Comparison

Shortboxed vs Collectrade

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

Head to head
About

Shortboxed

This app is a trusted marketplace and auction platform for buying and selling comic books. It offers tools like a price guide, portfolio manager, and community resources to facilitate safe and easy transactions for collectors.

Highlights
  • Buy and sell raw or graded comic books
  • Quick and easy submission process
  • Customer support handled by the app
  • Fair market value data and sales history
  • Portfolio manager for inventory and personal collection
  • Free price guide with extensive sales data
  • Community content and resources
Features
Read full description

What is Shortboxed? Shortboxed is the most trusted marketplace and auction platform to buy and sell comic books. In addition to a thriving community with tens of thousands of buyers and sellers, there are also free tools and resources such as a price guide, portfolio manager, extensive data, and quality content to make buying and selling easy, safe, and fun. How does buying and selling work? For the marketplace, vetted dealers, comic shop owners, and collectors list their comic books for sale on Shortboxed while buyers browse and discover tens of thousands of comic books, both graded and ungraded. When someone buys a book, the seller receives an order confirmation with a pre-paid shipping label. Sellers get paid once the book is confirmed delivered. Our seller fee is a flat 10% - no hidden fees or shenanigans. Super simple! For event style auctions, approved sellers send in their books to Shortboxed before an auction is curated. Once the auction event is live, buyers can bid on items until the closing time. Once an auction event ends, winners will receive an invoice to pay before receiving their items. Shortboxed Features Sell raw or graded comic books - you can submit raw or graded comic books for sale on Shortboxed, with all raw books verified by Shortboxed before being delivered to the buyer. Buy and sell with confidence! Quick and easy submissions - take a couple pics, add a price and any additional info as needed, and that’s it. We take care of the rest, including exposure to tens of thousands of potential buyers across the U.S., Canada and U.K. We handle customer support - have an issue with an order? Our attentive team will take care of any questions or order issues. No more endless back and forth between buyers and sellers - we take care of everything so you don’t have to. Fair Market Value data - make informed buying decisions with our fair market value range, sales history, and indicators that show you if a book is a good deal. Portfolio Manager - manage your For Sale inventory and your Personal Collection all in one place with the Portfolio Manager. Organize your collection and track the value of your Portfolio for free. Price Guide - look up recent sales history with our free price guide featuring over one million recent comic book sales across multiple platforms. Did we mention it’s free? Amazing content - check the app often for new content from the community, how-to guides, collector spotlights, free giveaways, newsletters, and more! Ready to buy and sell? Please read the FAQ in-app or on Shortboxed.com for a complete list of all the buying and selling policies. Download Shortboxed today and connect with our community on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @shortboxed and on TikTok @shortboxedcomics.

About

Collectrade

A secure online marketplace for comic book collectors to trade verified items. Manage your collection, discover new books, and trade with confidence through a protected middleman process.

Highlights
  • Verified middleman trades
  • Collection management
  • Trade hub for discovering collectibles
  • Real-time trade tracking
  • Transparent fee structure
Features
Read full description

Collectrade is a secure online trading marketplace built for comic book collectors. Every trade is verified and protected through Collectrade's middleman process, ensuring both sides receive exactly what was agreed upon. Collectors can manage their entire collection, discover new books, and trade safely with full transparency and peace of mind. Key Features: Verified Middleman Trades: Every transaction passes through Collectrade for inspection and verification. Cash Trades: Add cash alongside items to balance uneven trades, with secure payments and payouts. Collection Management: Add, organize, and track your graded and raw comics with photos, personal values, and notes. Trade Hub: Discover new collectibles, browse user collections, and send or receive trade offers. Real-Time Tracking: Follow every step of your trade, from label creation to verification and delivery. Transparent Fees: No hidden costs. Just safe, affordable trading for collectors. Whether you're trading a graded slab, a rare variant, or your next grail, Collectrade gives you the confidence to trade smarter and safer. Make this the origin story of your trades.

Screenshots

Shortboxed4 screens
Collectrade4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Collectrade at free against Shortboxed's free with in-app purchases. Collectrade also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 89%). Shortboxed's advantage is ratings volume (858 vs 21). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

Collectrade holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shortboxed has 858 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Shortboxed's written reviews are positive against 100% of Collectrade's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shortboxed ships an update every 10 days, Collectrade every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Shortboxed versus Collectrade: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShortboxedCollectrade
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (858 ratings)5.0 (21 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings858 — better21
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.5.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB89 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperShortboxed LLCCollectrade LLC

Customer experience

Shortboxed

All ratings857 ratings
Positive96.3%
Neutral0.9%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews171 reviews
Positive89.5%
Neutral2.9%
Negative7.6%

Collectrade

All ratings17 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Shortboxed

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Network issues causing failed uploads
  • Glitches with payment processing

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to ask sellers questions
  • Separate page to view auctions bid on
  • Cheaper shipping options
  • Feedback/community section

Collectrade

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Shortboxed

No in-app purchases

None

Collectrade

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shortboxed free?
Shortboxed is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Collectrade free?
Collectrade is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shortboxed or Collectrade?
Collectrade is rated higher. Shortboxed averages 4.8 out of 5 from 858 ratings, while Collectrade averages 5.0 from 21 ratings.
Do Shortboxed or Collectrade have ads?
Neither Shortboxed nor Collectrade shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shortboxed or Collectrade?
Shortboxed ships an update every 10 days, and Collectrade every 2 weeks. Most recently, Shortboxed was updated on October 24, 2026 and Collectrade on October 24, 2026.

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