# Gauntlet vs CardWisp

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gauntlet at none against CardWisp's 3. Gauntlet also leads on ratings volume (299 vs 10) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). CardWisp's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 83%). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CardWisp sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Gauntlet asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Gauntlet against 5.0 for CardWisp. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gauntlet has 299 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Gauntlet's written reviews are positive against 100% of CardWisp's.

Gauntlet ships an update weekly, CardWisp every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gauntlet | CardWisp |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (299 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gauntlet-mtg-tracker/id1466578932/reviews) | **[5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardwisp/id6767931424/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **299** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 18 MB | 82 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Scott Campbell](https://appshunter.io/developer/1266366249) | [Jimiai Ajikaia](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896522174) |

## 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


### CardWisp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardwisp/id6767931424)

Manage your Magic: The Gathering game night with this all-in-one companion app. Track life totals for multiple players, build and refine decks with powerful tools, and easily scan and organize your card collection.

**Highlights:** Multiplayer life tracking, Commander damage matrix, Full deck builder with Scryfall search, Card collection scanner (OCR), Binder organization, Foil tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Pro Lifetime | $79.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gauntlet free?

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

### Is CardWisp free?

CardWisp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Gauntlet or CardWisp?

CardWisp is rated higher. Gauntlet averages 4.9 out of 5 from 299 ratings, while CardWisp averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.

### Do Gauntlet or CardWisp have ads?

Neither Gauntlet nor CardWisp shows ads.

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

Gauntlet ships an update weekly, and CardWisp every 3 weeks. Most recently, Gauntlet was updated on October 15, 2026 and CardWisp on October 5, 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.*