Comparison

Clars Auction Gallery vs Smith Auctions Live

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

Head to head
About

Clars Auction Gallery

This app connects users to a premier auction house specializing in fine art, decorative objects, and jewelry. Browse extensive online catalogs, participate in live and online bidding, and discover unique estate properties.

Highlights
  • Browse online auction catalogs
  • Participate in live and online bidding
  • Discover estate properties
  • Specializes in fine art, jewelry, and decorative objects
  • Global reach for buyers and sellers
Features
Read full description

Clars Auction Gallery has hosted Bay Area auctions of Fine Art, Decorative Objects, and Jewelry for more than forty years and has built a strong reputation for knowledge and experience in handling quality estate property. Clars Auction Gallery got its start in the auction business in 1948 with Harvey Clar, an Oakland, California native who at 18 began conducting industrial auctions, including machine, woodworking and automobile dealer and repair shops. His skill and reputation grew over the next few decades as he conducted a wide variety of commercial and industrial auctions as well as the occasional estate auction. The demand for his services in evaluating and auctioning personal property, such as fine art, furniture and jewelry, continued to increase, and in 1972 Harvey Clar and his wife established their auction gallery in Oakland. In 1996, Harvey Clar sold the estate auction gallery business to Oakland resident Redge Martin. Mr. Martin has a Bachelor's Degree from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. After graduate school, he worked for Ford Motor Company, Dole Foods, and Butterfield & Butterfield Auctioneers. Mr. Martin serves as CEO of the Gallery, as well as one of the main auctioneers and specialists. Under his stewardship, Clars Auction House has grown in reputation and prominence, and is considered the West Coast's premier auction house. It works with buyers and sellers throughout the world. In mid-2004, the gallery began offering simultaneous internet bidding on many of its lots. Clars Auction Gallery conducts monthly three-day estate auctions of 2000 lots at its North Oakland location. The auctions and previews are attended by 3000-5000 people, and the online auction catalog is distributed to more than 100,000 dealers and collectors worldwide. Since 2001, Clars Auction Gallery has sold over $165,000,000 of Fine Art, Furnishings, Jewelry, Vehicles and Collectibles. Follow Clars on Facebook and Twitter!

About

Smith Auctions Live

Participate in live auctions for fine art, antiques, and estate jewelry from your mobile device. Preview upcoming lots, track your bidding history, and receive notifications for items of interest. Engage in sales on-the-go with this streamlined auction platform.

Highlights
  • Live auction bidding
  • Preview upcoming lots
  • Track bidding history
  • Push notifications for items
  • Quick registration
  • Watch live auctions
Features
Read full description

William A. Smith Auctioneers, located in Plainfield NH was established in 1961. The house conducts multiple sales a year with focus on fine art, antiques and estate jewelry. We have been featured in international publications, including The New York Times, USA Today, Yankee Magazine, Boston Globe, Maine Antique Digest, And many other antique publications. With the William Smith Auctions app, you can preview, watch and bid in our auctions from your mobile / tablet device. Participate in our sales while on-the-go and gain access to the following features: •Quick Registration •Following upcoming lots of interest •Push notifications to ensure you engage on items of interest •Track bidding history and activity •Watch live auctions

Screenshots

Clars Auction Gallery4 screens
Smith Auctions Live4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Smith Auctions Live at 100% against Clars Auction Gallery's 50%. Smith Auctions Live also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2). Clars Auction Gallery's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 16 months) and ratings volume (86 vs 25). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Smith Auctions Live holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 86 and 25 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Clars Auction Gallery's written reviews are positive against 100% of Smith Auctions Live's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Clars Auction Gallery ships an update every 3 months, Smith Auctions Live every 16 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Clars Auction Gallery versus Smith Auctions Live: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClars Auction GallerySmith Auctions Live
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (86 ratings)4.8 (25 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings86 — better25
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 16 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB135 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperC. R. MARTIN AUCTIONEERS, INC.William A. Smith Inc.

Customer experience

Clars Auction Gallery

All ratings78 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral3.8%
Negative12.8%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative40.0%

Smith Auctions Live

All ratings21 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Clars Auction Gallery

No in-app purchases

None

Smith Auctions Live

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Clars Auction Gallery free?
Clars Auction Gallery is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smith Auctions Live free?
Smith Auctions Live is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Clars Auction Gallery or Smith Auctions Live?
Smith Auctions Live is rated higher. Clars Auction Gallery averages 4.2 out of 5 from 86 ratings, while Smith Auctions Live averages 4.8 from 25 ratings.
Do Clars Auction Gallery or Smith Auctions Live have ads?
Neither Clars Auction Gallery nor Smith Auctions Live shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Clars Auction Gallery or Smith Auctions Live?
Clars Auction Gallery ships an update every 3 months, and Smith Auctions Live every 16 months. Most recently, Clars Auction Gallery was updated on November 2, 2026 and Smith Auctions Live on November 3, 2026.

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