# MTG Life Counter App vs Decksmith

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Decksmith at none against MTG Life Counter App's 6. Decksmith also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 83%). MTG Life Counter App's advantage is ratings volume (9.8K vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MTG Life Counter App sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Decksmith asks for nothing beyond the download.

Decksmith holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MTG Life Counter App has 9.8K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of MTG Life Counter App's written reviews are positive against 100% of Decksmith's.

MTG Life Counter App ships an update weekly, Decksmith every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and August 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MTG Life Counter App | Decksmith |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (9.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-life-counter-app-lotus/id1498057193/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decksmith-mtg-deck-builder/id6756268708/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.8K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 83.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#166** | — |
| Size | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Vanilla b.v.](https://appshunter.io/developer/517474510) | [Waldemar Schneider](https://appshunter.io/developer/1859657539) |

## What reviewers say

### MTG Life Counter App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-life-counter-app-lotus/id1498057193)

**Currently charting:** #166 Top Free · Card, #189 Top Free · Board (US App Store)

This app serves as a comprehensive companion for Magic the Gathering players. It allows for tracking life totals, commander damage, and various game counters for up to 10 players. It also includes card search with price checking, dice rolling, and support for special game modes like Planechase and Archenemy.

**Highlights:** Track life totals for up to 10 players, Commander damage tracking, Card search with price and legality checks, Custom dice rolling and coin flips, Track various game counters, Support for Planechase and Archenemy modes, Integrated game timer

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Common Supporter | $0.99 | per month |
| Rare Supporter | $2.49 | per month |
| Mythic Supporter | $4.99 | per month |
| Common Supporter | $4.99 | one-time |
| Rare Supporter | $12.99 | one-time |
| Mythic Supporter | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazing app
- 👍 Life changing
- 🎨 Beautiful UI
- 💯 Best life counter
- 🔍 Helpful features (card search, rule book)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🔍 Missing commander damage tracking
- 🔧 UI changes made it less intuitive
- 🔋 Drains battery
- 📱 Incompatible with older devices

**Reported bugs**

- Life totals reset when app crashes
- Dynamic Island on iPhone 15 blocks UI
- Double-face card lookup not working
- Life total changes when swiping up to home screen

**Requested features**

- Add commander damage tracking
- Ability to save player profiles/presets
- Option to increase/decrease font size
- Landscape mode for 2-player view
- Press and hold to add/decrease 10 points


### Decksmith

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decksmith-mtg-deck-builder/id6756268708)

Effortlessly manage your Magic: The Gathering collection with real-time card scanning and price tracking. Build and validate decks for various formats, analyze their composition, and connect with a community of players. Enjoy offline access and robust privacy controls.

**Highlights:** Real-time card scanning, Automatic price tracking, Format-aware deck building, Collection inventory management, Offline access, Community features, Privacy controls

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MTG Life Counter App free?

MTG Life Counter App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Decksmith free?

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

### Which has better reviews, MTG Life Counter App or Decksmith?

Decksmith is rated higher. MTG Life Counter App averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9.8K ratings, while Decksmith averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do MTG Life Counter App or Decksmith have ads?

Neither MTG Life Counter App nor Decksmith shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MTG Life Counter App or Decksmith?

MTG Life Counter App ships an update weekly, and Decksmith every 3 weeks. Most recently, MTG Life Counter App was updated on September 27, 2026 and Decksmith on August 21, 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.*