# MTG Trades vs MTG Builder

The clearest difference is rating: MTG Trades at 4.6 against MTG Builder's 3.2. MTG Trades also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). MTG Builder's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MTG Trades sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and MTG Builder sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MTG Trades holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MTG Trades has 1.1K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of MTG Trades's written reviews are positive against 67% of MTG Builder's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MTG Trades | MTG Builder |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-trades/id736701892/reviews)** | [3.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-builder/id1486535102/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 61.2% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 54 MB | 254 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Michael Wybrow](https://appshunter.io/developer/366746485) | [Yuki Abe](https://appshunter.io/developer/1486535101) |

## 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


### MTG Builder

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-builder/id1486535102)

This app helps Magic: The Gathering players manage their decks. It offers card searching, deck building, and export options for popular platforms like MTG Arena. Share your deck lists and registration sheets with friends or use them for tournaments.

**Highlights:** Card search by multiple parameters, Deck management and editing, MTG Arena deck list export, Tournament deck registration sheet output, Card image download, Multi-language support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MTG Builder Pro | $2.49 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MTG Trades free?

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

### Is MTG Builder free?

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

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

MTG Trades is rated higher. MTG Trades averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while MTG Builder averages 3.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do MTG Trades or MTG Builder have ads?

MTG Builder shows ads; MTG Trades does not.

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

MTG Trades ships an update every 2 months, and MTG Builder every 2 months. Most recently, MTG Trades was updated on October 13, 2026 and MTG Builder on October 5, 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.*