CTBIDS vs ThriftBrain
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CTBIDS
Participate in online estate sale auctions with bidding starting at just $1. Discover unique items and everyday treasures from the comfort of your home. The app offers easy navigation, bid tracking, and favorite lists for a seamless auction experience.
- Bidding starts at $1
- Bid from anywhere
- Set maximum bids
- Filter items by category and location
- Track bidding status
- Create favorites lists
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Discover a world of unique and everyday treasures with CTBIDS, where bidding starts at just $1. Our user-friendly app makes online auctions a breeze, ensuring a seamless experience for all. Users of this app must be 18 years or older. Welcome Home to CTBIDS: •Bid from anywhere! •Set maximum bids so that you don’t miss out on fun while you are away. •Easily filter items by category, location, featured estate sales, and more. •Stay in the loop with your bidding status every step of the way. •Create favorites lists to explore more of what you love. CTBIDS grew from an idea over 10 years ago by Caring Transitions owners across the country. These owners are carefully managing the treasures and everyday household items for their clients as they downsize or transition to new homes. These items have quality, value, and a history that are a perfect fit for someone else. Our mission was to create a platform where these estate sales are brought to you online. Instead of set pricing, bidding starts at $1. This process allows our bidders to find unique and everyday treasures for a great value. In addition, the repurposing of these belongings will have a positive and lasting impact on the world we all share. CTBIDS is powered by Caring Transitions. Established in 2006, Caring Transitions is the nation’s largest and most trusted organization specializing in downsizing, relocation, estate sales, decluttering, home cleanouts, online auctions, and other services. To learn more, visit CaringTransitions.com.
ThriftBrain
Instantly determine the resale value of items by snapping a photo. This tool calculates net profit after fees and generates optimized listing titles and descriptions for platforms like eBay and Poshmark.
- AI Visual Scanner & Tag Identifier
- Real eBay Sold Comps
- True Net Profit Calculator
- Instant SEO Listing Generator
- Vintage BOLO & Tag Guides
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See real eBay sold prices in seconds — not just active listings, but what buyers actually paid. Snap a photo of any item or tag at the thrift store, goodwill bins, garage sale, estate sale, or flea market and instantly know its true resale value and exact net profit after eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, and Depop fees. No more guessing. No more leaving money on the table. BUILT FOR RESELLERS, THRIFTERS & VINTAGE FLIPPERS: • AI Visual Scanner & Tag Identifier: Snap a photo of clothing tags, footwear, electronics, cookware, toys, or antiques to identify exact era, brand, and model. • Real eBay Sold Comps: See true market value based on actual sold listings and sell-through demand. • True Net Profit Calculator: Automatically deducts platform fees (eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Amazon) and shipping costs from your thrift store buy price. • Instant SEO Listing Generator: Generate copy-and-paste titles and descriptions optimized for eBay and Poshmark in one tap. • 500+ Vintage BOLO & Tag Guides: Built-in reference library for dating vintage t-shirt tags, denim, workwear, mid-century cookware, stereo receivers, and collectibles. Terms of Use: https://www.thriftbrain.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.thriftbrain.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ThriftBrain at 100% against CTBIDS's 6%. ThriftBrain also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.4) and chart position (#186 vs unranked). CTBIDS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (248 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. ThriftBrain sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. CTBIDS asks for nothing beyond the download.
ThriftBrain holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CTBIDS has 248 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 6% of CTBIDS's written reviews are positive against 100% of ThriftBrain's.
CTBIDS ships an update every 3 weeks, ThriftBrain every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CTBIDS | ThriftBrain |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.4 (248 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 6.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 248 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | #186 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Caring Transitions, Inc | Jeffrey Karst |
Customer experience
CTBIDS
ThriftBrain
Bugs and requests
CTBIDS
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues with Google/Apple accounts
- Inconsistent app behavior and crashes
- Incorrect or missing auction information
- Inability to access account and bidding history
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to view item photos without opening listing
- Improved navigation and back button functionality
- Real-time bid updates and notifications
- Filtering and sorting options for search
- Seamless integration with website and account management
ThriftBrain
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
CTBIDS
No in-app purchases
ThriftBrain
- ThriftBrain Pro$9.991 Month
- Dealer Pro$24.991 Month








