Comparison

MTG Mate vs Castlog

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
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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

Castlog

Features
Read full description

Track every Magic: The Gathering match in under 30 seconds. Castlog is the ultimate companion for your playgroup — whether you play Commander, Modern, Pioneer, Standard, or any other format. MATCH TRACKING • Quick-log matches with format, players, decks, and results • Track kills, commander damage, mulligans, and more • Full match history with filters and search • Support for multiplayer pods (up to 6 players) and 1v1 LIFE TRACKER • Beautiful fullscreen life counter for up to 4 players • Commander damage matrix, poison counters, turn tracker • Device sync — everyone tracks from their own phone DECK MANAGEMENT • Import decks from Moxfield and Archidekt with one tap • Track deck performance with win rates and matchup stats • Budget tracking with Cardmarket prices LEAGUES & TOURNAMENTS • Create leagues with ELO, points, or custom scoring • Run Swiss and elimination tournaments • Advanced RPG mode: XP, levels, skill trees, quests • Share league templates with the community ANALYTICS • Personal dashboard with win rates, streaks, and trends • Head-to-head stats against specific opponents • Deck performance breakdown by format and matchup • Color meta analysis across your playgroup PLAYGROUPS • Create or join playgroups with invite codes • See group standings, activity, and upcoming events • Works for any size — from kitchen table to LGS Free to use. Pro upgrade available for unlimited decks, deep analytics, and advanced league features. Every spell counts. Terms of Use: https://castlog.gg/terms.html

Screenshots

MTG Mate4 screens
Castlog4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MTG Mate at none against Castlog's 4. Castlog's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Castlog sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. MTG Mate asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MTG Mate ships an update every 2 weeks, Castlog every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
MTG Mate versus Castlog: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMTG MateCastlog
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB44 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJacob SuchorabskiW-T-F it Works

In-app purchases

None

MTG Mate

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Castlog

Subscriptions4
  • Castlog Pro$3.991 Month
  • Castlog Playgroup+$6.991 Month
  • Castlog Pro (Yearly)$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Castlog Playgroup+ (Yearly)$59.991 Year

Questions

Is MTG Mate free?
MTG Mate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Castlog free?
Castlog is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MTG Mate or Castlog have ads?
Neither MTG Mate nor Castlog shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MTG Mate or Castlog?
MTG Mate ships an update every 2 weeks, and Castlog every 6 days. Most recently, MTG Mate was updated on November 3, 2026 and Castlog on October 28, 2026.

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