Comparison

Tools For MTG vs Magic

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

Head to head
About

Tools For MTG

This app provides essential tools for Magic: The Gathering players, including life and poison counters, match timers, a terminology glossary, and direct links to official news and video content.

Highlights
  • Life and poison counter tracking
  • Match timer
  • MTG terminology glossary
  • Wizards of the Coast news feed
  • Wizards of the Coast YouTube videos
Features
Read full description

A suit of tools to assist the MTG player of any skill level. • Encounters allows you to keep track of the necessities of doing battle. Track life with conveniently incremented life modifiers as well as a poison counter. There is also a timer to track how long matches have played out. • A glossary allows for quick look-up for obscure terminology or for a quick reference. • A direct link to Wizards of the Coast’s news feed ensures you're always up to date with the latest from their news department and tournament results. • A listing of the latest videos from Wizards of the Coast YouTube channel

About

Magic

Experience the original fantasy collectible card game digitally. Discover strategies, build unique decks, and battle friends worldwide. Offers a comprehensive tutorial for new players and various game modes for seasoned veterans.

Highlights
  • Digital collectible card game
  • Deck building and strategy
  • Online multiplayer battles
  • Tutorial for new players
  • Multiple game formats
  • Cosmetic customization
Features
Read full description

Welcome to the digital Multiverse! Magic: The Gathering is the original trading card game- and now you can download and start playing for free with your friends from anywhere! Magic: The Gathering Arena empowers you to discover your strategy, meet the planeswalkers, explore the multiverse, and battle friends around the world. Collect, build and master your unique deck that will become its own legend. Your battle is only the beginning; duel on stunning battlefields, and enjoy Arena’s game changing battle effects and immerse yourself in the game. Start playing for free, challenge your friends, unlock cards, and feel the magic of the original fantasy CCG! NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY Never played Magic before? No problem! Magic: The Gathering Arena’s tutorial system takes you through the playstyles so you can find your strategy and decide if you’re the type to overwhelm your opponent with brute strength, if subterfuge is more your style, or anything in between. Meet characters from around the multiverse and try out spells and artifacts that make learning to play the original fantasy collectible card game quick and fun. It’s never been easier to play Magic! Collect cards to build a deck that matches your personality, then master your strategy to battle friends and be part of the TCG that started them all. GAME ON(LINE) The original TCG is now digital! Explore the fantasy worlds of Magic: The Gathering Arena and build your deck, play a variety of game formats to collect cards, master multiple strategies, and hone your skills against friends or the AI. With multiple game formats like Draft and Brawl, 15 unlockable collectible decks, and explosive card combo effects: Your ideal Magic: The Gathering playstyle is at your fingertips! Show off eye-popping cosmetics like avatars, card sleeves, and pets and collect daily rewards to grow your collection and build powerful decks that reflect your personal strategy. CHALLENGE AND PLAY Duel your friends for glory or enter in-game tournaments for exciting prizes! With Draft and Brawl pairing, there is always someone to game with. Special in-game events offer exciting rewards, and with Esports qualifiers your Pro-Magic dreams are closer than you think in the Arena Premier Play League! Queue into casual battles to hone your strategy at your own pace, or battle in Esports qualifiers and frequent tournaments to flaunt your mastery. FANTASY AND MAGIC Dive into the fantasy planes of Magic: The Gathering and write your own legend through Magic’s immersive lore and vibrant card art. Find your path through the multiverse using only favorite characters and their most iconic spells and artifacts, or create a theme deck with a narrative that makes sense only to you. Your story is only just beginning! All prices inclusive of VAT. Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering, Magic: The Gathering Arena, their respective logos, Magic, the mana symbols, the planeswalker symbol, and all character names and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. ©2019-2026 Wizards. Please visit https://company.wizards.com/legal/wizards-coasts-privacy-policy to view Wizards of the Coast's privacy policy and https://company.wizards.com/legal/terms to view Wizards of the Coast's terms of use.

Screenshots

Tools For MTG4 screens
Magic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tools For MTG at none against Magic's 24. Tools For MTG also leads on review sentiment (54% vs 34%) and iOS requirement (9.1 vs 15.0). Magic's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (156K vs 17). On price, rating, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Magic sells 17 one-off in-app purchases. Tools For MTG asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Tools For MTG against 4.6 for Magic. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magic has 156K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of Tools For MTG's written reviews are positive against 34% of Magic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tools For MTG ships an update every 3 months, Magic weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Tools For MTG versus Magic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTools For MTGMagic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (17 ratings) — better4.6 (156K ratings)
Positive reviews53.8% of reviews — better34.2% of reviews
Number of ratings17156K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#14 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS9.1 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB265 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperMichael DresserWizards of the Coast

Customer experience

Tools For MTG

All ratings16 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive53.8%
Neutral15.4%
Negative30.8%

Magic

All ratings155,740 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.8%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews4,087 reviews
Positive34.2%
Neutral9.2%
Negative56.5%

Bugs and requests

Tools For MTG

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Magic

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cards not working as intended
  • Inability to select or interact with certain game elements
  • Inconsistent behavior when app crashes during matches
  • Sync issues between mobile and desktop accounts

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to trade or recycle unwanted cards
  • Improved deck building tools and organization
  • Support for multiplayer formats like Commander and Two-Headed Giant
  • Option to disable animations and speed up gameplay
  • Better integration between mobile and desktop versions

In-app purchases

None

Tools For MTG

No in-app purchases

17 purchases

Magic

One-time17
  • 750 Gems$4.99
  • Starter Bundle$4.99
  • Jurassic World Lands$9.99
Show 14 more
  • Fallout Companion Bundle$9.99
  • 1,600 Gems$9.99
  • 4x Rare Wildcards$9.99
  • Adventurer Bundle$14.99
  • Pre-order: Pass Bundle$14.99
  • 3,400 Gems$19.99
  • 4x Mythic Wildcards$19.99
  • Spark Bundle$24.99
  • Massacre Girl Pack Pre-order$49.99
  • Pre-order: Oko Pack Bundle$49.99
  • Pre-order: Pack Bundle8 variants$49.99
  • 9,200 Gems$49.99
  • Pre-order: Sorin Pack Bundle$49.99
  • 20,000 Gems$99.99

Questions

Is Tools For MTG free?
Tools For MTG is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Magic free?
Magic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tools For MTG or Magic?
Tools For MTG is rated higher. Tools For MTG averages 4.6 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Magic averages 4.6 from 156K ratings.
Do Tools For MTG or Magic have ads?
Neither Tools For MTG nor Magic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tools For MTG or Magic?
Tools For MTG ships an update every 3 months, and Magic weekly. Most recently, Tools For MTG was updated on October 23, 2026 and Magic on October 25, 2026.

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