# Cantrip vs MTG Compendium

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Cantrip | MTG Compendium |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.9 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cantrip/id6443567103/reviews)** | [3.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-compendium-deck-builder/id6746125584/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **15** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **57.1% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 142 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.6** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [White Bridge Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/1647217300) | [Mark Webb](https://appshunter.io/developer/1331970256) |

## What reviewers say

### Cantrip

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cantrip/id6443567103)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### MTG Compendium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-compendium-deck-builder/id6746125584)

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:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Evals and Chat | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual Pro Subscription | $34.99 | per year |
| Compendium 3 Deck Evaluations | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*