There is no single "best" MTG app — it depends on what you need. This is an honest overview of the most useful apps for life counting, league management, deck building, and collection tracking.
Last updated: October 2026We built Castlog, so we are biased — but we will be upfront about what Castlog does well, where other apps are stronger, and where there are genuine gaps. Every app listed here is one we have used or evaluated firsthand.
A good MTG life counter needs to handle Commander pods (4+ players), track commander damage, and stay out of the way during gameplay.
Fullscreen life counter for up to 6 players with commander damage matrix, poison, monarch, and 10+ counter types. Device sync via QR code. The key differentiator: every life counter session auto-saves as a match in your stats — feeding into win rates, analytics, and league standings. If you are looking for the best life tracker app for MTG that also tracks long-term performance, Castlog is built for exactly that.
Best for: Players who want their life counter games to count toward long-term stats and leagues.
Clean, minimal life counter focused purely on the counting experience. Fast to launch, supports multiple players, and tracks commander damage. No account required.
Best for: Players who want a quick, no-frills life counter without account setup.
Popular life counter app with a polished UI, commander damage tracking, and support for various player counts. Free with optional premium features.
Best for: Players looking for a well-designed standalone life counter.
The official companion app from Wizards. Includes a life counter, tournament features for sanctioned events, and card scanning. Required for some organized play events.
Best for: Players attending official Wizards-sanctioned tournaments (FNM, Prereleases).
Running a recurring MTG league — especially for Commander — requires tracking standings, scoring, and player progress over a season. This is a less crowded category.
The only dedicated MTG league builder we know of. 8 modular systems: ELO, points, EP & levels, skill trees, budget rules, deck restrictions, quests, and achievements. Designed for Commander playgroups but supports all formats. Free tier covers basic ELO/point leagues.
Best for: Playgroups and game stores running Commander leagues with custom scoring or RPG elements.
Handles pairings and standings for official Wizards events. Not designed for custom recurring leagues, but the go-to for sanctioned tournament play at your LGS.
Best for: Official sanctioned events (FNM, Store Championships).
Many playgroups still use Google Sheets or custom Discord bots. Fully flexible but labor-intensive — someone has to maintain formulas and enter data manually.
Best for: Groups with very specific rules that no app covers, and a willing spreadsheet admin.
Deck builders are where you construct, share, and refine decklists. Castlog does not compete here — it imports decks from these tools.
The most popular deck builder in the Commander community. Excellent search, drag-and-drop editing, price tracking, and a large sharing community. Castlog imports directly from Moxfield URLs.
Best for: Building and sharing Commander decklists.
Full-featured deck builder with visual deck editing, tag-based organization, and price data. Strong alternative to Moxfield. Castlog imports from Archidekt as well.
Best for: Players who prefer visual deck editing and category-based organization.
For tracking which physical cards you own, their value, and trade status. Castlog does not include collection tracking.
Scan physical cards with your phone camera to catalog your collection. Delver Lens focuses on collection management; TCGplayer combines it with a marketplace.
Best for: Cataloging a physical collection and tracking total value.
Not a collection tracker per se, but the definitive MTG card database. Advanced search syntax, every printing, every price. An essential reference tool for any MTG player.
Best for: Looking up card details, rulings, printings, and prices.
Most active MTG players end up using 2–3 apps together. A common combination:
If you mostly play Commander at a kitchen table or LGS and want your games to mean something over time — win rates, matchup data, league standings — give Castlog a try. The core features are free.
Life counter, match tracking, leagues, and analytics — free to start.
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