# MTG Trades vs Gauntlet

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gauntlet at none against MTG Trades's 2. Gauntlet also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (83% vs 60%). MTG Trades's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 309). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MTG Trades sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Gauntlet asks for nothing beyond the download.

Gauntlet holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 309 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of MTG Trades's written reviews are positive against 83% of Gauntlet's.

MTG Trades ships an update every 2 months, Gauntlet weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MTG Trades | Gauntlet |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-trades/id736701892/reviews) | **[4.9 (309 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gauntlet-mtg-tracker/id1466578932/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 309 |
| Positive reviews | 60.2% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 54 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Michael Wybrow](https://appshunter.io/developer/366746485) | [Scott Campbell](https://appshunter.io/developer/1266366249) |

## What reviewers say

### MTG Trades

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-trades/id736701892)

Manage your Magic: The Gathering card collection and trades with real-time pricing data. Evaluate trades, track loaned or borrowed cards, and maintain watchlists of desired cards. Access a comprehensive database with offline capabilities.

**Highlights:** Card price lookup by expansion/name, Trade evaluation, Trade history, Watchlist of wanted cards, Loan/borrow tracking, Offline database access, Foil and non-foil pricing

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $6.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and reliable updates
- 👍 Comprehensive card database
- 📊 Excellent trade tracking features
- 💰 Accurate and up-to-date pricing
- 🗂️ Useful want lists and collection management

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🕰️ Slow to add new cards and sets
- 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
- 💳 Subscription model concerns
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when deleting cards from lists
- MKM card images not loading properly
- Incorrect pricing for some promo and special cards

**Requested features**

- Integrate with deck building and collection management
- Add more advanced search and filtering capabilities
- Implement market pricing options for trades
- Improve basic lands and foil card handling
- Provide more detailed price history and trending data


### Gauntlet

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gauntlet-mtg-tracker/id1466578932)

This app helps Magic: The Gathering players track game lives, build and customize decks, and record game history. It offers detailed stats for players and decks, supports multiple players, and includes a powerful hand simulator.

**Highlights:** Life tracking for up to 6 players, Deck building and importing, Game history and stats, Hand simulator, Deck customization with card art, Deck organization with folders

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great deck builder
- 👍 Excellent life tracker
- 👍 Covers player profiles and match records
- 👍 Useful for tracking win/loss records
- 👍 Good for looking at card collections

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Search engine requires precise typing
- 🐛 General load time for cards is slow
- 🐛 Scrolling on the board can be annoying
- 🐛 App appears small on iPad Pro
- 🐛 Does not track win-rate for non-primary deck in matches

**Reported bugs**

- Developers have seemingly given up (according to one review)
- App ruined for jailbroken phones (iOS 14 and up)
- Board scrolls every time life or counters are moved
- Does not track win-rate for the deck not shown as primary in a match
- App is very small on iPad Pro

**Requested features**

- Scan cars to make adding decks easier
- More precise search engine
- Faster card loading times
- Display card prices
- Scan cards in deck building


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MTG Trades free?

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

### Is Gauntlet free?

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

### Which has better reviews, MTG Trades or Gauntlet?

Gauntlet is rated higher. MTG Trades averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Gauntlet averages 4.9 from 309 ratings.

### Do MTG Trades or Gauntlet have ads?

Neither MTG Trades nor Gauntlet shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MTG Trades or Gauntlet?

MTG Trades ships an update every 2 months, and Gauntlet weekly. Most recently, MTG Trades was updated on November 1, 2026 and Gauntlet on November 3, 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.*