Comparison

Shiny vs CardGrader.AI

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

Head to head
About

Shiny

Identify and value your trading cards instantly with advanced scanning technology. Manage your entire collection digitally, track market trends, and prepare cards for grading. Connect with a global community of collectors.

Highlights
  • Instant card identification
  • Real-time market value tracking
  • Digital collection management
  • Advanced card grading checks
  • Custom price alerts
  • Global collector community
Features
Read full description

Join 1M+ Pokemon card & TCG collectors who trust Shiny to identify their trading cards and manage their collections. Scan your cards to get instant, real-time market values based on completed sales. Turn your card collection into a digital portfolio with Shiny! The fastest and most accurate card scanner app for card collectors globally. SCAN WITH PRECISION Leverage the industry's fastest trading card recognition technology with unlimited scanning. Combined with powerful advanced filtering tools, you can easily identify your cards in seconds and instantly pull up real-time market values. MANAGE YOUR PORTFOLIO Professionally manage unlimited items, sets, folders, and wish lists completely for free. Turn your physical collection into a digital powerhouse and access your TCG collection seamlessly across all your devices, so your digital portfolio is always with you. REAL-TIME MARKET INSIGHTS Access millions of trading card, sealed product, and card grading prices alongside historical data for free. With localized pricing data at your fingertips, you can set custom price alerts for singles, sealed products, or slabs and never miss a market shift. PREP FOR GRADING Perform advanced card grading checks with our built-in Centering Tool before sending your cards off. Take the guesswork out of the process and ensure your cards are in optimal condition for submission to major grading companies. JOIN A GLOBAL COMMUNITY Join a worldwide community of 1M+ collectors! Download Shiny today and experience the industry standard in precision scanning. Connect with the market's most trusted data and celebrate the hobby with collectors around the globe. More about Shiny: Terms of Service: https://www.getshiny.io/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://www.getshiny.io/privacy-policy E-mail: contact@getshiny.io Developer: Shiny Cardboard, LLC Download Shiny today to turn your physical collection into a digital powerhouse! Supported Games: Pokémon, One Piece, Magic the Gathering, Yugioh, Dragon Ball, Gundam, Riftbound, Disney Lorcana, and emerging card games Pokémon Support: English, Japanese, and Chinese sets One Piece Support: English and Japanese sets Pricing Localization: Global support across multiple international currencies

About

CardGrader.AI

This app uses AI to analyze trading cards from photos, predicting grades based on centering, corners, edges, and surface. It provides real market data on sold prices for raw and graded cards to help collectors make informed financial decisions.

Highlights
  • AI card grading prediction
  • Analyze centering, corners, edges, surface
  • Real sold price data
  • ROI calculation
  • Price lookups
  • Population data
Features
Read full description

The most precise AI card grader for Pokemon and sports cards. Point your phone at any card. Live Grade reads corners, edges, surface and centering as you move the card and shows a grade on screen in seconds, then pulls real sold prices raw and graded so you know if it is worth grading. LIVE GRADE • Identify Pokemon, baseball, football, basketball, hockey and other TCG cards in real time • See per-corner and per-edge sub-grades, surface and centering measurements as you scan • Spot the flaws that pull a grade down before you pay to grade KNOW WHAT IT IS WORTH • Real sold prices for raw and graded copies, not estimates • A grade-it-or-not call using your own grading fee and minimum value • Deep Research reports: card ID, raw and graded values, saved to your collection YOUR COLLECTION • Track your collection value over time • Ask Carl, your AI card expert, whether a card is worth sending in • List cards on eBay from the app FREE TOOLS FOR COLLECTORS • Your first scan is free, plus free price lookups and set checklists • Pokemon and sports card databases CardGrader.AI grades are estimates made from photos. CardGrader.AI is not affiliated with PSA, BGS, CGC or any grading company, and a grading company may grade your card differently. Terms of Use: https://cardgrader.ai/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://cardgrader.ai/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Shiny4 screens
CardGrader.AI4 screens

Verdict

The call

Shiny and CardGrader.AI both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 95% of Shiny's written reviews are positive against 61% of CardGrader.AI's. Shiny also leads on ratings volume (3.8K vs 429). CardGrader.AI's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). 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. Shiny sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and CardGrader.AI sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Shiny against 4.7 for CardGrader.AI. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shiny has 3.8K ratings behind it against 429, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Shiny's written reviews are positive against 61% of CardGrader.AI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shiny ships an update every 5 days, CardGrader.AI every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Shiny versus CardGrader.AI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShinyCardGrader.AI
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (3.8K ratings) — better4.7 (429 ratings)
Positive reviews95.2% of reviews — better60.9% of reviews
Number of ratings3.8K — better429
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#159 — better#169
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB90 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperShiny Cardboard LLCJeremy Junod

Customer experience

Shiny

All ratings3,742 ratings
Positive97.7%
Neutral1.1%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews684 reviews
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.6%

CardGrader.AI

All ratings427 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral13.0%
Negative26.1%

Bugs and requests

Shiny

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional crashes or freezes
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Wishlist feature
  • Grading recommendation system
  • Set-based organization
  • Total collection value tracking

CardGrader.AI

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Shiny

Subscriptions3
  • Shiny Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Shiny Pro - Collector Tools$7.991 Month
  • Shiny Pro - Collector Tools3 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time3
  • Collector Pro Gift Pass$34.99
  • Lifetime Collector Pro Pass$99.99
  • Lifetime Collector Pro Pass$119.99
10 purchases

CardGrader.AI

Subscriptions10
  • CardGrader 10$5.991 Month
  • Collector$7.991 Month
  • Collector$9.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Pro$17.991 Month
  • CardGrader 100$17.991 Month
  • Pro$19.991 Month
  • CardGrader 500$29.991 Month
  • Collector Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Collector (Annual)$59.991 Year
  • Collector Annual7 Days trial$119.991 Year

Questions

Is Shiny free?
Shiny is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CardGrader.AI free?
CardGrader.AI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shiny or CardGrader.AI?
Shiny is rated higher. Shiny averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while CardGrader.AI averages 4.7 from 429 ratings.
Do Shiny or CardGrader.AI have ads?
Neither Shiny nor CardGrader.AI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shiny or CardGrader.AI?
Shiny ships an update every 5 days, and CardGrader.AI every 4 days. Most recently, Shiny was updated on November 8, 2026 and CardGrader.AI on November 5, 2026.
Which is more popular, Shiny or CardGrader.AI?
Shiny currently peaks at #159 in the App Store charts, and CardGrader.AI at #169. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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