo |
Customer experience
Bugko
MTG Card Scanner
Bugs and requests
Bugko
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
MTG Card Scanner
Reported bugs
2 issues- App crashes/freezes during onboarding
- Camera functionality not working as expected
Requested features
3 requests- Option to view sell-through rates
- Ability to analyze both sides of a card
- Export data to CSV/Excel
In-app purchases
Bugko
No in-app purchases
MTG Card Scanner
- Premium3 Days trial$6.997 Days
- Premium$11.991 Month
- Premium$49.991 Year
- Premium$99.99
Questions
Is Bugko free?
Is MTG Card Scanner free?
Which has better reviews, Bugko or MTG Card Scanner?
Do Bugko or MTG Card Scanner have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bugko or MTG Card Scanner?
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