I make one of the tools being compared here, so every page in this section is written to survive being read by someone who does not trust me. Where another tool is better for a given pod, the page says so and explains why.
- SpellTable alternativesSpellTable still works, but it is not the only way to play Commander remotely any more. A survey of the webcam tools and browser tabletops that replace it, and which one fits which pod.
- EDHMat vs SpellTableSpellTable points a camera at your real cards; EDHMat deals digital ones in a browser. I build EDHMat, so this comparison names the cases where SpellTable is the better pick.
The one distinction that matters
Before comparing features, decide whether you want to play with the cards you own or with any cards at all.
Webcam tools — SpellTable, Convoke — point a camera at your physical deck. You keep the real game, and you pay for it in lighting, bandwidth and the difficulty of reading a card held up to a lens.
Browser tabletops — EDHMat, TableCommander, Kiku.gg, untap.in and others — deal digital cards from a decklist you paste. The board state is unambiguous because it is data, and you can play a deck you have never owned. What you give up is the cardboard.
Most disappointment with remote Commander comes from picking a tool on the wrong side of that line, not from the tool being bad.
If you want the rules enforced
None of the tools in this section know what your cards do. If "wait, does that trigger?" is what ruins your games, you want XMage or Forge — both free, both downloads, both play real Magic including the stack. Using a manual tabletop and then being annoyed that it is manual is a common and avoidable mistake.