TCGeniusDeck builders and card apps, side by side
TCGenius vs other deck builders and card apps
What the deck builders and card apps people use for Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon and One Piece cost, and what you get for the money. Every price comes from each tool's own website or app-store listing, and where another tool does something better, we say so.
Prices checked on October 10, 2026
What each one costs
The monthly price of each paid plan, and what you get without paying.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Tool | Free version | Paid plans |
|---|---|---|
| TCGeniusYu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, One Piece | ✓YesEvery card, price, ban list and tournament deck; the deck builders; 5 Genny questions a day; 3 price alerts; your collection's value today; 1 duel simulation a day. | Collector: $4.99 a monthor $39 a yearPro: $12.99 a monthor $109 a year |
| YGOPRODeckYu-Gi-Oh! | ✓YesFree to use with ads: card database, deck builder, prices, ban lists and tournament decks. | Premium: €4.99 a monthplus tax; no yearly price listed. Removes ads and adds the Deck Brew Tool (decks that match your collection). |
| Master Duel MetaYu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel | ✓YesFree to browse with ads: tier list, top decks, tournaments and a deck tester. | Meta Pro: $2.40 a monthor $24.00 a year. Paid with PayPal (the yearly plan can also be paid in the site's own coins). Removes ads and adds tournament-only filters and extra customization. |
| DuelingbookYu-Gi-Oh! | ✓YesFree to play in the browser, with ads. | No subscription. Optional donations through PayPal unlock time-limited cosmetic perks; amounts aren't published. |
| Limitless TCGPokémon (plus a One Piece site) | ✓YesThe whole site is free, with ads. | Supporter (Patreon): $2.00 a monthYearly billing is offered at a 25% saving; removes ads. |
| Egman Events deck builderOne Piece, plus Digimon, Gundam, Union Arena and others | ✓YesFree deck builder and card database, with ads. | Small Egg (Patreon): $1.00 a monthOptional; signing in free gives the same perks: 5 cloud deck slots, match history for up to 8 events.Extra-Large Egg (Patreon): $5.00 a monthAd-free, unlimited cloud decks and match history, market trends.Jumbo Egg (Patreon): $10.00 a monthAdds data export and streamer tools. |
| CollectrYu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, One Piece and 20 or so more | ✓YesFree to start, with limited scanning; the free app shows ads. | Collectr PRO: $7.99 a monthor $59.99 a year. Unlimited scanning, full price history, exports. |
| Dragon Shield card manager appsYu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon (one app each) | ✓YesFree to download; Premium is an in-app purchase. | Premium: $3.99 a monthPrice per app. Yearly is listed at both $29.99 and $39.99 in the App Store. |
| TCGplayer appYu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, One Piece and 40 or so more | ✓YesThe app is free: market prices, scanning and collection. It shows ads. | No paid plan in the app. |
What each one does
The features people ask about most. A dash means we couldn't confirm it on that tool's own pages, not that it's missing.
Swipe the table sideways to see every tool.
| Feature | TCGenius | YGOPRODeck | Master Duel Meta | Duelingbook | Limitless TCG | Egman Events deck builder | Collectr | Dragon Shield card manager apps | TCGplayer app |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, One Piece | Yu-Gi-Oh! | Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel | Yu-Gi-Oh! | Pokémon (plus a One Piece site) | One Piece, plus Digimon, Gundam, Union Arena and others | Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, One Piece and 20 or so more | Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon (one app each) | Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, One Piece and 40 or so more |
| Deck builder | ✓YesOne for each game. The rules check (ban lists, copy limits, Pokémon regulation marks, One Piece Leader colors and blocks) is code that runs as you build. Yu-Gi-Oh! decks also get a grade against the tournament meta. | ✓YesShows the deck's price as you build. | ✓YesDeck builder with a draw simulator. | ✓YesDeck Constructor; exports YDK files. | ✓YesDeck Builder (beta) with save, share and playtest. | ✓YesShows bans, copy limits and pair bans as you build. | Not found on their own pages | ✓YesMain, side and Extra Deck in the Yu-Gi-Oh! app; the Pokémon app has one too. | Not found on their own pages |
| AI deck building or coaching | ✓YesGenny builds whole decks and answers rules questions in all three games; a second check compares her answers with the real card text. Free: 5 questions a day. Pro: a big monthly allowance on her strongest model. | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages |
| Prices and price history | ✓YesTCGplayer market prices refreshed nightly for all three games, plus sealed product. Charts: last 90 days free, full history on Collector. | ✓YesTCGplayer and Cardmarket prices with price history on card pages. | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | ~PartlyCurrent TCGplayer and Cardmarket prices on card pages. | ~PartlyTCGplayer prices updated daily; trends on the $5 tier. | ✓YesFull price history needs PRO. | ✓Yes30-day price history on every card. | ~PartlyMarket price for every card; we couldn't confirm price history charts in the app. |
| Price alerts | ✓YesEmail, plus a Discord message if you link Discord. 3 active alerts free; unlimited on Collector. | ✓YesListed in the account menu; we couldn't confirm whether it needs Premium. | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages |
| Collection tracking | ✓YesCards and sealed product in all three games. Free: what your cards are worth today. Collector: value over time, weekly movers, set completion and sealed values. Imports a CSV from other trackers. | ✓YesCollection page in the account menu. | ~PartlyOwned-card counts for your Master Duel account in the deck tester. | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | ✓YesRaw, graded and sealed. | ✓YesCustom folders. | ✓Yes |
| Card scanning with a phone | ✓YesTake photos on your phone (scan a QR code from your computer); Genny reads the cards and you check the list before anything is saved. All three games. Uses your Genny allowance. | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | ✓YesUnlimited scanning needs PRO. | ✓YesRecognizes cards in any language. | ✓Yes |
| Tournament decklists | ✓YesYu-Gi-Oh! TCG and Master Duel top decks; Pokémon and One Piece top-8 lists from Limitless tournaments. Load any list into the builder. | ✓YesTCG, OCG, Genesys and Master Duel results. | ✓YesTop decks and tournament reports for Master Duel. | Not found on their own pages | ✓YesPokémon tournament results and decklists. | ✓YesEvent coverage with top decklists and a meta page. | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages |
| Ban lists by format | ✓YesYu-Gi-Oh! TCG, OCG, Master Duel and Genesys, checked nightly. One Piece bans and block rotation and Pokémon Standard regulation marks are checked in the deck builder. | ✓YesTCG, OCG, World Championship, Master Duel, Goat and Edison. | ~PartlyMaster Duel's list. | ~PartlyFormat legality in duels, including Advanced, Traditional, Goat, Edison, Speed Duel, Rush Duel and Genesys; you can also make your own ban list. | ~PartlyStandard and Expanded legality on each card page. | ✓YesOne Piece bans, restrictions and pair bans in the builder. | Not found on their own pages | ~PartlyCard legality and rulings lookup. | Not found on their own pages |
| Play or test games | ✓YesYu-Gi-Oh! only: test hands, and a duel simulator that plays your deck against meta decks and reports a win rate (1 run a day free, 15 on Pro). It's a tester, not live play against people. | ~PartlySingle-player playtest of your deck. | ~PartlyDraw simulator for test hands. | ✓YesLive online duels against people: rated and unrated play, hosted duels, replays and judges. | ~PartlyPlay out games against yourself; also runs online tournaments for many games. | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages | Not found on their own pages |
| Ads on the free version | ~SomeDisplay ads on public pages for free visitors, never inside the deck builders. Collector and Pro are ad-free. | ~YesPremium removes them. | ~YesMeta Pro removes them. | ~YesWe couldn't confirm whether donating removes them. | ~YesSupporting on Patreon removes them. | ~YesThe $5 tier removes them. | ~YesWe couldn't confirm whether PRO removes them. | Not found on their own pages | ~YesApp Store listing says it contains advertising. |
✓ Yes: listed on the tool's own pages~ Partly or some— Not found on their own pages
Value for the price
Plain words on who gets the most from what.
If you play more than one game
Every TCGenius plan covers Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon and One Piece together: one account, one price, three deck builders.
Most of the other deck builders here are built around one game. Their paid plans run from $1 to $10 a month and are mostly about removing ads and adding extras.
If you want help building decks
Genny builds a whole, format-legal deck from an idea or a budget, explains how it plays, and has her answers checked against the real card text. She's free for a few questions a day.
We didn't find AI deck building or coaching on any of the other tools' own pages. Pro costs more than their supporter plans because it pays for a big monthly Genny allowance on her strongest model, plus 15 Yu-Gi-Oh! duel simulations a day.
If you mostly track prices and a collection
Collector adds full price history, unlimited price alerts, your collection's value over time, set completion and sealed values, and removes ads, for all three games.
For comparison, Collectr PRO lists $7.99 a month or $59.99 a year, and Dragon Shield's Premium lists $3.99 a month per app. Those apps have dedicated phone scanners; TCGenius reads photos with Genny instead.
If you don't want to pay at all
Every tool on this page can be used free. On TCGenius that's every card, price, ban list and tournament deck, the deck builders, a few Genny questions a day, price alerts and your collection's value today.
If live play is what you're after, Duelingbook is free in the browser.
Where others are better
No single tool does everything best. If one of these is what you need most, it's the better pick.
- YGOPRODeck: A long-running Yu-Gi-Oh! database with prices from both TCGplayer and Cardmarket, retro formats like Goat and Edison, a cube draft format and a Master Duel companion app for Windows. TCGenius's own Yu-Gi-Oh! card data comes from YGOPRODeck.
- Master Duel Meta: The Master Duel specialist: a tier list it updates daily, secret-pack guides, combos and counters, and its own Master Duel tournaments. TCGenius's Master Duel ban list and top decks come from Master Duel Meta.
- Duelingbook: Live Yu-Gi-Oh! against real people, free in the browser, in lots of formats, with rated play, replays and human judges. TCGenius's duel simulator tests a deck; it isn't live play.
- Limitless TCG: Pokémon tournament results and decklists, plus a platform for running and playing in online tournaments for many card games. TCGenius's Pokémon and One Piece tournament lists come from tournaments run on Limitless.
- Egman Events deck builder: One deck builder for One Piece and several newer games, match-history tracking for the events you play, and tools for streamers.
- Collectr: Collection tracking across 20 or so games, including graded cards, with listings from eBay and TCGplayer side by side.
- Dragon Shield card manager apps: A dedicated phone scanner that reads cards in any language, with a trade tool and friends features.
- TCGplayer app: It's the marketplace itself: scan a card and buy or sell it in the same app, across 40 or so games. The prices on TCGenius are TCGplayer market prices.
Questions
How did you check these prices?
We read each tool's own pricing page, subscription page, Patreon page or US app-store listing on the date at the top of this page and wrote down what it said, with the address of each page (see Sources). Where a page didn't show a price, we left it out instead of guessing.
Do any of these tools have an AI deck coach?
We didn't find AI deck building or coaching on the other tools' own pages when we checked. Some have other helpers, like YGOPRODeck's Deck Brew Tool, which finds decks that match your collection.
Is TCGenius free?
Yes. Every card, price, ban list, release date and tournament deck is free, along with the deck builders, a few Genny questions a day and a few price alerts. Collector and Pro add more; see the pricing page.
Something here is wrong or out of date. What do I do?
Tell us at hello@tcgenius.gg with the page that shows the right information, and we'll fix it.
Prices checked on October 10, 2026 from each tool's own pricing, subscription or app-store page. Prices change, may differ by country, app store and currency, and may not include tax; check the tool itself before you buy. Features change too. If something here is out of date, tell us at hello@tcgenius.gg and we'll fix it.
YGOPRODeck, Master Duel Meta, Duelingbook, Limitless TCG, Egman Events deck builder, Collectr, Dragon Shield card manager apps, TCGplayer app and other product names are trademarks of their owners. TCGenius isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them, or by Konami, The Pokémon Company or Bandai.
Sources (29 pages, checked October 10, 2026)
Each fact about another tool comes from that tool's own website or app-store listing on the date above. Addresses are listed as plain text.
- YGOPRODeck:
https://ygoprodeck.com/premium/,https://ygoprodeck.com/,https://ygoprodeck.com/deckbuilder/,https://ygoprodeck.com/card/ash-blossom-joyous-spring-7726,https://ygoprodeck.com/price-alerts/,https://ygoprodeck.com/tournaments/,https://ygoprodeck.com/banlist/,https://ygoprodeck.com/decks/playtest/ - Master Duel Meta:
https://www.masterduelmeta.com/,https://www.masterduelmeta.com/shop,https://www.masterduelmeta.com/deck-tester,https://www.masterduelmeta.com/forbidden-limited-list - Duelingbook:
https://www.duelingbook.com/,https://static.duelingbook.com/main.js - Limitless TCG:
https://limitlesstcg.com/,https://www.patreon.com/limitlesstcg/membership,https://my.limitlesstcg.com/builder,https://limitlesstcg.com/cards/MEG/104,https://limitlesstcg.com/tools,https://play.limitlesstcg.com/ - Egman Events deck builder:
https://deckbuilder.egmanevents.com/,https://deckbuilder.egmanevents.com/benefits - Collectr:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1603892248,https://getcollectr.com/,https://getcollectr.com/prices,https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.collectrinc.collectr - Dragon Shield card manager apps:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1208935205,https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1199495742 - TCGplayer app:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tcgplayer/id1247645833
See it for yourself
Every card, price, ban list and tournament deck is free. No card needed.