# Brackets vs Bracket Maker

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Brackets at none against Bracket Maker's 3. Brackets also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Bracket Maker's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (8 vs 2). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bracket Maker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Brackets asks for nothing beyond the download.

Brackets holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 8 respectively.

Brackets ships an update monthly, Bracket Maker every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brackets | Bracket Maker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brackets-tournament-maker/id6806341669/reviews)** | [4.6 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bracket-maker-tournament-pad/id6806978273/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **8** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 2 MB | 84 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Aryaman Sharda](https://appshunter.io/developer/651900313) | [Yvgen Troshchiy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1763493458) |

## What reviewers say

### Brackets

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brackets-tournament-maker/id6806341669)

Easily create and manage various tournament formats, including single elimination, double elimination, and round robin. This app handles player additions, seeding, byes, and matchups automatically, allowing for real-time updates and sharing of results.

**Highlights:** Create single elimination tournaments, Create double elimination tournaments, Create round robin tournaments, Automatic seeding and byes, Real-time score updates, Export brackets as image or PDF, Works offline

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Bracket Maker

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

Easily create and manage private tournaments for various sports and games. Supports multiple formats like Swiss, single/double elimination, and round robin. Works offline and exports brackets as images or PDFs.

**Highlights:** Multiple tournament formats (Swiss, elimination, round robin), Offline functionality, Private by design, no account needed, Supports 2-256 participants, Export brackets as image or PDF, Undo/redo match results, Customizable appearance (light/dark mode)

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Tournament Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brackets free?

Brackets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Bracket Maker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Brackets or Bracket Maker?

Brackets is rated higher. Brackets averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Bracket Maker averages 4.6 from 8 ratings.

### Do Brackets or Bracket Maker have ads?

Bracket Maker shows ads; Brackets does not.

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

Brackets ships an update monthly, and Bracket Maker every 8 days. Most recently, Brackets was updated on October 24, 2026 and Bracket Maker on October 25, 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.*