Magic Spellbook vs Archivist
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Magic Spellbook ships an update every 5 weeks, Archivist every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.
| Parameter | Magic Spellbook | Archivist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (87 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 94.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 87 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Joshua Birnholz | Ryan Fontenot |
Customer experience
Magic Spellbook
Archivist
In-app purchases
Magic Spellbook
- Common Tip$0.99
- Uncommon Tip$2.99
- Rare Tip$4.99
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- Mythic Tip$9.99
Archivist
- Archivist Plus (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- Archivist Plus (Yearly)$39.991 Year
- Archivist Lifetime$99.99
Questions
Is Magic Spellbook free?
Is Archivist free?
Which has better reviews, Magic Spellbook or Archivist?
Do Magic Spellbook or Archivist have ads?
Which is updated more often, Magic Spellbook or Archivist?
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