Comparison

PatchScan vs BoardGameGeek

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

Head to head
About

PatchScan

Access detailed information about officially licensed Boy Scouts of America patches by scanning their unique codes. Discover issuance numbers, issuing organizations, manufacturing details, and view scans from the same production run to verify authenticity. Enhance your patch trading and collection with this free tool.

Highlights
  • Scan officially licensed BSA patches
  • View patch issuance numbers
  • Identify issuing organizations
  • Access manufacturing details
  • Verify patch authenticity with production scans
  • Enhance patch trading
Read full description

Use PatchScan to get important information about Boy Scouts of America® Officially Licensed patches that have a special PatchScan code on the back! With an internet connection, you can quickly access how many of each patch were really issued, which organization issued them, and manufacturing details. You'll even see a scan of a patch from the same production run so you can verify that the patch in your hand is legit. Make better patch trades and get PatchScan today for FREE! PatchScan's official launch party is at the 2013 National Scout Jamboree. Official Jamboree Shoulder Patches are required to have a PatchScan code on the back. PatchScan is a project of the Boy Scouts of America's licensing programs. Boy Scouts of America®, the Universal Emblem, BSA®, are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Boy Scouts of America in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

About

BoardGameGeek

Access the world's largest and most up-to-date database for board and card games. Discover new content, read reviews, and join discussions with a passionate community of gamers. Contribute your own ratings and insights.

Highlights
  • Extensive game database
  • User reviews and ratings
  • Discussion forums
  • Daily new content
  • Game session reports
  • Play-aids and translations
Features
Read full description

This is the official app for BoardGameGeek, an online resource and community that aims to be the definitive source for board game and card game content. Daily new content, continuously updated by millions of passionate users, makes ‘the Geek’ the largest and most up-to-date place to get gaming information. You can become a registered member of BoardGameGeek (BGG) for free, and we welcome your contributions in the form of ratings, reviews, and thoughts on games! BGG features reviews, ratings, images, play-aids, translations, and session reports from board game geeks around the world, as well as live discussion forums. Here you’ll find many types of board games, including thousands you’ve probably never seen in a store. We cover not only board games but also dice games, card games, tile-laying games, and games of dexterity. We have abstracts, economic games, dungeon crawls, city building, diplomacy and negotiation, trading, puzzle games, strategy games, party games, war games, and many more. We run the gamut from the light and whimsical Carcassonne to the serious and heavy empire-building of Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition. Well-known games like Monopoly exist in the database as well, although you’ll find almost all users prefer modern games that exhibit advancements in game play and component quality since Monopoly was first published. Ad-blocking subscription When you purchase ‘AdBlock for iOS’ you enjoy an ads-free experience in the app (except for embedded web views). Payment will be charged on a recurring monthly or annual basis to your Apple ID account. Your monthly or annual AdBlock subscription will automatically renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before your subscription ends. Cancel anytime in your device’s Account Settings. No partial refunds. Privacy policy: https://boardgamegeek.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://boardgamegeek.com/terms Community Guidelines: https://boardgamegeek.com/community_rules Welcome to the board gaming community. Stay for a while. Stay forever...

Screenshots

PatchScan4 screens
BoardGameGeek4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BoardGameGeek at 3.8 against PatchScan's 2.6. BoardGameGeek also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 25 months) and ratings volume (115 vs 34). PatchScan's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BoardGameGeek sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PatchScan asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BoardGameGeek holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 115 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of PatchScan's written reviews are positive against 38% of BoardGameGeek's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PatchScan ships an update every 25 months, BoardGameGeek every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
PatchScan versus BoardGameGeek: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPatchScanBoardGameGeek
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.6 (34 ratings)3.8 (115 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.0% of reviews37.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings34115 — better
Update frequencyEvery 25 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB21 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperBoy Scouts of AmericaBoardGameGeek, LLC

Customer experience

PatchScan

All ratings34 ratings
Positive38.2%
Neutral5.9%
Negative55.9%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative60.0%

BoardGameGeek

All ratings115 ratings
Positive69.6%
Neutral7.0%
Negative23.5%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive37.6%
Neutral16.5%
Negative45.9%

Bugs and requests

PatchScan

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

BoardGameGeek

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Search returns no results after updates
  • Log Play dialog opens and closes instantly
  • App crashes when selecting My Geek section
  • Cannot add player names after latest update
  • Forum posts display with excessive formatting
Show 12 more
  • Image viewing breaks and requires app restart
  • Album photo swiping stops working
  • Game page shows 'Loading...' indefinitely
  • Dark mode renders nothing visible
  • Video playback crashes on screen rotation
  • Bookmarked GeekLists fail to open
  • App freezes after AirTV mirroring
  • Links to game pages unresponsive
  • Post button unresponsive
  • Comment text input field inaccessible
  • Video section fails to load
  • Ads display despite donor status

Requested features

16 requests
  • Weight information display for games
  • Player count filtering for collections
  • Grid view option for collection display
  • Advanced search filters
  • Dark mode support
Show 11 more
  • Subscription management page
  • Poll functionality in forums
  • Video language preference settings
  • Geek Buddy access in mobile app
  • Profile customization options (top 10, hot 10)
  • Game randomizer from personal collection
  • Game bookmarking feature
  • Larger collection thumbnail sizes
  • Homepage customization and organization
  • Quickbar functionality
  • Russian language support

In-app purchases

None

PatchScan

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

BoardGameGeek

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Ad-Removal for iOS$0.991 Month
  • Yearly Ad-Removal for iOS$9.991 Year

Questions

Is PatchScan free?
PatchScan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BoardGameGeek free?
BoardGameGeek is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PatchScan or BoardGameGeek?
BoardGameGeek is rated higher. PatchScan averages 2.6 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while BoardGameGeek averages 3.8 from 115 ratings.
Do PatchScan or BoardGameGeek have ads?
BoardGameGeek shows ads; PatchScan does not.
Which is updated more often, PatchScan or BoardGameGeek?
PatchScan ships an update every 25 months, and BoardGameGeek every 2 weeks. Most recently, PatchScan was updated on October 10, 2026 and BoardGameGeek on October 7, 2026.

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