Comparison

Cantrip vs MTG Compendium

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

Head to head
About

Cantrip

Easily build and manage your Magic: The Gathering decks. Search and filter cards from any set, and quickly add, remove, or sideboard cards with intuitive gestures.

Highlights
  • Powerful deck builder
  • Card search and filtering
  • Add/remove cards with swipe
  • Sideboard management
  • Supports all card sets
Features
Read full description

Cantrip is an poweful and easy to use deck builder for Magic: The Gathering. With Cantrip you can filter and search for cards from any set. Building decks is quick and easy using Cantrips deck builder which lets you add, remove, and sideboard cards with a swipe.

About

MTG Compendium

This app is a comprehensive companion for Magic: The Gathering players. It allows you to scan and collect cards, build and analyze decks with detailed statistics, track your game history, and get personalized advice from an AI deck coach. It also provides tools for exploring game sets and preconstructed decks.

Highlights
  • Card scanning and collection management
  • Advanced deck building and analysis
  • Life counter and game log
  • AI-powered deck advice and insights
  • Price tracking and history
  • Set exploration and deck comparison
Features
Read full description

Compendium is the all-in-one Magic: The Gathering companion built for players and collectors. Scan cards, build decks, track your games, and get expert advice from Mox — your personal deck coach. No account required. PLAY & IMPROVE Full-featured life counter for 1–6 players with commander damage, poison, and custom counters Game log that tracks your wins, losses, commanders faced, and finish position Win/loss trend analysis, play/draw splits, and rival tracking over time Game Insights — personalised analysis of your deck's performance based on your actual game history Pre-game matchup prep — know what you're up against before you sit down In-game Mox checks — check rules as you play MEET MOX Mox knows Magic: The Gathering inside and out — and now it knows your games too. Whether you're tuning a Commander deck, brewing something new, or trying to figure out why you keep losing to the same opponent, Mox is in your corner. SCAN & COLLECT Instant card scanning — add cards to your collection in seconds Smart filters, sets, and custom organisation Real-time prices from TCGPlayer, CardMarket, and Cardhoarder 90-day price history so you can spot trends at a glance Wishlist cards you want and flag trades BUILD BETTER DECKS Deck builder for any format: Commander/EDH, Standard, Modern, Pioneer, Legacy, and more Set a budget ceiling and Mox will keep your list within it Opening-hand probabilities, mana curve, colour distribution, and mana health Deck value tracking with 1-year price history Import from Moxfield, Archidekt, or any text list — export anywhere Browse and import official preconstructed decks straight into your library Compare preconstructed decks side by side before you commit Ask Mox for deck advice, card questions, or upgrade ideas Get personalised Game Insights based on your real play history — not generic advice Let Mox build you a deck from scratch or finish your half-built list Add cards to your wishlist, collection, or deck with a tap Open vendor links when you're ready to buy Find similar cards on any card page — with reasons why they fit and live prices EXPLORE THE GAME Browse upcoming and current Magic sets with release countdowns Compare preconstructed decks side by side Discover format staples and card prices across the meta FREE TO START. UPGRADE WHEN YOU'RE READY. Compendium is free to download and use. Pro unlocks advanced analytics, unlimited deck evaluations, Game Insights, and the full power of Mox — including chat, deck creation, and matchup prep. Magic: The Gathering and all related properties are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC. Compendium is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Cantrip4 screens
MTG Compendium4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Cantrip at 3.9 against MTG Compendium's 3.0. Cantrip also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (15 vs 4). MTG Compendium's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). On price, review sentiment, 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. MTG Compendium sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Cantrip asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cantrip holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Cantrip's written reviews are positive against 50% of MTG Compendium's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cantrip ships an update every 4 months, MTG Compendium weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Cantrip versus MTG Compendium: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCantripMTG Compendium
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (15 ratings) — better3.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size142 MB70 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperWhite Bridge LabsMark Webb

Customer experience

Cantrip

All ratings15 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral20.0%
Negative13.3%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral28.6%
Negative14.3%

MTG Compendium

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Cantrip

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

MTG Compendium

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Evals and Chat7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Annual Pro Subscription7 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Compendium 3 Deck Evaluations$1.99

Questions

Is Cantrip free?
Cantrip is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MTG Compendium free?
MTG Compendium is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cantrip or MTG Compendium?
Cantrip is rated higher. Cantrip averages 3.9 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while MTG Compendium averages 3.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Cantrip or MTG Compendium have ads?
Neither Cantrip nor MTG Compendium shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cantrip or MTG Compendium?
Cantrip ships an update every 4 months, and MTG Compendium weekly. Most recently, Cantrip was updated on September 12, 2026 and MTG Compendium on September 13, 2026.

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