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

Magic vs Hearthstone

Magic 4.6★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Magic
Hearthstone 4.1★ · Free + IAP 40

Magic (APP A) is the better choice for new players and those seeking a deep, strategic card game, despite its technical issues, while Hearthstone (APP B) is plagued by frequent crashes that make it nearly unplayable for many.

Full reviews: Magic · Hearthstone

Magic: The Gathering Arena offers a deep and engaging card game experience, praised for its strategic depth and suitability for newcomers, though it suffers from significant technical issues like crashes and slow performance. Hearthstone, while historically popular, is currently facing widespread complaints about constant crashes and disconnections, severely hindering its playability for many users.

Head to head

Gameplay & Depth edge: MagicR13R15R17R31
Magic Magic is lauded for its deep strategies, extensive card pool, and engaging deck construction, making it highly addictive and enjoyable for long-term players R13R17. It's also considered excellent for new players learning the game, offering easy-to-understand mechanics and deck-building assistance R15R31R35.
Hearthstone Hearthstone is described as fun, fast-paced, and addictive, with many long-time players enjoying its various modes like Battlegrounds . However, some users feel it has become too luck-based, lacking strategic depth, and that the meta can be stale .
Reliability & Performance tieR1R3R6R7
Magic Magic is heavily criticized for frequent crashes, freezing, and connectivity issues, especially after updates, making the game unplayable for many R1R3R6R7. Users also report slow server calls and constant, large content downloads R9.
Hearthstone Hearthstone is experiencing severe and widespread issues with constant crashing, disconnections, and freezing, particularly after recent updates, rendering it unplayable for a significant portion of its mobile user base R51R53R55R56. Some users, however, report no issues .
User Experience & Features tieR5R9R11R14
Magic Magic's UI is generally praised as clean and smooth, handling complex gameplay well . However, users frequently request a mutual skip option for long chain reactions to prevent timeouts R5R11. There are also complaints about forced content downloads R9 and issues with account creation R14.
Hearthstone Hearthstone users enjoy the game's overall experience, but some find the frequent updates disruptive . There are requests for an option to skip animations and for story mode to be playable offline . Some iPhone Mini users struggle with small text size .
Monetization & Value tieR3R10R16R20
Magic Magic is frequently accused of being 'pay-to-win' (P2W), with claims that matchmaking is rigged against non-paying players and that spending money is necessary to succeed R3R10R16R20. Some users feel the game's economy is designed to waste in-game currency R28. However, one review states that getting cards without micro-transactions is balanced .
Hearthstone Hearthstone is also criticized as 'pay-to-play' or 'pay-to-win', especially for competitive modes like Battlegrounds where character choices can be paywalled . Some feel it encourages gambling and that the meta is designed to push spending . Conversely, some players enjoy it as a free-to-play game, acknowledging the need to grind for good cards .
Support & Communication tieR26R28R49R77
Magic Magic's support is described as unhelpful, with users reporting suspended accounts without reason and ignored support requests R26R49. There are also complaints about poor communication regarding event timelines R28.
Hearthstone Hearthstone's support is also criticized as non-existent, with users being told to post issues on forums instead of receiving direct help . There is no in-app option to report crashes R77.
Pick Magic if

Pick Magic if you are a fan of the Magic: The Gathering franchise, enjoy deep strategic gameplay with extensive deck-building options, or are a new player looking for a good way to learn the game R13R15R17R31.

Pick Hearthstone if

Pick Hearthstone if you are a long-time player who enjoys its specific game modes like Battlegrounds and have not personally experienced the widespread crashing issues reported by many users .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of recent negative reviews, primarily concerning technical issues like crashes and performance. While Magic's issues are notable, Hearthstone's recent reviews indicate a more severe and widespread problem with the app being unplayable for many, despite some users reporting no issues. The 'pay-to-win' accusations are prevalent for both, suggesting a common monetization strategy in the genre rather than a unique flaw in either app.

Frequently asked

Is Magic: The Gathering Arena good for new players?
Yes, Magic: The Gathering Arena is considered brilliant for new starters to MTG, making it easy to learn quickly and even helping with potential decks and styles R15R31R35.
Why is Hearthstone getting bad reviews recently?
Hearthstone is receiving many negative reviews recently due to constant crashing, disconnections, and freezing issues, especially after updates, which makes the game unplayable for many users on mobile devices R51R53R55R56.
Are both games pay-to-win?
Both Magic: The Gathering Arena and Hearthstone face accusations of being 'pay-to-win' (P2W) from users, with claims that spending money significantly improves chances of success in competitive play R3R10R22R44.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 110 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. [R13] Magic 5/5 · GB My favourite game by far: Plenty of Cards, plenty of strategies. Looks great.
  2. [R15] Magic 5/5 · GB Great for newbies or learning the game: The game is brilliant for new starters to MTG. I’m recently getting back into it, and a little slow on things. But this app makes it so easy to learn quick, and makes it so fun. It can even help you with potential decks and style!
  3. [R17] Magic 5/5 · GB I play nothing else on my phone: Fantastically addictive fun on the surface, but the more you play you realise how much depth there is, to playing and constructing your own decks. Artwork is phenomenal. Anyone who enjoys Fantasy and Science Fiction will love MTG ARENA
  4. [R31] Magic 5/5 · GB Like the real thing: I like ke this because it also teaches you the game and makes it easy to collect and learn the rules
  5. [R1] Magic 1/5 · GB Fantastic game, but development has made it unplayable: The game is great, but what the development team are doing behind the scenes is affecting the game so much making it unplayable!! Such a shame. Wizards of the coast seriously need to sort this out. I’ve been playing a mainly unchanged deck for about a year, but now the shuffle is so bad it’s becoming unplayable! I either get 1 or no mana for
  6. [R3] Magic 3/5 · GB Okay: Pretty much a P2W, match making is random, very buggy last update means I can’t get past the home page without it freezing.. some of the mechanics are outdated
  7. [R6] Magic 3/5 · GB Game crashing: Since the latest update my game keeps crashing every time I start to load up main screen.
  8. [R7] Magic 2/5 · GB It crashes so often.: Ignoring the fact that the formats are designed to make playing very difficult for newcomers as the draft modes require payment of in-game currency, the app crashes very often. Which is especially annoying when you have paid in-game currency to enter an event.
  9. [R5] Magic 4/5 · GB Chain reaction: The only down side to this app is the chain reactions there is no way to skip them amd it uses your time outs if they are longer chains and you can win or lose from being timed out apart from that it’s good
  10. [R9] Magic 3/5 · GB Downloads: I dislike the constant content downloads that require you to keep the app open and be on the screen the whole time of the update that can take up to an hour of sitting there doing nothing
  11. [R11] Magic 5/5 · GB My favorite online game: I love MTG; but please a mutual skip option for your fix failures in repetition, repetition, repetition of faulty actions
  12. [R14] Magic 1/5 · GB Requires all your details to play: Need to give your email and other personal information before beginning the game
  13. [R10] Magic 1/5 · GB MTGA is RIGGED: Avoid at all costs. The F2F game is fine, yes luck plays its part but the more you play and the better player you are the less influence luck has, just like backgammon for example. But MTGA you better spend a lot of money because if you don’t you will not do well regardless of skill level.
  14. [R16] Magic 1/5 · GB Rigged Hands: The game is good, the only thing which is of major concern is that after you play for a while you get to understand that all hands are rigged to meet their 50% win-loss ratio. What is the point of playing a rigged card game.
  15. [R20] Magic 1/5 · GB WTF: I had a lot of hopes for this game. They have been quickly eradicated. I am a novice player. I have little experience playing yet I am continually matched against players with superior decks and experience. I can’t play long enough to gain any experience and I’m not a masochist so I won’t be playing this game any longer. Some kind of power rating pertaining to deck configurations and “level
  16. [R26] Magic 1/5 · GB Very poor: Your accounts get suspended for no reason, when u try to ask support for help, you do not get any help whatsoever. I have personally lost money to this system.
  17. [R28] Magic 1/5 · GB Draft events now end with no warning: MTG Arena Have always been really poor at communicating the timelines of their events but have somehow taken this to new levels by removing the countdown clock when an event will expire. So, you can start an event without any guidance on the site of when it will finish, even if it will finish within the same day. Feels like a deeply unnecessary move to waste u
  18. [R49] Magic 1/5 · GB Scammers: I entered a win a box arena direct and won but they have not contacted me since the 13th of August. Any support request I cut they just close without replying even.
  19. [R77] Hearthstone 3/5 · GB Great game but crashes: Love, love, love the game. BUT it constantly crashes and often during matches, which impacts my game. There is no where to report it on the app. FIX THIS!
  20. [R35] Magic 5/5 · GB Amazing tutorial!!!!!: I just hope I can change my avatar to Aang
  21. [R51] Hearthstone 2/5 · GB Could open the game on iPad: It happens quite often, specially after an update
  22. [R53] Hearthstone 3/5 · GB Irritatingly good: I love the game but I’m lucky if I can get through a full game without the game disconnecting less than 4 times. It needs to be sorted because it would easily be 5*
  23. [R55] Hearthstone 4/5 · GB Problems!: I love the game!! I’ve been playing many years now. But I don’t know why, the last weeks after the actualisation every 3/5 minutes it kick me out from the app and i have to get in again, please, solve the problem! Thanks! That was before, now the same but not that often….
  24. [R56] Hearthstone 3/5 · GB FIX THE SERVERS: Best mobile game of all time apparent from when it crashes. Especially battlegrounds. FIX IT
  25. [R22] Magic 1/5 · GB Pay to win: This game used to be fantastic but it has progressively gone down the toilet. Whatever they have done with match making has made it so you are set up to lose 9 times out of 10. Every deck I have tried in the last 4/5 months I will automatically be pared against someone that has the perfect counter setup to counter the deck. I notice I only get easier match ups when I spend money on the
  26. [R44] Magic 2/5 · GB 80/20 P2W Mythic Legendary Gold Visa Card trumps!: TLDR drawing out your Mythical, Legendary Gold VISA card from your “deck” every month is what this “competitive” game is all about, or maybe, consider the possibility of just making your own paper proxy deck and play at your local paper card proxy deck clan. Calling it 100% p2w is wrong and I stand corrected as the tutorial is 100% f2p friendly

Synthesized from 110 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store