The best SpellTable alternatives in 2026
The best SpellTable alternative in 2026 is Playgroup Live, a free browser tabletop for 2 to 6 players where each player picks: their own paper deck on a webcam, or digital cards, in the same game. Voice chat and stat tracking are built in.
By Maran · Published June 22, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026
SpellTable opened up webcam Commander, but it has seen little development and players hit regular outages. Here is an honest comparison, including where SpellTable still comes out ahead.
Keep your real cards
Point a webcam down at your playmat and play the deck you own on Playgroup Live. Anyone at the table can click a card on your camera to see what it is, and life, commander damage and counters work the same as for every other seat. Camera seats are in beta.
How camera seats workPlay digital cards
Paste a decklist or import it from Archidekt or Moxfield and play it on Playgroup Live, a free, no-install browser tabletop. Counters, the stack, mulligans and voice chat are built in, and every game counts toward your stats. At a table that allows paper decks, digital and paper players sit in the same game.
SpellTable opened the door
SpellTable made webcam Commander mainstream and still has the largest, first-party community. Credit where it is due.
But it has stalled
Development slowed after the Wizards acquisition. Players report frequent outages and connection problems, and there is still no game or stat tracking.
You have better options now
Playgroup Live seats paper decks on camera and digital decks at one table, with voice chat and stats. It is actively maintained and free.
SpellTable and Playgroup Live compared
An honest side-by-side. SpellTable still leads on community size and first-party brand. Playgroup Live leads on tracking, reliability and built-in tooling.
Play your paper deck at a virtual table
Some of us still want to shuffle real cards, and some of us do not. When the host allows paper decks, each player picks: their own paper deck on camera, or virtual cards, in the same game. It is in beta, so tell us how it went.
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The host allows paper decks Leave Allow paper decks on when you create the game, or switch on Paper decks allowed in the lobby.
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Put your cards on camera Press Play paper deck on your seat and pick a webcam that looks down at your cards. As your deck, choose the list of the paper deck you are playing.
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Click a card to see what it is Anyone at the table can click a card on your camera to name it. The cards the table records sit on a strip along your camera.
Your hand and library stay physical, so like any paper game they run on trust, and replays and Card Insights only know the cards the table recorded. Nothing from your camera is recorded. How camera seats work
SpellTable vs Playgroup Live
The short version: SpellTable is the first-party webcam tool with the biggest community, built for a table where everyone plays paper, with no stat tracking and little ongoing development. Playgroup Live lets each player choose paper on camera or digital cards, and logs every game, result and rating to your Playgroup.gg account.
Stick with SpellTable if
- You want the biggest player pool and the first-party tool most players already know
- Everyone at your table plays paper and you want a tool built only for that
- You do not care about game history or stats
Switch to Playgroup Live if
- Your pod mixes paper players and players without their cards at hand
- You want every game logged with results and ratings, automatically
- You want voice chat, life totals and counters built into the table
- You want a tool that is actively maintained, with fewer outages
Tools that are still being worked on
SpellTable still works, but it has had little active development since the Wizards of the Coast acquisition, and outage reports are common. Playgroup Live is actively maintained, so fixes and new features keep coming.
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Fewer interruptions Actively maintained platforms get reliability fixes. Less time spent on "is it down again?"
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Features keep arriving New set mechanics, board tooling, and quality-of-life updates ship regularly on Playgroup Live.
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Responsive to feedback We are two people who play Commander. Feedback on Discord turns into changes, often the same week.
Your games actually count
SpellTable has no game tracking at all. Win rates, deck performance, leaderboards, that is a spreadsheet or nothing. Playgroup Live records every game automatically, paper seats on camera included. Track the games at your kitchen table with the Playgroup app and it all lands in one place. Playgroup has recorded 730,000+ Commander games across the app and Playgroup Live.
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ELO leaderboards Update the moment a game ends, across online and in-person games alike.
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Per-deck stats Win rate, estimated power level, and arch-enemies for every deck you run.
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Achievements and Playscore leagues Run a season that mixes online and in-person games together.
The board does the bookkeeping
On SpellTable you track life, counters and the stack by hand. Playgroup Live builds every Commander mechanic into the board, for paper seats on camera as well as digital ones. It is not a rules engine, you still make the calls, but the table keeps everything in sync. Bring decks in by pasting a list or importing from Archidekt or Moxfield.
Where SpellTable still comes out ahead
Honesty matters. Here is what SpellTable and webcam play do that Playgroup Live does not.
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A whole table of paper SpellTable is built for a pod where everyone plays the actual deck they own, foils, alters and all. Camera seats on Playgroup Live are in beta: the table records a paper seat's cards by hand on a strip along the camera, and your hand and library run on trust, like any paper game.
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The largest community As the first-party tool, SpellTable has the biggest user base and the most name recognition. It is the default a lot of players already know.
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No digital card pool to think about Webcam play shows whatever you physically have on the table. There is no question of whether a card is supported in software.
Frequently Asked
What is the best SpellTable alternative?
Can I play Commander online with my real cards?
Can paper and digital players play in the same game?
Is SpellTable down or no longer maintained?
What is the difference between SpellTable and Playgroup Live?
Can you play Commander online for free?
Does SpellTable track my games or stats?
Ready to move on from SpellTable?
Bring your paper deck on camera or play digital cards, at one free table. Every game counts toward your Playgroup.gg stats.