Comparison

Hearthstone vs Magic

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

Head to head
About

Hearthstone

Engage in a strategic card battle game where you collect powerful cards, build custom decks, and outwit opponents. Explore various game modes, from competitive PvP to solo adventures, all within the iconic Warcraft universe.

Highlights
  • Collectible battle cards
  • Deck building and customization
  • Strategic card battles
  • Multiple game modes (Standard, Wild, Battlegrounds)
  • PvP and PvE challenges
  • Warcraft universe integration
Read full description

Battle as legendary Warcraft heroes in Hearthstone®, Blizzard Entertainment's award-winning free-to-play* strategy card game. Build powerful decks, collect iconic cards, discover game-changing combos, and outsmart opponents in epic card battles! ONE GAME. COUNTLESS WAYS TO PLAY. Whether you're new to collectible card games (CCG) or a seasoned strategist, Hearthstone offers an experience for every kind of player. Challenge friends, test your skills against opponents from around the world, or enjoy solo adventures at your own pace. Every match is packed with opportunities to learn, experiment, and sharpen your skills. Develop strategies that fit your playstyle, craft Legendary cards, and discover new possibilities as your collection grows. Easy to learn and rewarding to master, Hearthstone offers fresh challenges with every game. Play online across mobile and PC with your Hearthstone collection and progress synced between devices. Whether you have a few minutes for a quick match or you're ready to climb the competitive ladder, your next match is always within reach. Collect. Build. Play. CLIMB TO LEGEND • Battle players from around the world in strategic online PvP duels. • Build winning decks, evolve your strategy, and climb all the way to Legend. • Earn seasonal rewards and prove your mastery every month. HONE YOUR CRAFT • Take on solo adventures, complete quests, and discover new mechanics at your own pace. • Draft a unique deck in Arena from a changing selection of cards, then test your strategy against other players. • Returning player? Wild mode lets you play with all your cards! OUTSMART RIVALS • Recruit powerful minions, build your warband, and compete against seven other players in Hearthstone's signature Battlegrounds auto-battler mode. • Adapt every turn, discover powerful synergies, and be the last player standing. • No two matches play the same. EMBRACE THE CHAOS • Jump into Tavern Brawl, where unique rules, unexpected twists, and special rewards keep every Brawl fresh. CHOOSE YOUR HERO • Battle as legendary Warcraft heroes across 11 distinct classes. • Each class features its own Hero Power, signature mechanics, and unique strategies. • Whether you prefer aggressive attacks, careful planning, or clever combos, there's a class for you. Complete quests, earn rewards, and discover new cards with every expansion. Regular balance updates, seasonal events, major expansions, and limited-time experiences keep Hearthstone fresh for newcomers and veterans alike. Experience the magic, mischief, and mayhem in this epic fantasy CCG. Battle friends, challenge online opponents, and join millions of players around the hearth. Play Hearthstone today! *In-game purchases are optional. ©/TM/® 2026 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc

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

Hearthstone4 screens
Magic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Magic at 4.6 against Hearthstone's 4.1. On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Hearthstone sells 21 one-off in-app purchases and Magic sells 17 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Magic holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 122K and 154K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 36% of Hearthstone's written reviews are positive against 35% of Magic's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hearthstone ships an update fortnightly, Magic weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 10 level
Hearthstone versus Magic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHearthstoneMagic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (122K ratings)4.6 (154K ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.9% of reviews — better34.6% of reviews
Number of ratings122K154K — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#47#22 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size855 MB261 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperBlizzard Entertainment, Inc.Wizards of the Coast

Customer experience

Hearthstone

All ratings121,744 ratings
Positive78.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews4,725 reviews
Positive35.9%
Neutral9.1%
Negative54.9%

Magic

All ratings154,496 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.8%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews3,904 reviews
Positive34.6%
Neutral9.4%
Negative56.0%

User reviews

Hearthstone

From 122K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 🎨 Stunning visuals and animations
  • 🕹️ Engaging strategic gameplay
  • 🎁 Generous free-to-play model
  • 🕰️ Endless replayability

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive to stay competitive
  • 🔁 Repetitive meta decks
  • 🎲 Excessive RNG elements
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🕰️ Slow progression for free players

Magic

From 154K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great way to play Magic on the go
  • 🎨 Excellent visual representation of the game
  • 💰 Generous free-to-play model
  • 🕹️ Smooth and intuitive gameplay
  • 🕰️ Convenient for players who can't meet in person

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🕹️ Clunky UI and navigation
  • 💰 Aggressive monetization and pay-to-win concerns
  • 🔀 Rigged matchmaking and unfair shuffling algorithm
  • 🕰️ Slow performance on older devices

Bugs and requests

Hearthstone

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes during gameplay
  • Connectivity issues after updates
  • Reward system not working as intended
  • Unresponsive UI on certain devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved matchmaking system
  • More cooperative game modes
  • Ability to trade or disenchant unwanted cards
  • Reduced cost of new expansions
  • Faster gold/dust earning for free players

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

21 purchases

Hearthstone

One-time21
  • Arena Admission$1.99
  • Bundle of 2 Classic Packs$2.99
  • Welcome Bundle$4.99
Show 18 more
  • Welcome Bundle of 10 Classic Packs + Classic Legendary Card$4.99
  • 500 Runestones$4.99
  • Hero Skin2 variants$6.99
  • Bundle of 7 Grand Tournament Packs$9.99
  • Bundle of 7 Classic Packs$9.99
  • Bundle of 7 "Whispers of the Old Gods" Packs$9.99
  • Hero Skin Bundle$9.99
  • Packs Bundle$14.99
  • BG Season Pass$14.99
  • Tavern Pass5 variants$19.99
  • BG Season Pass5 variants$19.99
  • Bundle of 15 Classic Packs$19.99
  • Bundle: All 4 League of Explorers Wings$19.99
  • Packs Bundle$24.99
  • Packs Bundle$39.99
  • Bundle of 40 Classic Packs$49.99
  • Packs Bundle2 variants$59.99
  • Hero Skin Bundle2 variants$89.99
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 Hearthstone free?
Hearthstone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Magic free?
Magic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hearthstone or Magic?
Magic is rated higher. Hearthstone averages 4.1 out of 5 from 122K ratings, while Magic averages 4.6 from 154K ratings.
Do Hearthstone or Magic have ads?
Neither Hearthstone nor Magic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hearthstone or Magic?
Hearthstone ships an update fortnightly, and Magic weekly. Most recently, Hearthstone was updated on September 24, 2026 and Magic on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Hearthstone or Magic?
Hearthstone currently peaks at #47 in the App Store charts, and Magic at #22. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons