Gauntlet vs SQMD
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Gauntlet
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.
- 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
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Gauntlet is the most feature packed Magic: The Gathering utility app available. It’s a life tracker, deck builder and record keeper of your games. THE BEST LIFE TRACKER: • Select your deck and the decks your opponents are playing. Player tiles will be updated with the cover art of each deck. • Save the results when the game is over. Select a winner, and each player will have their career and deck stats updated immediately. • Full support for up to 6 players with custom life totals, and a turn randomizer to determine who plays first. • Other features include 21 unique tile colours, 15 unique counters, rolling D6, and a game timer. THE BEST MOBILE DECK BUILDER: • Brew on the go or import your decks from other deck building sites. • Customize your deck with art from any card in the multiverse. • Pick a format and your deck screen adapts to show things like your commander or your signature spell. • Bling out the cards in your deck with foils. • Shuffle up and draw an opening 7 with a powerful hand simulator. • Stay ahead of your competition with deck list data. View your mana curve, pip breakdown, and more. • Export your deck lists as text, or share a link to your profile on social media. • Keep your decks organized with folders, and sort them by name, games played, wins, and format. YOUR GAME HISTORY IN DETAIL: • Every game is saved making it easy to go through previous games and see who played, who won, and which decks came to battle. • Track wins and losses for each deck, and see how your career wins and losses change over time. • Follow your friends to stay up-to-date with their latest brews, deck performance, and game history.
SQMD
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Your decks do more than win or lose -- they develop patterns, roles, and stories over time. SQMD (Side Quest My Deck) is a deck performance tracker for Magic: The Gathering, designed to help players understand how their decks actually behave across real games. Built with Commander (EDH) in mind, SQMD focuses on long-term performance, consistency, and deck identity -- not just win percentages. --- TRACK WHAT YOUR DECK DOES Each deck in SQMD has Side Quests -- customizable objectives that define what that deck is trying to do. - Built-in quests for kills, finishing position, pod size, and mana issues - Create custom quests for synergies, combos, or deck-specific goals - Numeric, binary, and text-based tracking - Optional photo attachments for board states and game moments Side Quests make deck goals explicit -- and measurable. --- LOG REAL GAMES Record games as structured entries: - Finishing position and pod size - Quest outcomes and notes - Timestamps and optional context - Edit entries at any time Each game becomes a data point in your deck's history. --- SEE PERFORMANCE OVER TIME As you log games, SQMD reveals patterns that are difficult to see in the moment: - Normalized finishing position across different pod sizes - Quest progress game by game - Performance trends across real play The focus is clarity - understanding how a deck performs in practice. --- ACHIEVEMENTS AS MILESTONES SQMD includes a built-in achievement system that marks meaningful moments in a deck's journey: - Activity and longevity milestones - Performance thresholds - Progress toward Side Quest goals Achievements reflect real play -- not checklists. --- DESIGNED FOR COMMANDER -- NOT LIMITED TO IT While SQMD is designed with multiplayer Commander games in mind, the Side Quest system adapts naturally to other formats and play styles. Different formats ask different questions. SQMD lets you decide which ones matter. --- BUILT FOR OWNERSHIP AND PRIVACY - All data is stored locally on your devices - Built-in iCloud support keeps data available across your Apple devices - No accounts, no analytics, no advertising, no tracking Your data stays yours. --- WIDGET SUPPORT - Home screen widgets show recent deck activity - Widgets update automatically as you log games - Designed for quick glances, not noise --- PRICING Free - Track one deck - Unlimited entries Pro (one-time purchase) - $4.99 - Unlimited decks - Unlimited entries - All future updates included No subscriptions. No recurring fees. --- PERFECT FOR - Commander players tracking complex multiplayer games - Brewers evaluating how new decks perform over time - Playgroups comparing deck behavior across sessions - Players who want insight beyond wins and losses --- Download SQMD and understand what your deck actually does. --- Support: sqmd@administravia.com Privacy Policy: sqmd.app/privacy Website: sqmd.app SQMD is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Gauntlet at 16.4 against SQMD's 18.6. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Gauntlet | SQMD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (299 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 299 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scott Campbell | Rodney Dyer |
Bugs and requests
Gauntlet
Reported bugs
5 issues- 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
19 requests- Scan cars to make adding decks easier
- More precise search engine
- Faster card loading times
- Display card prices
- Scan cards in deck building
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- Add Android support
- Add tournament bracket functionality
- Deeper stat tracking
- Leave notes about each deck
- Leave notes about individual cards
- In-app purchases for donations
- Add play test cards
- Better layout for exporting decks to text
- Feature to track win/loss ratios without starting a game
- Option for locking board scrolling
- Android release (mentioned as desired)
- Manual change of player names when playing 'against yourself'
- Add friends who don’t use the app to games
- Add full deck lists
SQMD
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Gauntlet
No in-app purchases
SQMD
No in-app purchases









