Comparison

MTG Match Lite Life Counter vs Gauntlet

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MTG Match Lite Life Counter

This app helps Magic the Gathering players track game statistics like life totals, poison counters, and commander damage. It includes a round timer, match log, and win/loss counter. Users can also archive past matches and follow friends' games via a newsfeed.

Highlights
  • Life, poison, and commander damage tracking
  • Round timer with turn tracking after expiry
  • Detailed match log of all changes
  • Win/loss counter per round
  • Match archive for past games
  • Newsfeed to follow friends' matches
Read full description

MTG Match Lite is a free app that keep track of all your information during a match of Magic the Gathering(TM). Has a life counter, a round timer (and turns after time expires), a match log to keep track of all changes, and a win/loss counter. It also keeps a match log archive so you can look back on past matches. And you can also sign up for a newsfeed account and keep track of your buddies’ matches. Features: - Swipe up/down to change values, or use +/- buttons - Match log keeps track of every change throughout a match - Round timer that tracks turns after timer expires - Tracks wins and losses per round - Match archive allows you to lookup old matches - Newsfeed allows you to keep track of your buddies’ matches

About

Gauntlet

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
Read full description

Gauntlet is the most feature packed Magic: The Gathering utility app available. It’s a life tracker, deck builder and record keeper of your games. THE BEST LIFE TRACKER: • Select your deck and the decks your opponents are playing. Player tiles will be updated with the cover art of each deck. • Save the results when the game is over. Select a winner, and each player will have their career and deck stats updated immediately. • Full support for up to 6 players with custom life totals, and a turn randomizer to determine who plays first. • Other features include 21 unique tile colours, 15 unique counters, rolling D6, and a game timer. THE BEST MOBILE DECK BUILDER: • Brew on the go or import your decks from other deck building sites. • Customize your deck with art from any card in the multiverse. • Pick a format and your deck screen adapts to show things like your commander or your signature spell. • Bling out the cards in your deck with foils. • Shuffle up and draw an opening 7 with a powerful hand simulator. • Stay ahead of your competition with deck list data. View your mana curve, pip breakdown, and more. • Export your deck lists as text, or share a link to your profile on social media. • Keep your decks organized with folders, and sort them by name, games played, wins, and format. YOUR GAME HISTORY IN DETAIL: • Every game is saved making it easy to go through previous games and see who played, who won, and which decks came to battle. • Track wins and losses for each deck, and see how your career wins and losses change over time. • Follow your friends to stay up-to-date with their latest brews, deck performance, and game history.

Screenshots

MTG Match Lite Life Counter4 screens
Gauntlet4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Gauntlet at 4.9 against MTG Match Lite Life Counter's 3.0. Gauntlet also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 12 months). MTG Match Lite Life Counter's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 83%). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Gauntlet holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gauntlet has 299 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of MTG Match Lite Life Counter's written reviews are positive against 83% of Gauntlet's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MTG Match Lite Life Counter ships an update every 12 months, Gauntlet weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
MTG Match Lite Life Counter versus Gauntlet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMTG Match Lite Life CounterGauntlet
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (7 ratings)4.9 (299 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better83.3% of reviews
Number of ratings7299 — better
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrady Software LLCScott Campbell

Customer experience

MTG Match Lite Life Counter

All ratings7 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Gauntlet

All ratings299 ratings
Positive97.7%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative10.0%

Bugs and requests

MTG Match Lite Life Counter

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Gauntlet

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

19 requests
  • Scan cars to make adding decks easier
  • More precise search engine
  • Faster card loading times
  • Display card prices
  • Scan cards in deck building
Show 14 more
  • Add Android support
  • Add tournament bracket functionality
  • Deeper stat tracking
  • Leave notes about each deck
  • Leave notes about individual cards
  • In-app purchases for donations
  • Add play test cards
  • Better layout for exporting decks to text
  • Feature to track win/loss ratios without starting a game
  • Option for locking board scrolling
  • Android release (mentioned as desired)
  • Manual change of player names when playing 'against yourself'
  • Add friends who don’t use the app to games
  • Add full deck lists

In-app purchases

None

MTG Match Lite Life Counter

No in-app purchases

None

Gauntlet

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MTG Match Lite Life Counter free?
MTG Match Lite Life Counter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gauntlet free?
Gauntlet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MTG Match Lite Life Counter or Gauntlet?
Gauntlet is rated higher. MTG Match Lite Life Counter averages 3.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Gauntlet averages 4.9 from 299 ratings.
Do MTG Match Lite Life Counter or Gauntlet have ads?
MTG Match Lite Life Counter shows ads; Gauntlet does not.
Which is updated more often, MTG Match Lite Life Counter or Gauntlet?
MTG Match Lite Life Counter ships an update every 12 months, and Gauntlet weekly. Most recently, MTG Match Lite Life Counter was updated on September 7, 2026 and Gauntlet on September 10, 2026.

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