The short answer
Pick by the card, not by the company. Three questions settle most cases.
- What is the card worth at the grade you expect? Under about $200, a $59.99 PSA fee eats most of any grading premium, and CGC's $17 to $20 tiers often make the math work. Above that, the label premium can matter more than the fee.
- Do sold listings show a PSA premium for this exact card? Compare recent PSA 10 and CGC 10 sales of the same card. That gap, if there is one, is the number that should drive your choice, and it differs card by card.
- How soon do you need the card back? CGC's Standard tier is $55 with a 10 working day estimate. PSA's closest speed is Express at $199 for 20 to 30 business days.
PSA vs CGC prices and turnaround (checked October 18, 2026)
| Company and tier | Price per card | Max value per card | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| CGC Bulk | $17 (25-card minimum) | $500 | 150 working days |
| CGC Economy | $20 | $1,000 | 90 working days |
| CGC Standard | $55 | $3,000 | 10 working days |
| CGC Express | $100 | $10,000 | 5 working days |
| CGC WalkThrough | $300 | $100,000 | 2 working days |
| PSA Standard | $59.99 | $1,000 | 90 to 100 business days |
| PSA Priority | $79.99 | $1,500 | 70 to 80 business days |
| PSA Express | $199 | $2,500 | 20 to 30 business days |
| PSA Super Express | $349 | $5,000 | 10 to 15 business days |
| PSA Premier | $599 | $10,000 | 7 to 10 business days |
| PSA Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, Value Max | Paused | n/a | Paused since June 2, 2026 |
Both companies call these estimates, not guarantees. PSA also says new Standard orders are processed behind the Value and Bulk orders it already had when it paused those tiers, so a fresh Standard order waits in a long line. Track that line on our PSA turnaround times and backlog tracker.
Here is what the gap looks like on a real order. Ten cards on PSA Standard cost $599.90 in grading fees, plus $29.99 in PSA return shipping for 10 to 19 cards at the $2,000 insured level. The same ten cards on CGC Economy cost $200 in grading fees. Twenty-five cards on CGC Bulk cost $425, against $1,499.75 on PSA Standard. Return shipping and your inbound postage come on top for both. Price your own mix with the grading cost calculator.
Both companies bill extra when a card turns out to be worth more than your tier allows. PSA moves only that card to a higher service level and notifies you of the added fee. CGC says the submitter pays the difference and the card moves to the higher tier. Declare honestly on both.
Resale value: PSA 10 vs CGC 10 vs CGC Pristine 10
We don't publish a single "PSA 10 is worth X% more" figure, because the gap changes by card, by era and by month, and any fixed number would be wrong for most cards. What you are really paying PSA's higher fee for is the price buyers will pay for its label on your specific card, so measure that directly instead of relying on hobby rules of thumb. Also look at how many sold listings each slab has. A card with dozens of recent PSA 10 sales and two CGC 10 sales is easier to price and sell in a PSA slab.
CGC adds a grade PSA doesn't have. Its scale puts a Pristine 10, which CGC describes as virtually flawless to the naked eye with 50/50 centering, above a Gem Mint 10, where one of the grading criteria falls short of Pristine. Pristine 10 cards get their own label. PSA's top grade is Gem Mint 10, with nothing above it.
To compare for your card, pull recent sold prices for the same card in a PSA 10, a CGC 10 and, if any exist, a CGC Pristine 10. Then do the same at a 9. If the PSA premium at your expected grade is bigger than the fee difference (about $40 per card between PSA Standard and CGC Economy), PSA wins. If not, CGC does. The is my card worth grading calculator runs that math with current fees.
Grading standards and centering
On paper, the two companies ask for the same centering at the 10 level.
| Grade | Front centering | Back centering |
|---|---|---|
| PSA Gem Mint 10 | About 55/45 or better | About 75/25 or better |
| CGC Gem Mint 10 | About 55/45 or better | 75/25 or better |
| CGC Pristine 10 | 50/50 | |
| CGC Mint 9 | 60/40 or better | 90/10 or better |
CGC also says a Gem Mint 10 needs corners that look perfect to the naked eye and Mint+ under 10x magnification. In practice the difference between the graders shows up less in the written rules and more in how strictly each applies them to surface and edge wear, which is why collectors argue about it endlessly. Centering is the one thing you can measure yourself before you choose.
Membership and minimums
- PSA. You can submit through PSA's Online Submission Center without a paid membership. Collectors Club costs $149 a year (Standard) or $199 a year (Premium, which adds Card Ladder Pro). Its headline grading perk, bulk pricing listed from $24.99 per card, is temporarily paused along with the Value tiers. PSA's open tiers list no card minimum.
- CGC. CGC's fee schedule applies to direct submissions by members, and its free membership tier includes CGC submission privileges. Paid tiers are $39 (Associate), $159 (Premium) and $329 (Elite) a year. Associate and Premium members get 10% off grading and Elite members 20%. The only minimum is the 25 cards required for Bulk, and CGC lets you mix card types and games in that order.
For a casual submitter the free CGC tier and PSA without a club membership both work. A paid CGC tier pays for itself only if you grade a lot: 10% off $20 Economy saves $2 a card, so the $39 Associate tier breaks even at about 20 Economy cards a year.
Which Pokémon cards go to which grader
| Card | Usually better at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Modern bulk hits and mid-value pulls (raw under about $100) | CGC Bulk or Economy | A $17 to $20 fee leaves room for profit. A $59.99 PSA fee often doesn't. |
| Chase cards where PSA 10 sales clearly beat CGC 10 sales | PSA | The label premium covers the higher fee. Check the gap first. |
| Cards you think are flawless | Either, compare sold prices | CGC Pristine 10 sits a step above a 10 on CGC's scale. Compare its sales with PSA 10 sales for your card. |
| Cards you are keeping, not selling | CGC | Resale premium doesn't matter if you aren't selling, so the lower fee wins. |
| Cards you want back fast | CGC Standard | $55 for a 10 working day estimate, against $199 for PSA Express at 20 to 30 business days. |
| Cards worth over $1,000 graded | Depends on the tier cap | PSA Standard covers up to $1,000. CGC Economy also covers up to $1,000, and CGC Standard covers up to $3,000. |
For how PSA and CGC stack up against BGS, SGC and TAG, see our grading companies comparison, and for Pokémon-specific prep, the Pokémon card grading guide.
Check your card before you choose
The biggest cost isn't the grader you pick. It's paying either one to slab a card that comes back a 7. Before you sort cards into a PSA pile and a CGC pile, check centering and condition so you only pay to grade the cards that have a real shot at a 9 or 10.
Binder AI scans the front and back of a card and returns an AI grade estimate on the PSA, BGS or TAG scale you choose, with centering, corners, edges and surface subgrades and written condition notes. It also shows eBay sold prices and a graded value table, which is where you can see whether a PSA premium exists for your card. Its grades are estimates to help you decide what to submit, not official grades. The app is free to download, and grading is included in a subscription of $1.99/week, $3.99/month or $24.99/year on the website ($4.99/month or $29.99/year in the iOS App Store). You can sign up for Binder AI on iOS, Android or the web.
Sources, checked October 18, 2026: PSA trading card grading service levels, PSA: new Standard service level, PSA service level update, May 2026, PSA backlog tracker, PSA return postage rates, PSA coverage and max insured value, PSA Collectors Club, PSA FAQ, PSA grading standards, CGC services and fees, CGC grading scale, CGC membership.
