# Cascade vs TopDeck.gg

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TopDeck.gg at none against Cascade's 4. TopDeck.gg also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 65%) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Cascade's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cascade sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. TopDeck.gg asks for nothing beyond the download.

TopDeck.gg holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 281 and 229 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Cascade's written reviews are positive against 89% of TopDeck.gg's.

Cascade ships an update every 5 days, TopDeck.gg monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cascade | TopDeck.gg |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (281 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cascade-mtg-card-scanner/id1528247277/reviews) | **[4.9 (229 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/topdeckgg/id6581480935/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **281** | 229 |
| Positive reviews | 65.5% of reviews | **88.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 55 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cascade MTG LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1528247279) | [Zain Nayer](https://appshunter.io/developer/1759662411) |

## What reviewers say

### Cascade

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cascade-mtg-card-scanner/id1528247277)

Manage your Magic: The Gathering card collection with a powerful scanner, deck builder, and finance tracker. Organize your inventory, playtest decks, and stay updated on card prices and spoilers.

**Highlights:** Lightning fast camera scanner, Organize inventory and collection, Create and playtest decks, Customizable wishlists and lists, Card search and detailed information, Finance and market tracking, Spoiler and Secret Lair notifications

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cascade Premium - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Cascade Premium – Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Cascade Premium - Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Cascade Premium – Annual | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean and intuitive user interface
- 🚀 Fast and smooth app performance
- 📱 Excellent card scanning feature (when working)
- 🎯 Great organizational tool for decks and collections
- 💾 Batch importer for quick card addition

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Misleading 'free' app with significant paywall ($50/year or $5/month)
- 🐛 Unreliable card scanner with high error rates
- 🐛 Scanner fails on extended art, special symbols, and non-English cards
- 🐛 Manual search often returns zero results
- 🐛 Missing card printings and special sets in database

**Reported bugs**

- Card scanner misidentifies cards or fails to scan entirely
- Manual entry bug deletes all previously manually-entered cards from scanning session
- Incorrect card name mapping (e.g., Maarika showing as Zangief)
- App crashes or fails to open after adding many cards
- Account access lost after reinstalling app

**Requested features**

- Search function within decks
- Average mana value/CMC statistics for decks
- Easier deck identification when viewing cards
- CSV and table format import support
- Duplicate card detection feature


### TopDeck.gg

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/topdeckgg/id6581480935)

Stay informed about your competitive events with real-time updates on pairings, standings, and results. Discover upcoming tournaments and receive push notifications for important announcements. This tool helps players and organizers manage their tournament experience efficiently.

**Highlights:** Real-time event updates, Pairings, standings, and results tracking, Tournament discovery, Match reporting, Push notifications for round calls and announcements

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cascade free?

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

### Is TopDeck.gg free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Cascade or TopDeck.gg?

TopDeck.gg is rated higher. Cascade averages 4.6 out of 5 from 281 ratings, while TopDeck.gg averages 4.9 from 229 ratings.

### Do Cascade or TopDeck.gg have ads?

Neither Cascade nor TopDeck.gg shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cascade or TopDeck.gg?

Cascade ships an update every 5 days, and TopDeck.gg monthly. Most recently, Cascade was updated on October 25, 2026 and TopDeck.gg on October 27, 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.*