# Cascade vs BrushForge

The clearest difference is ads: Cascade at none against BrushForge's shown. Cascade also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (280 vs 12). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cascade sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and BrushForge sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Cascade holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cascade has 280 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Cascade's written reviews are positive against 67% of BrushForge's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Cascade ships an update every 2 weeks, BrushForge every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cascade | BrushForge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (280 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cascade-mtg-card-manager/id1528247277/reviews)** | [4.4 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brushforge/id6749896227/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **280** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | 65.5% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 54 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cascade MTG LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1528247279) | [Bastiaan Mahieu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1819867426) |

## What reviewers say

### Cascade

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


### BrushForge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brushforge/id6749896227)

This app helps miniature painters organize their paint collections, convert colors between brands, and build custom color palettes. It offers AI-powered suggestions and works offline, allowing users to focus on their creative projects.

**Highlights:** Instant color conversion across dozens of brands, Scan paint rack to inventory collection, Track owned paints and create wishlists, Build custom painting recipes and palettes, Check model contrast with black & white view, AI-powered color suggestions, Offline functionality

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Tip – Small | $1.99 | one-time |
| Tip – Medium | $9.99 | one-time |
| Premium Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |
| Tip – Large | $17.99 | one-time |
| Tip – Large | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cascade free?

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

### Is BrushForge free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Cascade or BrushForge?

Cascade is rated higher. Cascade averages 4.6 out of 5 from 280 ratings, while BrushForge averages 4.4 from 12 ratings.

### Do Cascade or BrushForge have ads?

BrushForge shows ads; Cascade does not.

### Which is updated more often, Cascade or BrushForge?

Cascade ships an update every 2 weeks, and BrushForge every 6 weeks. Most recently, Cascade was updated on September 23, 2026 and BrushForge on September 15, 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.*