BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner vs HM | DCC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner
Instantly identify LEGO minifigures before opening the box and track your collection. Earn cashback on LEGO purchases and stay updated on news and events. Manage your collection, wishlist sets, and compare prices.
- Instant minifigure box scanner
- Offline scanning capability
- Track LEGO collection
- Earn 3% cashback on LEGO.com
- Track set retiring dates
- Browse LEGO archive
- Compare prices
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Scan Collectible Minifigure Series 29, Shrek, and Mighty Machines online, offline, track as you collect, and use our stock checker to know if your favourite is in your local store. Brick Search is the ultimate app for LEGO fans, featuring the best-ever LEGO minifigure box scanner and rewards on LEGO.com purchases. Identify minifigures before opening the box, track your LEGO collection and earn cashback in LEGO eGift cards. BRICK SEARCH FEATURES • Scan LEGO minifigures instantly using the revolutionary minifigure box scanner • Works with or without an internet connection • Scan multiple minifigure boxes at once while shopping in-store • Earn 3% cashback on LEGO.com purchases in selected regions (paid as LEGO eGift cards) • Track retiring dates for LEGO sets, sorted by theme • Explore detailed features on interesting LEGO sets and themes • Read reviews from LEGO experts • Stay up to date with major LEGO news and events The LEGO minifigure scanner allows fans to identify which minifigure is inside the box before opening it. The scanner works instantly, even offline, and can scan multiple boxes at the same time, making it perfect for in-store LEGO minifigure shopping. COLLECTION TOOLS Brick Search also includes powerful tools for LEGO collectors: • Manage your LEGO collection, including Brickset compatibility • Add sets to your wishlist • Browse thousands of LEGO sets in the LEGO archive • Compare prices across multiple retailers to find the best deal • View high-quality images of LEGO sets BRICK SEARCH PLUS Brick Search Plus members get unlimited use of the LEGO minifigure scanner along with exclusive benefits: • £30 voucher for The Minifigure Store (UK & Europe only; terms apply)* • Access to the Brick Search Plus Discord community • Early access to upcoming features and the chance to give feedback • The Brick Search Plus newsletter • The complete LEGO archive of more than 10,000 sets *Annual members only Brick Search Plus costs £2.49 per month or £19.99 per year, saving 16% compared with the monthly option. AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE Brick Search participates in LEGO affiliate programmes in the UK, US and other regions. Brick Search may earn commission from qualifying purchases. Brick Search is not affiliated with The LEGO Group. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
HM | DCC
Control your model railway system wirelessly with this app. Build your locomotive library, customize their settings, and design your dream layout with untethered control over points, signals, and turntables. Enjoy free sound profiles and upgrade existing systems.
- Wireless model railway control
- Locomotive customization
- On-the-fly setting adjustments
- Layout design tool
- Controllable points, signals, turntables
- Free locomotive sound profiles
- Bluetooth® device linking
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The official app for setting up and controlling your HM7000 range of products. HM | DCC is the new model railway control system that makes it simple to build your library of locomotives and have ultimate control over them in the palm of your hand. Customise your locomotives with images, tinker, tailor & test settings on the fly to perfect your locomotive’s running style. Design your dream layout and manoeuvre locomotives through controllable points, signals, and turntables with untethered control. Easily set up your system. Log in*, link up your Bluetooth® HM devices, power-cycle and away you go. Control your system free of wires. Complete wireless & untethered control of your layout. Upgrade previous systems without ripping out installed controllers and components. Personalise your locomotives. Fill your engine shed with your fleet of locomotives, choose the perfect photo, and programme their settings to see locomotive running styles change instantaneously. Enjoy completely FREE locomotive sound profiles. Connect your HM7000-TXS decoders to HM | DCC and relish a plethora of class locomotive sounds for download. Keep up to date with the latest releases and get more locomotive sound profiles to play with on the day of release. Design your dream layout. Use the in-built Track Builder to draw up and design the perfect layout. Then, export a list easily to know what you need to build it. Everyone’s included. Functions with OO, TT and N scale gauges. Upgrade your previous DCC products to work with HM | DCC. Upgrade “DCC ready” locomotives to HM | DCC app control with HM7000 decoders. Control locomotives fitted with non-Bluetooth® and HM7000 Bluetooth® decoders in parallel. Explore the different ways you can upgrade via the Hornby.com website. *Please note: A Hornby.com account is required for HM | DCC app use. This can be easily created from the Hornby.com website. Internet access is required for device reset, profile download, hardware updates, app updates and app login. Disclaimer: Please ensure that your device is fully compatible with both the HM | DCC app and the HM7000 range of products prior to any purchase. Devices older than 5 years may work but cannot be recommended for control. If unsure, please visit the Hornby.com website or contact Hornby Hobbies customer care.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner at 4.4 against HM | DCC's 3.0. BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (2.4K vs 6). HM | DCC's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and review sentiment (56% vs 37%). On price, ads, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. HM | DCC asks for nothing beyond the download.
BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner has 2.4K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 37% of BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner's written reviews are positive against 56% of HM | DCC's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner ships an update every 6 days, HM | DCC every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner | HM | DCC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (2.4K ratings) — better | 3.0 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 36.5% of reviews | 56.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.4K — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tiro Media Ltd | Hornby Hobbies Ltd |
Customer experience
BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner
HM | DCC
Bugs and requests
BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner
Reported bugs
3 issues- Scanning not working for some users
- Collection data being lost after updates
- Frequent crashes and connection issues
Requested features
4 requests- Add original set prices
- Improve search and filtering options
- Sync collection across devices
- Add dedicated minifigure section
HM | DCC
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner
- Brick Search Plus Monthly$5.991 Month
- Brick Search Plus Monthly$6.991 Month
- Brickset Trial 3 Months3 Months trial$9.993 Months
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- Brick Search Plus Annual3 Months trial$19.991 Year
- Brick Search Plus Annual2 variants$29.991 Year
HM | DCC
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner free?
Is HM | DCC free?
Which has better reviews, BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner or HM | DCC?
Do BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner or HM | DCC have ads?
Which is updated more often, BrickSearch Minifigure Scanner or HM | DCC?
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