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Comparison

Looking for a SpellTable alternative?

By Maran · Published June 22, 2026 · Updated June 22, 2026

Two good options. To keep playing with your real cards over webcam, Convoke is the closest SpellTable replacement and logs every game to your Playgroup.gg stats. If you are open to digital cards, Playgroup Live is a free browser tabletop for 2 to 6 players with voice chat and per-deck tracking built in.

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.

Play free See the comparison
Two ways to switch

Keep your real cards

Want to shuffle up the deck you already own? Play over webcam with Convoke. It is the most direct SpellTable replacement, and because it connects to Playgroup.gg, the result and ratings from a paper game land in your history automatically. SpellTable on its own tracks nothing.

Play on webcam with Convoke

Go fully digital

Happy to use digital cards? Playgroup Live is a free, no-install browser tabletop for 2 to 6 players. Counters, the stack, mulligans, and voice chat are built in, and every game counts toward your stats. Trade-off, stated plainly: these are digital card images, not your physical collection.

Play free in your browser

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

Convoke keeps your real cards and adds stat tracking. Playgroup Live gives you a full digital tabletop. Both are actively maintained and free.

SpellTable, Convoke, and Playgroup Live compared

An honest side-by-side. SpellTable still leads on community and first-party brand. Convoke and Playgroup Live lead on tracking, reliability, and built-in tooling.

Cost
SpellTable Free
Convoke Free
Live Free
Play with your real cards
SpellTable Yes, on webcam
Convoke Yes, on webcam
Live No, digital cards
Max players
SpellTable 4
Convoke Up to 8
Live 2 to 6
Game and stat tracking
SpellTable None
Convoke Logged to Playgroup.gg
Live Built in, automatic
Rules helpers (life, counters, the stack)
SpellTable None, all manual
Convoke Manual, paper cards
Live Built into the board
Deck registration
SpellTable None
Convoke Pick decks before the game
Live Paste a list or import Archidekt/Moxfield
Voice chat
SpellTable Over the webcam
Convoke Over the webcam
Live Built in, separate from any camera
Active development and reliability
SpellTable Largely stalled, outages reported
Convoke Actively maintained
Live Actively maintained
Setup
SpellTable Webcam, lighting, a mount
Convoke Webcam plus connect an API key
Live Open a link in your browser
Community size
SpellTable Largest, first-party
Convoke Smaller, growing
Live Growing

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. Convoke and Playgroup Live are actively maintained, so fixes and new features keep coming.

  • Fewer interruptions Actively maintained platforms get reliability fixes. Less time spent on "is it down again?"
  • Features keep arriving New set mechanics, board tooling, and quality-of-life updates ship regularly on Playgroup Live.
  • Responsive to feedback Smaller, active teams turn player feedback into changes instead of leaving it on a backlog.

Your games actually count

SpellTable has no game tracking at all. Win rates, deck performance, leaderboards, that is a spreadsheet or nothing. Both alternatives fix this. Convoke logs your webcam games to Playgroup.gg, and Playgroup Live records every digital game automatically. Play online or at the kitchen table, it all lands in one place.

  • ELO leaderboards Update the moment a game ends, across webcam and digital play alike.
  • Per-deck stats Win rate, estimated power level, and arch-enemies for every deck you run.
  • Achievements and Playscore leagues Run a season that mixes online and in-person games together.
See the tracker Learn about Playscore

If you go digital, the board does the bookkeeping

Webcam play means tracking life, counters, and the stack by hand on paper. If you choose the digital path, Playgroup Live builds every Commander mechanic into the board. 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.

Life & cmd damage
Poison & rad
Mulligan phase
The stack
Keyword counters
Voice chat built in
See all features Playtest a deck solo first

Where SpellTable still comes out ahead

Honesty matters. Here is what SpellTable and webcam play do that Playgroup Live does not.

  • Your real, physical cards Playgroup Live uses digital card images. With SpellTable or Convoke you shuffle and play the actual deck you own, foils, alters, and all. For a lot of players that is the whole point.
  • 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.
  • 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?
It depends on whether you want to keep using your real cards. To play with your physical collection on webcam, Convoke is the closest replacement and logs each game to your Playgroup.gg stats. If you are happy with digital cards, Playgroup Live is a free browser tabletop for 2 to 6 players with built-in voice chat and per-deck stat tracking.
Can I play Commander online with my real cards?
Yes. Point a webcam at your battlefield and play face to face remotely, the way SpellTable popularized. Convoke does this and connects to Playgroup.gg, so games played with paper cards still count toward your history and ratings.
Is SpellTable down or no longer maintained?
SpellTable still runs, but it has seen little active development since Wizards of the Coast took it over, and players regularly report outages and connection issues. If reliability matters to you, Convoke and Playgroup Live are actively maintained alternatives.
What is the difference between SpellTable and Convoke?
Both let you play with real cards over webcam. SpellTable is the original, first-party tool with the largest community. Convoke adds active development, better reliability, and a Playgroup.gg integration that records your games, results, and ratings. SpellTable does not track stats.
Can you play Commander online for free?
Yes. Playgroup Live is free with a free Playgroup.gg account, including voice chat and stat tracking. SpellTable is free for webcam play, and Convoke is free to connect to Playgroup.gg.
Does SpellTable track my games or stats?
No. SpellTable is webcam-only with no game logging. To keep stats from webcam play, use Convoke, which writes the full event log, result, and ratings back to your Playgroup.gg account. Playgroup Live tracks every digital game automatically.
Want the full picture? Compare every way to play Commander online Coming from Tabletop Simulator instead? See how it compares See everything Playgroup Live can do

Ready to move on from SpellTable?

Keep your real cards with Convoke, or play a free digital tabletop with Playgroup Live. Either way, every game counts toward your Playgroup.gg stats.

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