Comparison

MTG Mate vs M LifeCounter

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MTG Mate

Features
Read full description

MTG Mate is a life counter, deck builder and card collection tracker for Magic: The Gathering on iPhone and iPad. Use it at the table for Commander, Standard, Brawl, Two-Headed Giant or a custom game, and keep your decks, collection and trades on the same device. No account needed. LIFE COUNTER FOR EVERY POD Track 1 to 6 players with layouts that fit the table. Preview the seating before a game, drag players to their real seats and give each one a seat color. The board holds its orientation while you play, so it doesn't spin when the phone is passed around. COMMANDER DAMAGE, POISON AND COUNTERS Commander damage covers partners and companions, with targets shown in seat colors. Poison and infect share a combined total. Energy and other counters sit on each player. Hold +/- to change life quickly, revive a player with +1, and turn on unlimited life when a combo goes off. GAME NIGHT TOOLS Start with Commander (40), Brawl (30), Standard (20) or your own starting life. Player panels can show commander art. Optional turn tracking, a dice roller and a coin flip are built in. Life history shows what happened two turns ago. DECK BUILDER Build decks with commander, partner, companion, mainboard and sideboard. Check format legality, mana curve and type split, get a Commander bracket estimate, and see an estimated deck value. Look up synergies and combos while you brew. CARD COLLECTION AND PRICES Save cards, build collections and move cards in bulk. Import lists from Manabox, Archidekt or Moxfield, or paste a text list, and export them again. Collection value and match history live in the stats hub, so you can see how your collection and play group change over time. CARD SEARCH, EVEN OFFLINE Search Scryfall for prices, rulings and legalities. Reprints are grouped so the same card doesn't appear ten times. Download the card database to search with no signal. FRIENDS, TRADES AND CLOUD SYNC Add friends and give them private aliases only you can see. Keep a trade ledger of cards and cash with anyone. Sign in with email to sync your library across iPhone, iPad and the web library at mtgmate.app. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT Cards, decks and games stay on your device unless you turn on Cloud Sync. No ads. Free. MTG Mate is not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by Wizards of the Coast. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast LLC.

About

M LifeCounter

Track life totals for up to four players in card games with real-time synchronization. Features a history system to review game progress and a friendly interface for an enhanced gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Life tracking for up to 4 players
  • Real-time device synchronization
  • Game history log
  • Classic, infect, and modern modes
  • Friendly interface and graphics
Features
Read full description

Welcome to M LifeCounter, the ultimate life counter that's changing the rules of the game! Get ready to experience something big in the world of magic counters. M LifeCounter is not your typical boring life counter; it's a powerful and fun tool for your games. Play with up to 4 friends in classic, infect, or modern mode. Worried about losing track of the game? No problem, our history system has everything under control, so you can focus on what's important: enjoying and winning. The coolest part is the real-time synchronization between devices. Everyone in your group can interact with it from their own devices, making each game a shared and vibrant experience. So, leave behind the old counters and welcome M LifeCounter! With a friendly interface and impressive graphics, it's ready to take your gaming experience to another level. M LifeCounter is not just a counter, it's your ideal companion to take your card games to the top. It's time to play like never before!

Screenshots

MTG Mate4 screens
M LifeCounter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MTG Mate at none against M LifeCounter's 1. MTG Mate also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). M LifeCounter's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. M LifeCounter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MTG Mate asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MTG Mate ships an update every 2 weeks, M LifeCounter every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MTG Mate versus M LifeCounter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMTG MateM LifeCounter
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB106 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperJacob SuchorabskiJorge Jimenez Martinez

In-app purchases

None

MTG Mate

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

M LifeCounter

One-time1
  • M LifeCounter Pro$3.99

Questions

Is MTG Mate free?
MTG Mate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is M LifeCounter free?
M LifeCounter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MTG Mate or M LifeCounter have ads?
M LifeCounter shows ads; MTG Mate does not.
Which is updated more often, MTG Mate or M LifeCounter?
MTG Mate ships an update every 2 weeks, and M LifeCounter every 5 months. Most recently, MTG Mate was updated on November 7, 2026 and M LifeCounter on November 3, 2026.

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