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.
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.
- 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
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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!
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.
- Live auction bidding
- Preview upcoming lots
- Track bidding history
- Push notifications for items
- Quick registration
- Watch live auctions
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Clars Auction Gallery | Smith Auctions Live |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (86 ratings) | 4.8 (25 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 86 — better | 25 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 16 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 80 MB | 135 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | C. R. MARTIN AUCTIONEERS, INC. | William A. Smith Inc. |
Customer experience
Clars Auction Gallery
Smith Auctions Live
In-app purchases
Clars Auction Gallery
No in-app purchases
Smith Auctions Live
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Clars Auction Gallery free?
Is Smith Auctions Live free?
Which has better reviews, Clars Auction Gallery or Smith Auctions Live?
Do Clars Auction Gallery or Smith Auctions Live have ads?
Which is updated more often, Clars Auction Gallery or Smith Auctions Live?
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