Comparison

MTG 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

MTG

Features
Read full description

** FREE FOR ONLY TWO PLAYERS ** Keep your games organized and fast-paced with a powerful, customizable life counter built for Magic: The Gathering. Track life totals, poison counters, and commander damage for up to eight players. Designed with clarity and speed in mind, it supports multiplayer formats including EDH/Commander. Features include: Life tracking for 2 to 8 players Network connectivity - players on multiple devices can update and track scores Custom player names and color themes Dice roller with animated D20 physics Playmat textures and sparkle effects Quick reset and undo history Poison and commander damage support Optional lock screen idle prevention Premium features to remove ads and unlock full multiplayer Perfect for casual kitchen table matches, competitive EDH games, or anything in between. Simple enough for newcomers, flexible enough for seasoned players. Some features such as removing advertisements, playing with more than two players and premium dice styles require the MTG - Life counter premium subscription. Privacy Policy: https://ngdevelopment.org/privacypolicy.html EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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

Stop passing the phone. Compendium is the Magic: The Gathering companion for your whole pod: a live multiplayer life counter, trades and head-to-head with the people you play, plus a deck builder, card scanner and a deck coach that knows your games. New: the Pod Hub puts your invites, pod mates, games together and possible trades in one place, and a QR code gets everyone at the table into your game (and your pod, if they want). Only one with the app? Add the others as guests. No account needed to scan, build and count life. Sign in (free) to play or trade with your pod. YOUR POD Pod Hub—invites, pod mates, games together and possible trades on one screen, one tap from the Decks tab Join by QR—show a code in game setup and friends join by scanning or typing a six-character code, and can add you to their pod as they join Names and commander art—choose a display name and a signature commander so your pod sees who's who Head-to-head with each pod mate from your live and shared games, on the Hub and on their profile Your pod this week on Discover: recent games, new binder cards and possible trades, plus a Rematch button After a game, "At this table" sends a pod invite to everyone you played with "In your pod" on card pages shows which pod mates have a card for trade or want it One Invites inbox for pod invites and live games, with alerts you control. All free PLAY & IMPROVE Life counter for 1–6 players with commander damage, poison, and custom counters Live Games—every player syncs life, commander damage and counters from their own phone in real time, no passing one device around the table. Works on whatever phone each pod mate has Game log that tracks your wins, losses, commanders faced, and finish position Share a logged game with your pod so everyone can fill in their own side of the story Win/loss trend analysis, play/draw splits, and rival tracking over time Pre-game matchup prep—know what you're up against before you sit down POD TRADING Invite friends into your pod and Compendium spots every card they want that's sitting in your binder, and every card you want that's sitting in theirs—no more "anyone got a...?" in the group chat Once connected, binders stay in sync automatically—no exporting, no back-and-forth messaging MEET MOX Mox knows Magic: The Gathering inside and out—and now it knows your games too. Ask Mox for deck advice, card questions, rules or upgrade ideas Get personalized 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 SCAN & COLLECT Instant card scanning—add cards to your collection in seconds Smart filters, sets, and custom organization Real-time prices from TCGPlayer, CardMarket, and Cardhoarder 90-day price history so you can spot trends at a glance 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, color distribution, and mana health Deck value tracking with 1-year price history Import from Moxfield, Archidekt, or any text list—export anywhere Browse, compare and import official preconstructed decks Discover feed with Card of the Week, trending decks and recent sets FREE TO START. UPGRADE WHEN YOU'RE READY. Compendium is free to download and use, and pods, Live Games and Pod Trading are free. Pro unlocks advanced analytics, unlimited deck evaluations, Game Insights, syncing your own collection and decks across your devices, 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

MTG1 screens
MTG Compendium4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: MTG Compendium at none against MTG's shown. MTG's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, in-app purchases 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 sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year and MTG Compendium sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MTG versus MTG Compendium: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMTGMTG Compendium
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.4 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—57.1% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequency—Weekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNicole HankinsonMark Webb

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MTG

Subscriptions1
  • Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
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 MTG free?
MTG is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MTG Compendium free?
MTG Compendium is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MTG or MTG Compendium have ads?
MTG shows ads; MTG Compendium does not.

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