Both tools are for a Commander (EDH) pod that can't sit at the same table, and apart from that they have little in common.
I build EDHMat, so take that into account. You can check everything in the table below, and I've tried to describe SpellTable the way someone who likes it would.
The question that decides it
Do you want to play with the cards you own, or with any cards at all?
SpellTable points a camera at your real deck. That's where its strengths come from: you shuffle your own cards, you keep the physical game, and what's on screen is your own collection. Its weak spots come from the same place: lighting, upload speed, and reading a card someone holds up to a webcam.
EDHMat deals digital cards from a decklist you paste. So you can play a deck you've never owned, play from a laptop in a hotel room, and see exactly the same board as everyone else, because it's data and not a video feed. The downside is that it's not your cardboard.
If your pod answers "the cards we own" and then tries a digital table, you'll probably decide remote Commander isn't for you, because the tool took away the part you cared about.
Head to head
| EDHMat | SpellTable | |
|---|---|---|
| Cards | Digital, from a pasted decklist | Your real, physical cards |
| Account | None at all | Wizards account |
| Install | None, runs in a browser tab | None, runs in a browser tab |
| Camera needed | No | Yes, one per player |
| Voice chat | None built in (use Discord) | Built in |
| Seats | Up to 6 | Typical pod |
| Rules enforcement | None, by design | None |
| Board state | Shared data, everyone sees the same thing | A video feed of each player's table |
| Game log | Every action, scrollable | No |
| Deck import | Moxfield, Archidekt, Arena, plain text, Archidekt link | Not needed, you own the deck |
| Cost | Free | Free |
| Made by | One person, as a hobby project | Wizards of the Coast |
Where SpellTable is better
You already own the decks. This is the main argument for SpellTable, and it's a good one. If your playgroup has shelves of built Commander decks, a webcam tool lets you play those exact decks, sleeves, foils, old lands and all.
Wizards runs it. It won't disappear because one developer got busy with a new job, which is a fair point to hold against a hobby project like mine.
It handles paper-only situations. A deck you built from your collection this afternoon and never typed up, or a rules question settled by holding the card up to the camera.
Voice is built in. You need one tab instead of two (though see the note on moderation below).
Where EDHMat is better
Nobody signs up. No account, email or password, ever. One person creates a table and posts the link, and everyone who clicks it is in.
Any deck, right away. Paste a list from Moxfield or Archidekt and play it. No proxies, no printing, and no buying a deck to find out it doesn't work.
Everyone sees the same board. Nobody squints at a camera or asks someone to move their hand out of the way.
Everything is written down. The log records each draw, cast, move, tap and life change in the same order for everyone. When someone asks when a card came down, you can check instead of relying on four different memories. In a long game, that's what I'd miss most.
It keeps the tedious counts. Commander tax goes up each time a commander is cast from the command zone, spells sit on a shared stack in the order they were cast, and the table reminds you if you haven't drawn for the turn. None of it is enforced; it just saves you tracking it on paper.
The server keeps hidden cards hidden. Other players only see how many cards are in your hand, never which ones. A shuffle gives every card in the library a new id, so nobody can follow a card through it, and you can't see your own library until you search it.
No voice to process. Since the March 2026 AI voice-moderation pilot, SpellTable's built-in voice goes through a third-party tool. EDHMat has no voice channel, so your call stays wherever you already have it.
What they have in common
Both are free and both run in a browser with nothing to install. And, which surprises some people, neither enforces the rules. SpellTable doesn't know what your cards do, and EDHMat doesn't either. EDHMat has a stack, but it only shows what was cast and in which order; the table decides what resolves. If you want triggers and the stack handled automatically, you want XMage or Forge.
What I'd tell a friend
- Your pod owns the decks and wants to play them: SpellTable, or Convoke if SpellTable's slow development bothers you.
- Your pod wants to play brews, test lists, or play without owning the cards: EDHMat.
- Long games where people keep arguing about the board: EDHMat, for the log.
- You want the rules enforced: neither. Use XMage.
If you're considering more than these two, the full alternatives page compares ten tools, including the rules-enforcing ones. And if you only want to see what a browser table is like for MTG Commander online, that page has one you can open on the spot.
Frequently asked questions
Is EDHMat better than SpellTable?
For a pod that wants to play decks it does not own, get into a game without anyone signing up, or have a written log of the game, yes. For a pod that owns its decks and wants to play with the physical cards, SpellTable or another webcam tool is the better fit.
Does EDHMat have video chat like SpellTable?
No. There is no camera and no voice channel. Pods keep their call in Discord, where most of them already have it, and there is no audio for anyone to process.
Can I use my real cards with EDHMat?
Not directly, because it deals digital cards from a decklist. You can paste the list of a deck you own and play the same 100 cards, but if you want to play with the cardboard itself, that is what SpellTable does and EDHMat does not.