Comparison

Pokémon GO vs TCGplayer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pokémon GO

Explore your surroundings to discover and catch virtual creatures. Journey with your companions, battle in gyms, and team up with others for powerful raids. Get moving for real-life adventures!

Highlights
  • Discover Pokémon in the real world
  • Catch Pokémon to complete Pokédex
  • Journey with Buddy Pokémon
  • Compete in Gym battles
  • Team up for Raid Battles
  • Utilize Adventure Sync for walking distance
Read full description

Join Trainers across the globe who are discovering Pokémon as they explore the world around them. Pokémon GO is the global gaming sensation that has been downloaded over 1 billion times and named “Best Mobile Game” by the Game Developers Choice Awards and “Best App of the Year” by TechCrunch. _______________ UNCOVER THE WORLD OF POKÉMON: Explore and discover Pokémon wherever you are! CATCH more Pokémon to complete your Pokédex! JOURNEY alongside your Buddy Pokémon to help make your Pokémon stronger and earn rewards! COMPETE in epic Gym battles and... TEAM UP and UNITE with other Trainers to catch powerful Pokémon during Raid Battles! It’s time to get moving—your real-life adventures await! Let’s GO! _______________ With the player’s permission, Adventure Sync uses the Health app to enable the player to earn walking distance when the app is closed. Notes: - This app is free-to-play and offers in-game purchases. It is optimized for smartphones, not tablets. - It is recommended to play while connected to a network in order to obtain accurate location information. - Compatibility is not guaranteed for devices without GPS capabilities or devices that are connected only to Wi-Fi networks. - Compatibility information may be changed at any time. - Information current as of July 11, 2019. - Compatible with iPhone® 5s / SE / 6 / 6s / 6 Plus / 6s Plus / 7 / 7 Plus / 8 / 8 Plus / X devices with iOS Version 9 or later installed. - Not compatible with 5th generation iPod Touch devices or iPhone 5c or earlier iPhone devices. - Please visit PokemonGO.com for additional compatibility information. - Compatibility is not guaranteed for all devices. - Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically reduce battery life.

About

TCGplayer

Quickly scan and identify trading cards to track their market prices. Organize your collection, browse a vast marketplace, and shop for cards from thousands of sellers. Access your collection anytime, anywhere.

Highlights
  • Blazingly fast card scanning
  • Effortless price tracking
  • Organize your entire collection
  • Seamless in-app shopping
  • Access collection anywhere
  • Supports numerous TCGs
Features
Read full description

Blazingly Fast Card Scanning Say goodbye to tediously typing and searching for the correct card versions! The TCGplayer app scans your cards with unparalleled speed and accuracy, giving you more time to enjoy the games you love. Track Prices with Ease From the top TCGs to the hottest new games, the TCGplayer app lets you effortlessly scan, organize, and track the market price for every card from every TCG on our marketplace for free! Access Your Collection Anytime Your entire TCG collection is just a tap away! Whether at home or on the go, you can access your entire collection whenever and wherever you need from your mobile device. Simply log in to the app and your collection is at your fingertips! Seamless Shopping Browse and shop the extensive catalog on the TCGplayer marketplace from thousands of sellers with just a few taps. Supported Games: Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, One Piece TCG, Star Wars Unlimited, Digimon Card Game, Disney Lorcana, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Dragon Ball Super: Fusion World, Dragon Ball Super: Masters, Final Fantasy, Flesh and Blood, Grand Archive TCG, Shadowverse: Evolve, Sorcery: Contested Realm, Union Arena, UniVersus, Weiss Schwarz, Akora TCG, Alpha Clash, Argent Saga TCG, BAKUGAN TCG, Battle Spirits Saga, Chrono Clash System, Dice Masters, Dragoborne, Dragon Ball Z TCG, Elestrals, Exodus TCG, Force of Will, Future Card Buddyfight, Gate Ruler Gundam Card Game, Kryptik, Lightseekers TCG, MetaX TCG, MetaZoo, Munchkin CCG, Star Wars: Destiny, The Caster Chronicles, Transformers TCG, Warhammer Age of Sigmar Champions, WIXOSS, World of Warcraft TCG, Gundam

Screenshots

Pokémon GO4 screens
TCGplayer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TCGplayer at none against Pokémon GO's 10. TCGplayer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.3 vs 4.0). Pokémon GO's advantage is review sentiment (44% vs 22%) and ratings volume (657K vs 18K). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pokémon GO sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. TCGplayer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TCGplayer holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pokémon GO has 657K ratings behind it against 18K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Pokémon GO's written reviews are positive against 22% of TCGplayer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pokémon GO ships an update weekly, TCGplayer fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 8, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Pokémon GO versus TCGplayer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPokémon GOTCGplayer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (657K ratings)4.3 (18K ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.7% of reviews — better21.7% of reviews
Number of ratings657K — better18K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#1 — better#18
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size390 MB70 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperScopely Explore, Inc.TCGplayer, Inc.

Customer experience

Pokémon GO

All ratings656,104 ratings
Positive73.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative20.6%
Written reviews8,767 reviews
Positive43.7%
Neutral9.7%
Negative46.6%

TCGplayer

All ratings18,194 ratings
Positive80.7%
Neutral3.5%
Negative15.8%
Written reviews1,382 reviews
Positive21.7%
Neutral10.2%
Negative68.1%

User reviews

Pokémon GO

From 657K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 👍 Encourages outdoor activity
  • 🚀 Frequent updates and new content
  • 👍 Brings people together
  • 🚀 Innovative AR features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🚫 Inaccessible for rural/disabled players

TCGplayer

From 18K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast scanning
  • 👍 Convenient for cataloging cards
  • 💡 Integrated with TCGplayer website

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate scanning
  • 🐛 Buggy and laggy performance
  • 🔒 Poor account/login management
  • 👎 Limited sorting/organization options

Bugs and requests

Pokémon GO

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • GPS/location issues causing gameplay problems
  • Bugs with egg hatching and buddy Pokémon
  • Inconsistent performance across devices
  • Glitches with raid battles and rewards

Requested features

5 requests
  • In-game chat/communication system
  • Ability to trade items between players
  • More customization options for avatars
  • Improved tracking and spawn system
  • Easier access to rare/legendary Pokémon

TCGplayer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Incorrect card information displayed
  • Inability to properly scan certain card types (foils, black cards, etc.)

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to sync collection across devices
  • More sorting/filtering options for collections
  • Support for additional card games beyond MTG, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Pokémon GO

One-time10
  • 100 PokéCoins$0.99
  • Event Bonus$0.99
  • Evergreen Ticket 1$1.99
Show 7 more
  • 550 PokéCoins$4.99
  • Ticket$4.99
  • Event Ticket$4.99
  • 1,200 PokéCoins$9.99
  • 2,500 PokéCoins$19.99
  • 5,200 PokéCoins$39.99
  • 14,500 PokéCoins$99.99
None

TCGplayer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pokémon GO free?
Pokémon GO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TCGplayer free?
TCGplayer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pokémon GO or TCGplayer?
TCGplayer is rated higher. Pokémon GO averages 4.0 out of 5 from 657K ratings, while TCGplayer averages 4.3 from 18K ratings.
Do Pokémon GO or TCGplayer have ads?
Pokémon GO shows ads; TCGplayer does not.
Which is updated more often, Pokémon GO or TCGplayer?
Pokémon GO ships an update weekly, and TCGplayer fortnightly. Most recently, Pokémon GO was updated on November 8, 2026 and TCGplayer on November 8, 2026.
Which is more popular, Pokémon GO or TCGplayer?
Pokémon GO currently peaks at #1 in the App Store charts, and TCGplayer at #18. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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