VGC Helper vs Start.gg
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
VGC Helper
This app assists players in building competitive teams for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's Ranked Battles. It offers tools for damage calculation, speed ranking, and live battle assistance, along with comprehensive team management and Poképaste integration.
- Team Builder
- Damage Calculator
- Speed Ranking Calculator
- Battle Assistant
- Poképaste Support
- Team Management
- Pokémon/Move/Ability/Item Search
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VGC Helper is your Ranked Battles companion app. • Features: - Team Builder - Damage calc - Speed ranking calc - Battle assistant for live calcs - Teams list management - Full Poképaste support - View team summaries such as type defenses, speeds, move coverage, etc. - Search Pokémon, Move, Abilities, and Items while sorting by convenient information - Search Pokémon, Move, Abilities, and Items from popular usage rankings • Disclaimer: Pokémon is a trademark of Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended. VGC Helper is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak.
Start.gg
Discover and participate in competitive gaming events, from online tournaments to major esports conventions. Track your progress, follow favorite players, and receive real-time tournament updates. Manage your competitive gaming experience on the go.
- Find online tournaments
- Discover esports conventions
- Follow favorite players
- Receive tournament notifications
- Browse player profiles and rankings
- Support for hundreds of games
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Start.gg is your home for competitive gaming events - from online tournaments to the world's biggest esports conventions. Find tournaments near you, play in online brackets, or follow your favorite players in top-level competitions. Receive push notifications for every stage of a tournament, from registering to playing your matches. Browse player profiles, rankings, and event history across hundreds of games including Super Smash Bros., Street Fighter, Rocket League, Pokémon Champions, League of Legends, trading card games, and more. Whether you're running an event, playing to win, or just spectating, start.gg keeps the entire tournament experience in your pocket.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Start.gg at none against VGC Helper's 3. Start.gg also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). VGC Helper's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (567 vs 9). On price, rating 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
Both are free to download. VGC Helper sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Start.gg asks for nothing beyond the download.
VGC Helper holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VGC Helper has 567 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of VGC Helper's written reviews are positive against 75% of Start.gg's.
VGC Helper ships an update every 3 weeks, Start.gg every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | VGC Helper | Start.gg |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (567 ratings) — better | 4.7 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.9% of reviews — better | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 567 — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | John Rommel Estropia | Startgg, Inc. |
Customer experience
VGC Helper
Start.gg
Bugs and requests
VGC Helper
Reported bugs
5 issues- Tatsugiri only learns 4 moves (Draco Meteor, Helping Hand, Muddy Water, Celebrate)
- Level select for team building non-functional
- Team reorganization causes duplicate teams and override issues
- Overridden teams become uneditable until menu exit
- Missing Pokémon data for certain species (e.g., Emboar)
Requested features
10 requests- Shiny Pokémon option/toggle
- Pokémon Box for storing specific builds
- Save individual Pokémon builds across teams
- Ability to set exact EV values
- Level selection beyond level 50
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- Regulation G and Regulation I support
- Regulation E Pokémon and movesets
- Battle feature for playing against friends
- Folder system to organize teams
- Character images or Pokémon thumbnails
Start.gg
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
VGC Helper
- Tip a Sandwich$0.99
- Tip 5 Sandwiches$4.99
- Tip 10 Sandwiches$9.99
Start.gg
No in-app purchases
