Comparison

Magic Spellbook vs Archivist

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

Head to head
About

Magic Spellbook

Instantly find Magic card information, including rulings, prices, and all printings. Manage your card lists, compare trade values, and even use voice commands for quick lookups. Explore cards by set and track game progress.

Highlights
  • Complex card search with Scryfall
  • Card printing and price checks
  • Save, import, and share card lists
  • Price difference calculation for trading
  • Card rulings and format legality
  • Browse cards by set
  • Voice search with Siri
Features
Read full description

The fastest way to look up Magic cards, rulings, and prices. - Search for cards with complex queries powered by Scryfall - Get powerful suggestions for advanced Scryfall queries - Check all printings and prices - Save, import, and share card lists - Calculate price differences between lists when trading - Look up card rulings and format legality - Browse all cards by set - Track progress in Dungeons and abilities for The One Ring - Use Siri to look up cards with your voice Spellbook is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

About

Archivist

Digitize your Magic: The Gathering card collection quickly and easily. Scan cards to read details, organize your collection, build decks, and track prices. Connect with other collectors and manage your wishlist.

Highlights
  • Scan cards with camera
  • Organize by box, condition, foil, language
  • Build decks with mana curve
  • Track card prices and set alerts
  • Wishlist cards with TCGplayer integration
  • Follow other collectors
Features
Read full description

Archivist is the fastest way to digitize your Magic: The Gathering collection. Point your phone at any card and the scanner reads the name, set, and collector number in under a second. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Scan cards with your camera — works in most lighting • Organize by box, condition, foil, and language • Build decks with section-aware quantities and a live mana curve • Track card prices and get alerts when a card hits your target • Wishlist cards and check out on TCGplayer in one tap • Follow other collectors and see their public lists ARCHIVIST PLUS Cloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Per-card price alerts. Upgrade suggestions for any Commander deck powered by EDHREC. Plus is available as an auto-renewing subscription — Monthly ($4.99) or Yearly ($39.99) — or as a one-time Lifetime purchase ($99.99). Subscriptions renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Magic: The Gathering, its logos, mana symbols, and card text are trademarks and copyrights of Wizards of the Coast LLC. Archivist is unofficial Fan Content permitted under Wizards' Fan Content Policy and is not approved or endorsed by Wizards. Terms of Use: https://getarchivist.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://getarchivist.app/privacy

Screenshots

Magic Spellbook4 screens
Archivist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Magic Spellbook at 87 against Archivist's 1. Archivist's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Magic Spellbook sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Archivist sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Archivist holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magic Spellbook has 87 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Magic Spellbook's written reviews are positive against 100% of Archivist's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magic Spellbook ships an update every 5 weeks, Archivist every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Magic Spellbook versus Archivist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagic SpellbookArchivist
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (87 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings87 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB12 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperJoshua BirnholzRyan Fontenot

Customer experience

Magic Spellbook

All ratings87 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive94.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.6%

Archivist

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Magic Spellbook

One-time4
  • Common Tip$0.99
  • Uncommon Tip$2.99
  • Rare Tip$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Mythic Tip$9.99
3 purchases

Archivist

Subscriptions2
  • Archivist Plus (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Archivist Plus (Yearly)$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Archivist Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Magic Spellbook free?
Magic Spellbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Archivist free?
Archivist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Magic Spellbook or Archivist?
Archivist is rated higher. Magic Spellbook averages 4.8 out of 5 from 87 ratings, while Archivist averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Magic Spellbook or Archivist have ads?
Neither Magic Spellbook nor Archivist shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Magic Spellbook or Archivist?
Magic Spellbook ships an update every 5 weeks, and Archivist every 9 days. Most recently, Magic Spellbook was updated on October 15, 2026 and Archivist on October 15, 2026.

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