Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Magic vs Hearthstone

Magic 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Magic
Hearthstone 4.1★ · Free + IAP 40

Hearthstone offers a more engaging core game experience, but its severe and widespread crashing issues on mobile make Magic a more reliable choice for event participation and basic utility, despite its own search functionality problems.

Full reviews: Magic · Hearthstone

Magic, with a lifetime rating of 4.69, is primarily a companion app for the physical card game, offering event registration and card search, though recent updates have negatively impacted its search features and login stability. Hearthstone, rated 4.15, is a digital-first card game praised for its gameplay and various modes, but it is currently plagued by critical, widespread crashing issues on iOS devices that render it unplayable for many users.

Head to head

Features edge: HearthstoneR2R6R9R11
Magic Magic users appreciate the app for tracking games, joining local events, and deck building, but many are frustrated by recent updates that removed or worsened advanced card search functionalities, making it less useful for detailed card lookup R2R6R9R12. Some also desire more comprehensive tournament features R11.
Hearthstone Hearthstone offers multiple fun game modes, including Battlegrounds, which is highly praised and considered fair and not pay-to-win by some . However, some users criticize the main game for increasing pay-to-win mechanics and power creep .
Ease of Use edge: MagicR3R8R10R12
Magic Magic's navigation is described as clunky and unintuitive R10. Users report issues with the event locator not showing results initially R3 and frequent redirects to websites R8. The recent changes to advanced search have made it less user-friendly and harder to narrow down searches R12R15R38.
Hearthstone Hearthstone's core gameplay is generally considered fun and engaging , but the mobile app's severe instability makes it extremely difficult to play. Users report constant crashes, disconnects, and the need to frequently restart the game, often losing turns or matches R51R53R56R60.
Reliability edge: MagicR1R4R7R13
Magic Magic users frequently report critical login issues, with many unable to access the app despite correct credentials and password resets R1R7R13. The app also experiences crashes R4, loading loops , and issues with the event locator .
Hearthstone Hearthstone suffers from severe and widespread reliability problems, particularly on iOS devices. Users consistently report the game crashing every few minutes or even every turn, making it unplayable R51R53R56R57. Connection issues and shop functionality problems are also noted .
Price/Value tieR14R15R28R38
Magic Magic is free with in-app purchases. Some users mention ads R14 and marketing push notifications even when opted out R28. The app's value is diminished for users who rely on the now-worsened search functions R15R38.
Hearthstone Hearthstone is free with in-app purchases, but many users feel it has become increasingly pay-to-win, especially in standard mode . Some users regret spending money due to the game's unplayability on mobile .
Support edge: MagicR13R49R51R57
Magic Magic users report issues with login problems persisting after updates R13 and a lack of clear ways to report bugs directly to the development team R49.
Hearthstone Hearthstone users express significant frustration with the lack of support and developer response to the widespread crashing issues on iOS, which have persisted for months R51R57. Some report poor customer service experiences when trying to get refunds for purchases on an unplayable client R57.
Pick Magic if

Pick Magic if you need a companion app for physical Magic: The Gathering events, including event registration and life tracking, and are willing to tolerate occasional login issues and a less-than-ideal card search R11.

Pick Hearthstone if

Pick Hearthstone if you are primarily interested in the digital card game experience, especially the Battlegrounds mode, and are playing on a platform other than iOS, or are willing to risk severe crashing issues on iOS for the core gameplay .

Evidence note: Hearthstone's recent reviews are overwhelmingly negative due to critical, widespread crashing issues on iOS, which significantly impacts its overall rating despite many users praising the core game. Magic's negative reviews focus on specific feature degradations and login problems, but not to the extent of rendering the app unplayable for most.

Frequently asked

Is Magic: The Gathering Companion app reliable for events?
Magic's companion app is generally used for tracking games and joining events, with some users having positive experiences with staff and event registration, but it suffers from frequent login issues, crashes, and a problematic event locator that requires re-opening the app R1R3R7R13.
What are the main issues with Hearthstone on mobile?
Hearthstone on mobile, particularly iOS, is currently plagued by severe and widespread crashing issues, with users reporting the game becoming unplayable, crashing every turn or every few minutes, and frequent disconnects R51R53R56R60.
Has Magic's card search functionality changed?
Yes, recent updates to Magic's app have substantially worsened the advanced card search functionality, removing key features like 'or' options, multiple selections, and specific phrasing searches, making it less effective for detailed card lookup R6R9R12R15.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 100 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] Magic 4/5 · US Cards not in the system: Super convenient for deck building but I don’t understand why secret lair cards don’t show up in the database and some of the options in the advanced search don’t yield any results, such as rooms.
  2. [R6] Magic 3/5 · US Restore Card Versions: Why in the world would you make the app have less functionality? I really miss seeing all versions of a card once I have looked it up. Bring that feature back. Also, in advance search allow users to quickly filter out digital only versions.
  3. [R9] Magic 3/5 · US Why: Hey uh I agree with the other person. The old advanced search was better than this new one. Please bring it back. If you do I will edit this review and give 5 stars
  4. [R11] Magic 5/5 · US Good app could be better: I would like to see this app used primarily for all tournaments (big or small) and provide more usability and functionality. Many other tournaments use melee and other apps that are a bit better and more versatile.
  5. [R3] Magic 3/5 · US Issue with locator: Every time I open the app and I go to the locator, nothing appears. I have to close the app and immediately reopen the app, go to the locator, and only then Will shops and events show up. Can you fix this?
  6. [R8] Magic 5/5 · US Messy: Messy layout. Frequent redirects to websites, added to a mail list.. I just want to register for my local game.. why all the trickery?
  7. [R10] Magic 2/5 · US wish is was better: navigation is clunky and unintuitive, frequently lags out loading matches etc. could be great with some focus on the tournament / play features.
  8. [R12] Magic 3/5 · US Please bring back the old advanced search options: I would give five stars but you actually made the advanced search function substantially worse with this new update. I don't understand removing the 'or' option, let alone removing the option to have multiple things selected on any one box. The worst change you made was to the rules text box itself. There are too many card effects in general for u
  9. [R1] Magic 2/5 · US I can’t log in: I’ve been using the app for years but it won’t let me log in now. I deleted and redownloaded the app and it is still broken
  10. [R4] Magic 1/5 · US Recognize Your Union: Wizards companion app is not a great app. Crashes a bit but the real issue is wizards of the coast would rather pay for union busters rather than invest into their work force
  11. [R7] Magic 1/5 · US Can’t Log In: I’m at the Regional Championship attempting to play side events and I cannot log in to the app. When I enter my username and password it very briefly loads and then nothing happens. This app ruined my day.
  12. [R13] Magic 1/5 · US Won’t let me login: I’ll type in my email and password, tap the login button, nothing happens. I’ve reset my password too, nothing changes and I always get the same result. There was supposed to be an update in order to fix it, got the update and nothing happened, login still doesn’t work.
  13. [R14] Magic 4/5 · US Overall good: Good for keeping track of games and events but too many ads
  14. [R15] Magic 3/5 · US New search function is subpar: I used to use this app daily. This recent update to the search functionality removed key features that allowed for custom search options. Now it's super basic and pretty useless. Bring back the custom search parameters.
  15. [R28] Magic 1/5 · US It says you can opt out of marketing: This app keeps sending me marketing push notifications even when I have it turned off. Very unprofessional
  16. [R38] Magic 1/5 · US Used to be great: This used to be my go to card search engine it had all the bells and whistles by being able to type multiple instances of rules text, yes to this one no to this, yes both this and that. I found it a lot more simple to find what I was looking for compared to other engines like scryfall. Their recent updates have ruined the search engine and it no longer does any of this anymore. P
  17. [R49] Magic 2/5 · US Advance Search Issues: App has completely nerfed the ability to use keyword search functions in the card advance search lookup. Additionally, app has literal ads for product but not a single way to report bugs or complaints directly to the development team.
  18. [R51] Hearthstone 1/5 · US Unplayable: The game is great and I love it but I’m giving it a 1 star review because iOS users have reported the game crashing for MONTHS and the support team hasn’t fixed it. It is literally unplayable, it crashes EVERY single game. There are multiple forums reporting it and devs haven’t done anything. Any game with such pathetic support gets a bad review from me.
  19. [R57] Hearthstone 1/5 · US Left broken on mobile a week: I quit the game after the mobile client on older iOS devices was broken for over a week, I messaged Blizzard logs they requested, and they made me jump through hoops to refund a preorder I wouldn’t be able to play. No compensation at all. Awful customer service at every turn.
  20. [R53] Hearthstone 3/5 · US Great game, very buggy: I’ve been playing this game for years, both on pc and mobile. It’s my go-to game. However, the mobile version has become increasingly more buggy with every update- guaranteed to crash at least once a match, if not more. I would give this 5 stars if it was not so buggy now.
  21. [R56] Hearthstone 3/5 · US I have to restart my game after ever turn.: It literally keeps crashing, and saying it’s trying to reconnect, every game, almost every turn. I have removed the app and reinstalled it several times, there is no connectivity issue as far as internet goes, and I have lost ranking increases due to this. Battlegrounds crashes just as much or more. However still a greatly entertaining game experience a
  22. [R60] Hearthstone 1/5 · US Terrible stability: The game itself is fun, but the app has terrible stability. Constant crashes and disconnects make it borderline unplayable

Synthesized from 100 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store