# TCGSim vs YGO Duel Lab

The clearest difference is rating: YGO Duel Lab at 4.8 against TCGSim's 3.0. YGO Duel Lab also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 78%). TCGSim's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. TCGSim sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and YGO Duel Lab sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

YGO Duel Lab holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: YGO Duel Lab has 34 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of TCGSim's written reviews are positive against 100% of YGO Duel Lab's.

TCGSim ships an update every 3 months, YGO Duel Lab monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TCGSim | YGO Duel Lab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tcgsim/id6474193450/reviews) | **[4.8 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ygo-duel-lab/id6737415148/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **34** |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 167 MB | 83 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kenta Hayakawa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1681275019) | [Renaud Buisine](https://appshunter.io/developer/1776150516) |

## What reviewers say

### TCGSim

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tcgsim/id6474193450)

Practice popular trading card games solo with this easy-to-use app. It supports deck tuning, strategy research, and includes features like free card manipulation and dice rolls. Customize your experience with optional in-app purchases.

**Highlights:** Solo play for 1-2 player fields, Free card manipulation, Deck and card management, Import decks via codes/CSV, Dice roll and coin toss, Customizable backgrounds

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Custom Field Image | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Custom Card Back | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Deck Slots | $2.99 | one-time |


### YGO Duel Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ygo-duel-lab/id6737415148)

Build and test custom card decks with all officially announced cards. Practice strategies and refine skills by simulating game scenarios. This app focuses on training and does not include online play.

**Highlights:** Deck building with official cards, Hand testing for strategy refinement, Scenario recreation in Playground mode, Offline training and skill enhancement, Supports all card expansions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sleeve Enneacraft Atori.MAR | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Mitsurugi Habakiri | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Kewl Tune Reco | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Yummy Cupsy | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Yummy Marshmao | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Yummy Lollipo | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Dracotail Faimena | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Yummy Cooky | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Dracotail Mululu | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Dracotail Phryxul | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Fallen of Albaz | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Blue Eyes White Dragon | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sleeve Blazing Cartesia | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TCGSim free?

TCGSim is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is YGO Duel Lab free?

YGO Duel Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, TCGSim or YGO Duel Lab?

YGO Duel Lab is rated higher. TCGSim averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while YGO Duel Lab averages 4.8 from 34 ratings.

### Do TCGSim or YGO Duel Lab have ads?

TCGSim shows ads; YGO Duel Lab does not.

### Which is updated more often, TCGSim or YGO Duel Lab?

TCGSim ships an update every 3 months, and YGO Duel Lab monthly. Most recently, TCGSim was updated on October 30, 2026 and YGO Duel Lab on October 24, 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.*