# Shortboxed vs Merchcast

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Shortboxed at 860 against Merchcast's 3. Merchcast's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and review sentiment (100% vs 89%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Merchcast holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shortboxed has 860 ratings behind it against 3, 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 Merchcast's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shortboxed | Merchcast |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (860 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortboxed/id1497091986/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merchcast/id6757889669/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **860** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 89.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 58 MB | 146 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Shortboxed LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1497091025) | [Eventcast Inc. (NE)](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869469146) |

## What reviewers say

### Shortboxed

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortboxed/id1497091986)

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

**Highlights:** Buy and sell raw or graded comic books, Quick and easy listing submissions, Customer support handled by the platform, Fair market value data and sales history, Portfolio manager for inventory and collection, Free price guide with extensive sales data, Community content, guides, and giveaways

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy buying experience
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly app
- 🔒 Secure and trustworthy platform
- 💡 Helpful features like price guides and census data
- 👍 Great customer service and responsive team

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional app crashes
- 💰 Shipping costs can be high
- 🤔 Sellers can cancel orders after winning bids

**Reported bugs**

- Network issues causing failed uploads
- Glitches with payment processing

**Requested features**

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


### Merchcast

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merchcast/id6757889669)

This app offers a rapid point-of-sale system for touring musicians, integrating seamlessly with Square for secure payment processing. It simplifies merchandise sales at concerts and events.

**Highlights:** Lightning fast point of sale, Touring musician focused, Square payment processing, Easy merchandise sales, Concert and event ready

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shortboxed free?

Shortboxed is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Merchcast free?

Merchcast is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Shortboxed or Merchcast?

Merchcast is rated higher. Shortboxed averages 4.8 out of 5 from 860 ratings, while Merchcast averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Shortboxed or Merchcast have ads?

Neither Shortboxed nor Merchcast shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shortboxed or Merchcast?

Shortboxed ships an update every 10 days, and Merchcast every 10 days. Most recently, Shortboxed was updated on November 3, 2026 and Merchcast on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*