# Brick Scanner vs BrickSide

The clearest difference is monetization model: BrickSide at free with in-app purchases against Brick Scanner's subscription. BrickSide also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (50% vs 38%). Brick Scanner's advantage is ratings volume (709 vs 19). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Brick Scanner sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and BrickSide sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

BrickSide holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brick Scanner has 709 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Brick Scanner's written reviews are positive against 50% of BrickSide's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brick Scanner | BrickSide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (709 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brick-scanner-detect-and-build/id6751249486/reviews) | **[4.5 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brickside/id6756013576/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **709** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | 37.9% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 58 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jeremy Hoffmann](https://appshunter.io/developer/1624243573) | [Big Boy Brands, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1857960136) |

## What reviewers say

### Brick Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brick-scanner-detect-and-build/id6751249486)

Scan your building bricks with AI to identify them instantly. Discover which sets you can build from your collection and follow step-by-step instructions. Perfect for organizing, rebuilding, and finding creative inspiration.

**Highlights:** Smart AI brick scanning, Instant piece identification, Discover buildable sets, Step-by-step building instructions, Interactive brick catalog, Organize and sort bricks

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Week Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| 1 month subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| 1 Month Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| 6 Months Subscription | $9.99 | per 6 months |
| 1 year subscription | $14.99 | per year |
| 1 year subscription with Trial | $14.99 | per year |
| Lifetime access | $19.99 | one-time |


### BrickSide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brickside/id6756013576)

This app helps LEGO enthusiasts discover alternate builds (MOCs) and manage their collection. Scan set barcodes to identify them instantly and explore thousands of creative building ideas. It also provides detailed information on minifigures and allows you to track your owned sets.

**Highlights:** Barcode scanner for LEGO sets, Discover thousands of alternate builds (MOCs), Manage and track owned LEGO sets, Minifigure rarity and appearance details, Save desired sets to a wishlist

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BrickSide Premium | $5.99 | per month |
| BrickSide Premium | $59.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brick Scanner free?

Brick Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BrickSide free?

BrickSide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Brick Scanner or BrickSide?

BrickSide is rated higher. Brick Scanner averages 4.3 out of 5 from 709 ratings, while BrickSide averages 4.5 from 19 ratings.

### Do Brick Scanner or BrickSide have ads?

Neither Brick Scanner nor BrickSide shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Brick Scanner or BrickSide?

Brick Scanner ships an update every 2 weeks, and BrickSide every 2 weeks. Most recently, Brick Scanner was updated on October 17, 2026 and BrickSide on October 11, 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.*