TCG Archivist vs On Deck by MDC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TCG Archivist
Digitize and manage your Magic: The Gathering card collection effortlessly. Scan cards instantly, track their values, and locate any card in your storage. Keep your entire collection accessible anywhere.
- Digitize card collection
- Scan cards instantly
- Track card values
- Locate cards in storage
- Manage entire collection
- Accessible anywhere
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TCG Archivist is the ultimate collection management tool for Magic: The Gathering players. We believe sorting your collection is the wrong approach. Sorting is time consuming, impossible to maintain, and never actually gives you a clear picture of what you own. TCG Archivist is built around a better system. One that the world's most efficient warehouses and retailers have used for decades. Scan your cards into labeled storage locations. No sorting required. When you need a card search the app, find the location, and have it in your hand in under a minute. Your entire collection becomes fully searchable, filterable, and always up to date. Know exactly what you own. Track your collection value in real time. Build decks from cards you actually have. Find any card in seconds. For players with larger collections the CSC100 hardware scanner makes building your digital catalog dramatically faster, but any camera will get you started today. Your collection. Always searchable. Always in reach. Terms of Use : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
On Deck by MDC
Organize, track, and manage your trading card collection from anywhere. Features include inventory management, collection organization, and detailed card information. Sync your data across devices for seamless access.
- Inventory management
- Collection organization
- Card details and grading
- Pricing and tracking
- Fast search and filtering
- Cloud sync
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On Deck by MDC is an inventory, sales, and show-prep platform built for trading card collectors, vendors, and hobby sellers. Manage raw cards and graded slabs, organize collections, track cost and market value, prepare inventory for shows, build trades and bundles, and keep sold cards organized — all from one connected inventory. Whether you collect, sell locally, vend at card shows, or sell online, On Deck gives you a faster way to manage your cards without relying on spreadsheets. FEATURES • RAW & GRADED INVENTORY Track raw cards and graded slabs with card details, cost, market value, grading information, certification numbers, and collection data. • COLLECTION MANAGEMENT Create and organize collections while keeping your inventory searchable and easy to manage. • ON DECK SHOW PREP Move cards into your active selling lineup and quickly access the inventory you plan to bring to a show. • VENDOR MODE Prepare cards for in-person selling, manage show inventory, view pricing targets, and use customizable QR price labels. • TRADE & BUNDLE TOOLS Build multi-card deals and trades while viewing individual and combined market values. • PRIVATE SALES Create a shareable sales catalog from your inventory, add card images, receive buyer inquiries, and manage potential deals. • EBAY MODE Estimate selling fees, shipping costs, and expected take-home amounts before listing or accepting an offer. • COST & MARKET TRACKING Compare what you paid against current market values so you can better understand inventory value and margins. • SOLD CARD TRACKING Record sales while keeping transaction information connected to your inventory history. • FAST SEARCH & FILTERING Quickly find cards across your inventory and collections. • QR & CAMERA WORKFLOWS Use scanning tools to speed up inventory management and card access. • CLOUD SYNC Your inventory is connected to your account and available across supported devices. On Deck by MDC was built around the actual workflow of collectors and card sellers — from adding a card to inventory to preparing for a show, making a trade, or completing a sale. Spend less time managing spreadsheets and more time working with your collection.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: On Deck by MDC at 5.0 against TCG Archivist's 4.2. On Deck by MDC also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). TCG Archivist's advantage is ratings volume (46 vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. TCG Archivist sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. On Deck by MDC asks for nothing beyond the download.
On Deck by MDC holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TCG Archivist has 46 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
TCG Archivist ships an update every 10 days, On Deck by MDC every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TCG Archivist | On Deck by MDC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (46 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 46 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 486 MB | 51 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TCG Archivist LLC | Carlos Villegas |
Customer experience
TCG Archivist
On Deck by MDC
In-app purchases
TCG Archivist
- Monthly Sub$4.991 Month
On Deck by MDC
No in-app purchases









