Comparison

Deep IQ vs MTG Binder

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

Head to head
About

Deep IQ

This app simulates a Magic: The Gathering opponent for solo play with physical cards. It uses dice rolls and lookup tables to determine opponent actions, allowing you to test your decks without a live player.

Highlights
  • Virtual opponent for solo play
  • Simulates opponent actions with dice and tables
  • Deck testing tool for physical cards
  • Supports multiple rule versions
Features
Read full description

Play Magic: The Gathering solo. Deep IQ is the second player. You bring the deck and the table. Deep IQ brings the opponent — a virtual adversary that rolls a d10 each turn against its current action table and resolves whatever it lands on: summoning creatures, casting setbacks, growing its board, attacking, and graduating to harder tables as the game goes on. There is no decision-making AI to second-guess; outcomes come straight from the dice and the tables, exactly like the pen-and-paper Deep IQ system that players have hand-rolled since 1996. The app just does the bookkeeping — faithfully, instantly, and without a single missed trigger. REBUILT FOR 2026 This year Deep IQ was rewritten from the ground up: • A clear two-phase turn cycle — watch Deep IQ take its turn, then take yours. The board locks while it's thinking and hands control back when it's your move. • A living board — tokens fly in as Deep IQ summons them and out as they leave, with life totals, counters, and a running turn log you can follow at a glance. • A responsive layout that reshapes itself for phone, tablet, and desktop, with the turn log docked beside the board on larger screens. • Six brand-new color rule sets — mono White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green plus a colorless build — each with its own flavor of opponent. • Multiverse Trial: a tougher, modern rule set with layered mechanics. • A built-in help and reference section that explains every screen and rule set. 14 BUILT-IN RULE SETS Every published Deep IQ variant, faithfully implemented: Rick Moscatello (1996), Bruce Richard (2013), Andy Tuque (2016), Nevan Vermillion (2016), Phill Webb (2017), John Taylor (2022), Wrath of Zorr (2021), the 2026 color suite, and Multiverse Trial. PLAYS YOUR WAY • Pick a rule set, choose Deep IQ's colors, and start a game in seconds. • Adjust life, apply setbacks, and manage the board with a tap. • Settings persist instantly — locale, theme, log position, and more. • Available in 11 languages. DEEP IQ PRO Everything above is free. Deep IQ Pro is a one-time in-app purchase that unlocks the custom rule set editor — build your own action tables from scratch, tune the mechanics, and import or export them as JSON to share with other players. If you have ever wanted to design your own solo opponent, this is the workshop. Bring a deck. Deep IQ brings the fight. Deep IQ is an unofficial fan tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast LLC.

About

MTG Binder

Manage your Magic: The Gathering collection, track card prices, and build decks. Scan cards with your camera for quick lookups and browse all printings. Organize your collection, create wishlists, and even track life totals for up to four players.

Highlights
  • Card scanning and lookup
  • Real-time price tracking
  • Deck building and management
  • Collection organization
  • Wishlist creation
  • Life counter for up to 4 players
Features
Read full description

Binder – MTG Collection Manager is the essential app for Magic: The Gathering players and collectors. Scan cards, track real-time prices, build decks, and manage your collection, all from your pocket. Scan & Search Cards - Scan a card with your camera for quick lookup - Search by name, set, or collector number - Browse every printing, including foils and variants - Read oracle text, legality, and official rulings Price Tracking - Real-time market prices from TCGplayer - See what each card is worth - Collection and deck value totals Collection + Deck Builder - Organize cards into collections and decks - Build decks for any format (mainboard + sideboard) - Filter and sort by set, color, type, and more - Helpful deck stats like mana curve and card type breakdowns - Power level insights to get a feel for your deck Buy Direct - Jump to TCGplayer from any card - Links go to the exact printing, so you don’t have to hunt - Foil and non-foil filtering included Wishlist - Save cards you want to pick up later - See wishlist totals and individual prices - Buy when you’re ready Life Counter - Track life for up to 4 players - Simple, clean controls for game night

Screenshots

Deep IQ4 screens
MTG Binder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MTG Binder at none against Deep IQ's 1. MTG Binder also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Deep IQ's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. Deep IQ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MTG Binder asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MTG Binder holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 7 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Deep IQ versus MTG Binder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeep IQMTG Binder
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings57 — better
Update frequencyEvery 27 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn TaylorEli Bakal

Customer experience

Deep IQ

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

MTG Binder

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Deep IQ

One-time1
  • Deep IQ Pro$2.99
None

MTG Binder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Deep IQ free?
Deep IQ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MTG Binder free?
MTG Binder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Deep IQ or MTG Binder?
MTG Binder is rated higher. Deep IQ averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while MTG Binder averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Deep IQ or MTG Binder have ads?
Neither Deep IQ nor MTG Binder shows ads.

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