Short answer
Pick Cardly AI if you mostly want to identify cards, track market prices and total collection value, and like the idea of asking an AI chat about rarity or sets. It also sells a separate Batch Scan purchase. Pick Binder AI if the main question is whether a card is worth sending to a grader, and you want an estimate on a named scale with subgrades and notes, next to sold prices and a graded value table. If you cannot decide, run the same few cards through both, as described near the end of this page.
Feature and pricing table
| Binder AI | Cardly AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free download; grading included in $1.99/week, $3.99/month or $24.99/year on the website ($4.99/month or $29.99/year in the App Store) | Free download with in-app purchases. Its App Store in-app purchase list includes CardIdentifier Premium Weekly at $5.99 and $6.99, Cardly Yearly Premium $49.99, CardIdentifier Premium Annual $39.99, Monthly Subscription $14.99, Batch Scan $9.99, and other Premium items from $3.99 to $29.99 |
| Free option | Free download; grading needs a subscription | Free download; the listing does not say how many scans or grades are free |
| Grade estimates | Overall estimate on the PSA, BGS or TAG scale you choose | "AI Grading" gives a quick estimate of a card's potential grade; the listing does not name a grading scale |
| Subgrades and notes | Centering, corners, edges, surface, with written condition notes, plus a manual centering tool | Not listed |
| Card ID | Yes | Name, set, expansion, rarity and card number from a photo |
| Prices and values | eBay sold prices, price history, graded value table | Lowest and average market prices, price history and trends, total collection value |
| Collection | Binders by game or sport, sharing, wishlists | Binder and collections, duplicates and favorites, collection value |
| Extras | Written condition notes with each grade estimate | AI chat for questions about rarity, sets or value; Batch Scan purchase |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, web | iPhone and iPad (also listed for Apple silicon Macs and Vision Pro), Android |
| Cards covered | Pokémon, MTG, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Digimon, Lorcana, baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, WWE, non-sport | Basketball, baseball, football, hockey, soccer "and more", plus Pokémon, MTG, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon, Lorcana and One Piece |
| App Store rating | Cardly AI has 4.5 from about 11,700 ratings (October 2026) | |
Cardly AI's App Store page lists in-app purchases by name and price but not always by billing period, so check the price shown in the app before you subscribe. The listing is in English only.
How each app works
Cardly AI starts with a photo. Its listing says it recognizes the card within seconds and pulls the name, set, expansion, rarity and card number. From there you see market prices and history, save the card to your binder and watch total collection value. Its AI Grading feature gives a quick estimate of a card's potential grade "based on visible condition signals" to help you decide what to submit. A built-in chat answers questions about rarity, sets and value.
Binder AI works from a photo of the front and a photo of the back. You choose the PSA, BGS or TAG scale first, and get an overall estimate with centering, corners, edges and surface subgrades and written notes on what it saw. The app also identifies the card and shows eBay sold prices, price history and a graded value table, so you can compare a raw price with what a high grade might sell for. To check centering yourself, use the manual tool in the app or the free card centering calculator on this site.
Where Cardly AI is stronger
- AI chat. You can ask questions about a card's rarity, set or value inside the app.
- Collection extras. Marking duplicates and favorites and watching total collection value are built into its collection view.
- Batch scanning. Its in-app purchase list includes a Batch Scan option at $9.99 for people who scan a lot of cards at once.
- Apple devices. The App Store lists it for iPad, Apple silicon Macs and Vision Pro as well as iPhone.
- A large rating base. 4.5 stars from about 11,700 App Store ratings in October 2026.
Where Binder AI is stronger
- Named grading scales. You pick PSA, BGS or TAG before grading. Cardly AI's listing does not say which scale its estimate uses.
- Subgrades and notes. Binder AI shows centering, corners, edges and surface separately, with written notes, and has a manual centering tool.
- Graded value table. Sold prices sit next to what graded copies sell for, which helps with the "is it worth grading" decision.
- Web access. Binder AI runs in a browser as well as on iOS and Android.
- Published plan prices. Website plans are $1.99/week, $3.99/month or $24.99/year, with grading included.
Which to pick by collector type
- New collector sorting a shoebox. Cardly AI's scan, price and collection value tools, and its chat for basic questions, fit this well.
- Sports and TCG collector in one app. Both cover sports cards and the main trading card games, so choose on the other features.
- Collector deciding what to submit. Binder AI, for a scale-specific estimate with subgrades and a graded value table.
- TAG submitter. Binder AI, since it offers a TAG scale.
- Someone who works on a laptop. Binder AI, which has a web version.
For a wider view, see the best sports card scanner apps and the best AI card grading apps. Our Binder AI review covers what the app does well and where it falls short.
Try both on the same cards
Feature lists only go so far. The fairest test is a few cards you already know.
- Pick three to five cards, including at least one you expect to grade well and one with visible wear.
- Photograph each card on a dark, flat surface with soft light and no glare. Use the same photos in both apps where you can.
- Compare whether each app identified the card correctly, what price it showed and what grade information it gave.
- If you know a card's real grade, write it next to each app's result.
A handful of cards will not prove which app is more accurate, but it shows which one reads your cards and answers your questions. If a card looks like a grading candidate, the is my card worth grading calculator helps you check the fee against the likely gain.
About Binder AI
Binder AI is an AI pre-grading app for iOS, Android and the web. You photograph the front and back of a card and get an overall grade estimate on the PSA, BGS or TAG scale you choose, with centering, corners, edges and surface subgrades and written condition notes. It also has a manual centering tool, identifies the card, shows eBay sold prices, price history and a graded value table, and sorts cards into binders by game or sport with sharing and wishlists. It supports Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Digimon, Lorcana, baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, WWE and non-sport cards. The app is free to download, and grading is included in a subscription: $1.99/week, $3.99/month or $24.99/year on the website ($4.99/month or $29.99/year in the App Store).
