# Gauntlet vs Hobby Life

The clearest difference is rating: Gauntlet at 4.9 against Hobby Life's 4.4. Gauntlet also leads on ratings volume (309 vs 5) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Gauntlet holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gauntlet has 309 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Gauntlet's written reviews are positive against 85% of Hobby Life's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Gauntlet ships an update weekly, Hobby Life every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gauntlet | Hobby Life |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (309 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gauntlet-mtg-tracker/id1466578932/reviews)** | [4.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hobby-life/id1566466121/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **309** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **84.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 18 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Scott Campbell](https://appshunter.io/developer/1266366249) | [Neil North](https://appshunter.io/developer/488518743) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Hobby Life

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hobby-life/id1566466121)

Track your miniature collecting and army building progress. Log your backlog, monitor monthly progress and spending, and predict completion times. Link painting projects to army lists and view progress with attached photos.

**Highlights:** Collectibles tracking, Army building progress, Backlog prediction, Monthly progress monitoring, Spending habit analysis, Painting project linking, Photo gallery

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gauntlet free?

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

### Is Hobby Life free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Gauntlet or Hobby Life?

Gauntlet is rated higher. Gauntlet averages 4.9 out of 5 from 309 ratings, while Hobby Life averages 4.4 from 5 ratings.

### Do Gauntlet or Hobby Life have ads?

Neither Gauntlet nor Hobby Life shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Gauntlet or Hobby Life?

Gauntlet ships an update weekly, and Hobby Life every 3 weeks. Most recently, Gauntlet was updated on October 25, 2026 and Hobby Life on October 24, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*