# Brackets vs Bracket Pad

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Brackets at none against Bracket Pad's 3. Brackets also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Bracket Pad's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (6 vs 2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bracket Pad 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 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 6 respectively.

Brackets ships an update monthly, Bracket Pad every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brackets | Bracket Pad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brackets-tournament-maker/id6806341669/reviews)** | [4.7 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bracket-pad-tournament-maker/id6806978273/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **6** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 2 MB | 71 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 Pad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bracket-pad-tournament-maker/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 Pad free?

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

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

Brackets is rated higher. Brackets averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Bracket Pad averages 4.7 from 6 ratings.

### Do Brackets or Bracket Pad have ads?

Neither Brackets nor Bracket Pad shows ads.

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

Brackets ships an update monthly, and Bracket Pad every 10 days. Most recently, Brackets was updated on October 22, 2026 and Bracket Pad on October 17, 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.*