# MTG Compendium vs Explain The Card

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Explain The Card at 100% against MTG Compendium's 57%. MTG Compendium's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MTG Compendium sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Explain The Card sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MTG Compendium ships an update weekly, Explain The Card every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MTG Compendium | Explain The Card |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-compendium-deck-builder/id6746125584/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **5** | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 74 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | **26.0** | 26.1 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Mark Webb](https://appshunter.io/developer/1331970256) | [Danny Hollek](https://appshunter.io/developer/1853824340) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### Explain The Card

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/explain-the-card-mtg/id6779667101)

This app helps Magic: The Gathering players build decks using AI, understand card rules, and analyze card interactions. It offers features like camera scanning for card information and offline access to game rules.

**Highlights:** AI-powered Commander deck building, Camera scanning for card information, Plain-English card explanations, Two-card interaction analysis, Offline access to game rules, Deck management and editing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| 50 Credits | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MTG Compendium free?

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

### Is Explain The Card free?

Explain The Card is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do MTG Compendium or Explain The Card have ads?

Explain The Card shows ads; MTG Compendium does not.

### Which is updated more often, MTG Compendium or Explain The Card?

MTG Compendium ships an update weekly, and Explain The Card every 4 days. Most recently, MTG Compendium was updated on October 17, 2026 and Explain The Card on October 8, 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.*