# MTG Trades vs MTG Compendium

The clearest difference is rating: MTG Trades at 4.6 against MTG Compendium's 3.0. MTG Trades also leads on monetization model (free vs freemium) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 4). MTG Compendium's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and MTG Compendium sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MTG Trades has 1.1K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of MTG Trades's written reviews are positive against 50% of MTG Compendium's.

MTG Trades ships an update every 2 months, MTG Compendium weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MTG Trades | MTG Compendium |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-trades/id736701892/reviews)** | [3.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-compendium-deck-builder/id6746125584/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **61.6% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 54 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Michael Wybrow](https://appshunter.io/developer/366746485) | [Mark Webb](https://appshunter.io/developer/1331970256) |

## 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 Compendium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mtg-compendium-deck-builder/id6746125584)

This app is a comprehensive companion for Magic: The Gathering players. It allows you to scan and collect cards, build and analyze decks with detailed statistics, track your game history, and get personalized advice from an AI deck coach. It also provides tools for exploring game sets and preconstructed decks.

**Highlights:** Card scanning and collection management, Advanced deck building and analysis, Life counter and game log, AI-powered deck advice and insights, Price tracking and history, Set exploration and deck comparison

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Evals and Chat | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual Pro Subscription | $34.99 | per year |
| Compendium 3 Deck Evaluations | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MTG Trades free?

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

### Is MTG Compendium free?

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

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

MTG Trades is rated higher. MTG Trades averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while MTG Compendium averages 3.0 from 4 ratings.

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

Neither MTG Trades nor MTG Compendium shows ads.

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

MTG Trades ships an update every 2 months, and MTG Compendium weekly. Most recently, MTG Trades was updated on September 21, 2026 and MTG Compendium on September 13, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*