Comparison

TCG Archivist vs ManaDecks

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Digitize card collection
  • Scan cards instantly
  • Track card values
  • Locate cards in storage
  • Manage entire collection
  • Accessible anywhere
Features
Read full description

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/

About

ManaDecks

Features
Read full description

ManaDecks is a deck builder for competitive Magic The Gathering players who need their sideboard plans ready before every match. Building a list is only half the work. Winning also depends on knowing which cards to bring in and take out against each opponent. ManaDecks keeps those plans in one place, so preparation is straightforward. Everything starts with your decklist. You can create unlimited decks across the formats you play and save multiple versions as a list changes. Each deck keeps its own result history, so you can see whether recent changes are working. Sideboard guides are the core of the app. For any matchup you can choose which cards come in and which go out. Keep separate plans for playing first or second, preview the resulting decklist before saving, or store several plans for the same matchup as the meta shifts. You can also write a deck primer covering strategy, mulligans, and key interactions. Match results are tracked so you can measure performance over time. For competitive preparation, ManaDecks offers a look at the current metagame, including tournament decklists, results, and the archetypes showing up in supported formats. Players preparing for Friday Night Magic, RCQs, regional events, leagues, or larger tournaments keep their preparation and results in one place.

Screenshots

TCG Archivist4 screens
ManaDecks4 screens

Verdict

The call

TCG Archivist and ManaDecks are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. TCG Archivist sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month and ManaDecks sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
TCG Archivist versus ManaDecks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTCG ArchivistManaDecks
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (36 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings36 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size503 MB34 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperTCG Archivist LLCFredrik Bjurhager

In-app purchases

1 purchases

TCG Archivist

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Sub$4.991 Month
2 purchases

ManaDecks

Subscriptions2
  • Plus$1.991 Month
  • Premium$4.991 Month

Questions

Is TCG Archivist free?
TCG Archivist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ManaDecks free?
ManaDecks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TCG Archivist or ManaDecks have ads?
Neither TCG Archivist nor ManaDecks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TCG Archivist or ManaDecks?
TCG Archivist ships an update every 10 days, and ManaDecks every 10 days. Most recently, TCG Archivist was updated on October 12, 2026 and ManaDecks on October 21, 2026.

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