Comparison

Playgroup vs Black Library

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

Head to head
About

Playgroup

Track life totals, damage, and game statistics for multiplayer card games. Syncs across devices and provides detailed performance analytics for decks and players on a companion website.

Highlights
  • Life counter for up to 6 players
  • Real-time game stats sync
  • Commander damage and poison counter tracking
  • Detailed deck performance analytics
  • Playgroup management and leaderboards
  • Intuitive swipe and tap UI
Features
Read full description

Please note: Only one person in your playgroup has to download and install the Playgroup life tracker app on a phone, tablet or run it on PC. The tracker app is exclusively used for tracking games. Stats will be available in real-time on the website for all participants (playgroup.gg). Ever wanted to know whether you are the best Commander player in your Playgroup? Whether that friend of yours really does take 10 minutes turns? Wondering what your average damage per game is for your favourite deck? You'll need to track life during your games anyway enhance your experience by using the Playgroup Life Counter App and get answers to all of the above questions and much more. Please note that the Playgroup app requires a Playgroup.gg account. Main Features: + The life counter is available on all platforms. + With Playgroup Device Sync you can all use your own device and keep the game stats synced automagically. + Supports up to 6 players + Don't just track wins and losses, but track how much damage has been done by which player and to which player, track turn duration and of course commander damage and poison counters. + Intuitive UI: By using a combination of swiping gestures (swipe towards the player that you want to damage) and tapping (tap for 1 life or hold for 10 life) tracking takes little effort. + Player profiles: each player loads up their personal player profile into the life counter easily via QR code. Select your deck from your deck list and start tracking! + Backgrounds: the life counter automatically sets your Commander as your background. Dashboard (https://playgroup.gg) Features: + Personalised stats: Get detailed statistics about your deck's performance. See the power level, win rate, elo rating, average kills per game, largest kill & win streaks and much more. + Playgroup management: create and manage playgroups, invite an unlimited number of friends. + Leaderboards: Get competitve, and rank against your playgroup members with the deck or player leaderboards. Playgroup is still under active development so be sure to drop by our Discord (https://discord.gg/wAG8aApDU5) and give your feedback and ideas for new features!

About

Black Library

Access thousands of Warhammer ebooks and audiobooks in one place. Build your personal collection and enjoy stories from various Warhammer universes on the go. Discover new releases on their launch day and explore a vast back catalog.

Highlights
  • Thousands of ebooks and audiobooks
  • Integrated e-reader
  • Integrated audio player
  • New releases on launch day
  • Vast back catalog
  • Multilingual ebook support
Read full description

The Black Library App is the ultimate way to experience Warhammer stories wherever you are, whenever you want. With thousands of ebooks and audiobooks available to buy all in one place, you can build your own Warhammer library, and read or listen on the go. Be amongst the first to read the latest adventures, with new novels available from the day of release. And with access to a vast back catalogue of classics, your next Warhammer read can take you anywhere. The worlds of Warhammer 40,000, the Horus Heresy, Age of Sigmar and the Old World are yours to explore. Features: Online store with over 2,500 titles In-built e-reader and audio player New novels available on the day of release Ebooks are available in English, French and German Audiobooks and audio dramas, available in English

Screenshots

Playgroup4 screens
Black Library4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Playgroup at 82% against Black Library's 11%. Playgroup also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 14). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. Black Library sells 14 one-off in-app purchases. Playgroup asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Playgroup holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 74 and 96 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Playgroup's written reviews are positive against 11% of Black Library's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Playgroup ships an update monthly, Black Library every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Playgroup versus Black Library: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlaygroupBlack Library
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (74 ratings) — better2.2 (96 ratings)
Positive reviews82.4% of reviews — better11.4% of reviews
Number of ratings7496 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB51 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperArcane Digital B.V.Games Workshop Limited

Customer experience

Playgroup

All ratings74 ratings
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive82.4%
Neutral11.8%
Negative5.9%

Black Library

All ratings72 ratings
Positive23.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative65.3%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive11.4%
Neutral13.9%
Negative74.7%

In-app purchases

None

Playgroup

No in-app purchases

14 purchases

Black Library

One-time14
  • Book - Tier 3$3.99
  • BL Tier 2$3.99
  • Book - Tier 27$4.99
Show 11 more
  • BL Tier 4$5.99
  • Book - Tier 29$6.49
  • Book - Tier 6$7.99
  • Book - Tier 7$9.99
  • Book - Tier 25$10.49
  • Book - Tier 26$10.49
  • Book - Tier 13$12.99
  • Book - Tier 14$13.99
  • Book - Tier 21$20.99
  • Book - Tier 17$21.99
  • Book - Tier 24$31.99

Questions

Is Playgroup free?
Playgroup is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Black Library free?
Black Library is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Playgroup or Black Library?
Playgroup is rated higher. Playgroup averages 4.8 out of 5 from 74 ratings, while Black Library averages 2.2 from 96 ratings.
Do Playgroup or Black Library have ads?
Neither Playgroup nor Black Library shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Playgroup or Black Library?
Playgroup ships an update monthly, and Black Library every 3 weeks. Most recently, Playgroup was updated on October 27, 2026 and Black Library on October 27, 2026.

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