# Contested vs Bracket Maker

The clearest difference is ads: Contested at none against Bracket Maker's shown. Contested also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days). Bracket Maker's advantage is iOS requirement (18.2 vs 26.2). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Contested sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Bracket Maker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Contested ships an update every 3 days, Bracket Maker every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Contested | Bracket Maker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.8 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bracket-maker-tournament-pad/id6806978273/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **14** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 5 MB | 84 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.2 | **18.2** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pawel Pyrz-Brown](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896611246) | [Yvgen Troshchiy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1763493458) |

## What reviewers say

### Contested

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/contested-tournament-brackets/id6793043515)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Contested Pro Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Contested Pro Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Contested Lifetime Unlock | $99.99 | one-time |


### Bracket Maker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bracket-maker-tournament-pad/id6806978273)

Easily create and manage tournaments with various formats like single elimination, round robin, and Swiss. Track scores, seed players, and export brackets as images or PDFs. Offers a free score counter for casual games.

**Highlights:** Multiple tournament formats, Customizable player seeding, Score recording and tracking, Bracket export (image/PDF), Offline functionality, Free score counter

**Features:** Family Sharing, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Tournament Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Contested free?

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

### Is Bracket Maker free?

Bracket Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Contested or Bracket Maker have ads?

Bracket Maker shows ads; Contested does not.

### Which is updated more often, Contested or Bracket Maker?

Contested ships an update every 3 days, and Bracket Maker every 9 days. Most recently, Contested was updated on October 25, 2026 and Bracket Maker on November 6, 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.*