Comparison

AetherLife vs Chrono

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

Head to head
About

AetherLife

Features
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AetherLife – MTG Life Counter & Companion AetherLife is a clean, powerful MTG life tracker for Magic: The Gathering built by Magic players for Magic players. Whether you’re in a quick 1v1 or a full-on 6-player Commander match, AetherLife helps you track life totals, commander damage, tokens, and more — with zero clutter and full control. Built for Every Format • Track life totals, commander damage, tax, and tokens with ease • Play with up to 6 players using intuitive table layouts • Set life totals, select players, and jump into the game in seconds Customize Your Playmat • Upload your own images or search for MTG card art to build your perfect playmat • Use the color and gradient editor to match your deck, mood, or playstyle Match History & Statistics • Every game is logged automatically — see life changes, player details, and timelines • View win rates and game counts across players and formats • Track your overall match performance and progress over time Card Search That Stays in the App • Look up any Magic card instantly with our MTG card lookup tool • View rulings, legality, Oracle text, and prices without leaving the app News from Across the Multiverse • Stay up to date with MTG news, set releases, and articles from trusted sources Extras to Enhance Your Game • Built-in dice roller, coin flip, and random player selector • Great for Commander pods, tournaments, or casual kitchen-table matches Supports Seven Languages Available in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese AetherLife blends sharp design with practical features that keep your focus where it should be — on the game. No paper, just smart tools that match the way you play. Download AetherLife and upgrade your next Magic session. Disclaimer: AetherLife is an unofficial life tracking app for Magic: The Gathering and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. Magic: The Gathering and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast. This app complies with the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy: https://company.wizards.com/en/legal/fancontentpolicy Card data and images are provided by the Scryfall API: https://scryfall.com/docs/api This app is not produced by or affiliated with Scryfall LLC.

About

Chrono

Features
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We have all been trapped in that pod. The board is a clogged mess, someone has been staring at their hand for ten minutes trying to sequence a cantrip, your cold brew is empty, and you are aging in real time. Enter Chrono-Tithe. Chrono-Tithe is not just a sleek life counter. It is an automated tax collector for slow play. Instead of a passive chess clock everyone ignores, it enforces an escalating “Tithe Tax.” Overstay your welcome in the think tank and your life total starts draining automatically. It is the perfect way to keep the table moving, or to quietly pressure the pod while you assemble your lock behind a wall of artifacts. CORE FEATURES (always free) THE TITHE ENGINE: An escalating turn timer that ramps through four tiers, from Standard to Accelerated to Punishing to Lethal. Choose the turn the tax starts to tighten and watch it change the way your pod plays. BLIND-TAP LIFE TRACKING: Zero-friction split cards. Tap the right side of a player’s color block to gain life, tap the left to lose it. Press and hold to swing by 5 at a time. You never have to take your eyes off the board. FULL COMMANDER TRACKING: Poison, energy, experience, +1/+1, commander tax, and per-source commander damage, with 21 from a single commander tracked and flagged automatically. Monarch and the Initiative too. BUILT FOR THE TABLE: 2 to 6 players, format presets for Commander, 1v1, Two-Headed Giant, and Brawl, a pre-game lobby to set seating and decide who goes first, plus a dice roller, coin flip, and random-player picker. PLAY TOGETHER, ON EVERY PHONE: Connect the whole pod over local Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and everyone plays on their own screen, in sync. Tap your own life, pass your own turn, track your own commander damage, and watch it land on every device instantly. No internet, no accounts, no server. Joining a pod is always free. POST-GAME BREAKDOWN: Average turn length for every pilot and a golden Efficiency Star for the fastest player at the table. Hit Replay Pod to run it back with the same roster in one tap. MINIMALIST AND TACTILE: Deep true blacks, fluid gestures, and subtle haptics, designed to preserve battery and reduce visual fatigue during long matches. Scales cleanly from iPhone to a 12.9-inch iPad, and the screen stays awake during play. CHRONO-TITHE PRO (optional, one-time) The full game is free forever, with every life total, counter, timer, and tool included. A single one-time unlock (no subscription) adds: HOST MULTIPLAYER: Host a synced pod so the whole table plays on their own phones. Joining a pod is always free; hosting one is Pro. THEMES AND ACCENTS: Ten background themes and a full neon accent palette. CLOCK MODES: Alternate ways for the clock to bite. Three are live: Sudden Death (at the Lethal tier, overtime eliminates you outright), Time Bank (unused seconds roll into your next turn), and Chess Clock (one game-long budget per player). Team Clock is on the way, included free. TIMER-ONLY MODE: Switch the Tithe off to time turns with no life loss. COMMANDER ART AND SEAT COLORS: Set any commander’s art as a seat’s background and give each seat its own color. MATCH HISTORY: Every pod saved and synced to your own iCloud, so it survives a reinstall or a new phone with no login. All future Pro features included, free. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No ads. No tracking. Your roster, settings, and history live on your device and in your own iCloud, never on our servers. Multiplayer is a direct device-to-device connection over your local network, not through any server of ours. Chrono-Tithe collects zero data about you. Set your pod. Start the clock. Pay the tithe. Chrono-Tithe is an unofficial fan-made utility. It is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. Magic: The Gathering and Commander are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast.

Screenshots

AetherLife4 screens
Chrono4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AetherLife at none against Chrono's 1. AetherLife also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence, 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. Chrono sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. AetherLife asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AetherLife ships an update weekly, Chrono every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
AetherLife versus Chrono: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAetherLifeChrono
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB21 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperJOSIP VUJNOVICNICHOLAS SALVATORE PUYA

In-app purchases

None

AetherLife

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chrono

One-time1
  • Chrono-Tithe Pro$4.99

Questions

Is AetherLife free?
AetherLife is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chrono free?
Chrono is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do AetherLife or Chrono have ads?
Neither AetherLife nor Chrono shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AetherLife or Chrono?
AetherLife ships an update weekly, and Chrono every 4 days. Most recently, AetherLife was updated on October 16, 2026 and Chrono on October 15, 2026.

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