CollX Vs. Ludex in a Showdown of Sports Card Scanning Apps

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It’s been over a year since I published this original post, and a lot has changed. I can now confidently say that I exclusively use CollX. (If you want to see the original post and scanning comparisons, scroll down below.)

Ludex is good, don’t get me wrong, but both as a card flipper and collector, CollX is commanding all of my card time.

Here is why:

Smooth and easy-to-navigate interface

One of CollX’s standout features is its intuitive and user-friendly design. Especially given all of the different features it offers, it’s extremely easy to find your way around, making it simple for collectors of all experience levels to scan, price, organize, buy, and sell their cards.

While load times can be improved and you’ll often get an “oops, try again” message, it’s not enough to deter from spending meaningful time on it every single day.

You can tell a lot of thought, planning, and development has gone into its look and functionality. The app’s clean layout ensures that key functions accessible without unnecessary clutter and clunkiness.

Constant app updates and improvements

With that said, there is always room for improvement, and I don’t think I’ve used an app that has as many updates as CollX has. In my opinion, this is just one area where CollX has demonstrated a strong commitment to refining its platform and making it as best as possible, regularly rolling out updates that enhance both functionality and user experience.

From refining card recognition technology to adding new marketplace features and improving price accuracy, these frequent updates ensure that the app remains a valuable tool for collectors. The developers actively engage with the community, incorporating user feedback to make meaningful improvements, reinforcing CollX’s reputation as a dynamic and ever-evolving platform.

Ability to easily organize your collection

For collectors who like to keep their inventory in order, CollX offers robust organization tools that make tracking and sorting cards a breeze. Users can categorize their collections based on sport, year, player, or personal preferences, allowing for better accessibility and management. The ability to filter and search within a growing collection is especially useful for those looking to keep tabs on their most valuable cards or identify gaps in their sets.

Unlike traditional spreadsheets or manual logging, CollX automates much of the process, saving collectors time while providing deeper insights into their holdings.

As a big insert set collector, one of my favorite features is being able to see – of the cards I’ve scanned in – which sets cards belong to and which of the set I’m missing. It’s a visual checklist, of sorts, and even better, you can quickly click into the cards you’re missing to buy them from the CollX marketplace.

Great deals on the marketplace

While the above organization features are among my favorite as a collector, as a card flipper, the marketplace offers an insane amount of deals. I won’t go into them all here, but I encourage you to read through my posts of the sneaky valuable steals I’ve come across (one being a $1,500 card I bought for $5.)

One recent feature CollX has recently rolled out is the “Great Value” button which allows buyers to – with the click of a button – filter results down to those cards for sale at prices lower than what they potentially should be.

Seller Tools

Full transparency, I don’t sell much on CollX, but I do see what they have to offer in the way of seller-friendly tools that simplify the process of listing and selling cards,

It starts with a scan! CollX streamlines the sales process by automatically populating card details when scanned, including estimated pricing data. This makes it significantly easier to price cards competitively without extensive research. With that said, always do your due diligence in pricing. If selling, I’d personally prefer to still manually check eBay comps.

Sellers also benefit from CollX’s integrated messaging system, which allows direct communication with potential buyers, reducing friction in the negotiation process. Plus, sellers can be notified when a buyer not only likes their card, but when they view as well.

The platform supports bulk listing features, enabling users to quickly upload multiple cards at once—an essential tool for those looking to move inventory efficiently. Additionally, CollX Pro members gain access to enhanced selling features, including boosted listings and priority visibility in the marketplace, helping their cards stand out.

Another advantage for sellers is the built-in payment and transaction management system, which helps ensure smooth and secure transactions. By keeping everything within the app, CollX minimizes the need for third-party payment processors or manual tracking of sales, making it a convenient all-in-one selling solution. Whether you’re offloading duplicates, funding new purchases, or running a dedicated side business, CollX’s seller tools provide the efficiency and visibility needed to maximize sales.

Get $10 in spending credits as a Pro Member

One of the biggest perks of upgrading to CollX Pro is the instant $10 spending credit that comes with membership. This credit can be used toward purchases within the marketplace, essentially giving collectors a head start in acquiring new cards.

For those who actively buy and sell, the Pro Membership can quickly pay for itself with additional benefits like enhanced scanning limits, exclusive insights, and priority support. If you’re serious about growing your collection, this bonus makes upgrading an easy decision.

Chances to earn spending credits

CollX goes beyond the standard marketplace model by offering multiple ways to earn spending credits, making it possible to build your collection without always spending out of pocket. One standout program is the Scan Back initiative, where users can scan cards that help improve CollX’s database accuracy and, in return, receive credits to use in the marketplace. Additionally, promotions, referral bonuses, and other reward-driven activities provide collectors with more ways to earn, making the app even more engaging.

I could go on, and it’s probably deserving of an entire new blog post, but hopefully that helps for now.

And again, here is the original post. Ludex performed better when scanning 90s inserts, but CollX has also made multiple improvements since this trial. Stay tuned for an updated comparison.

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Both CollX and Ludex are great sports card scanner options for anyone trying to value and organize their collection. While – during my review – Ludex did significantly better at scanning and recognizing 90s insert cards, I do like the smoothness of the CollX experience and the different ways to visualize your collection. I was impressed that both picked up numbered parallel variations, and could even identify refractors.

Here are the 40 cards I scanned with each app: 10 vintage, 10 junk wax era rookies, 10 90s inserts, and 10 modern cards. I attempted to mix in numbered parallels and different variations to trust both apps.

“CORRECT” means the app identified the card perfectly
“INCORRECT” means the app misidentified the card
“UNKNOWN” means the app wasn’t able to identify the card at all

In most cases, the “INCORRECT” card was identified as a very close parallel or “reprint.” For example, Ludex incorrectly identified the 1984 Donruss Tony Gwynn as a 1994 Donruss Anniversary “1984”—which looks exactly the same.

In other cases, the card was incorrectly identified simply because it didn’t recognize the type of parallel. For example, while Ludex mostly identified the 1996 Stadium Club Hideo Nomo Power Streak correctly, it didn’t identify that it was the “Members Only” parallel.

@ballcardgenius

Testing out the CollX app with some junk wax rookies…good stuff! #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen

♬ original sound – ballcardgenius

Of course, we always want the right card in our collection and the value between two cards can differ srasticaly. The good thing is, even when a card is identified incorrectly, you have the option to select the right card (and value) before adding to your collection.

It’s really only when either app couldn’t identify the card at all that you had to do some searching to either find or manually add.

CARD	COLLX	LUDEX
Tony Gwynn 1984 Donruss	CORRECT	INCORRECT
Dusty Baker 1975 Topps	CORRECT	CORRECT
George Brett 1984 Donruss	INCORRECT	CORRECT
Ozzie Smith 1981 Donruss	CORRECT	CORRECT
Lou Pinella 1974 Topps	INCORRECT	CORRECT
Brooks Robinson 1973 Topps	CORRECT	CORRECT
Tim Raines 1981 Topps	CORRECT	CORRECT
Rollie Fingers 1971 Topps	CORRECT	CORRECT
Johnny Bench 1969 Topps	UNKNOWN	INCORRECT
Johnny Bench 1968 Topps	CORRECT	CORRECT
Barry Bonds 1987 Donruss	CORRECT	CORRECT
Manny Ramirez 1992 Topps Gold Winner	CORRECT	INCORRECT
Larry Walker 1990 Leaf	INCORRECT	INCORRECT
Randy Johnson 1989 Topps	CORRECT	CORRECT
Juan Gonzalez 1990 Donruss Rev Neg	INCORRECT	INCORRECT
Jose Canseco 1986 Donruss The Rookies	CORRECT	CORRECT
Frank Thomas 1991 Topps Toys R’ Us	CORRECT	CORRECT
Chipper Jones 1990 Classic Yellow	CORRECT	CORRECT
Chipper Jones 1991 Classic Best	CORRECT	CORRECT
Juan Gonzalez 1990 CMC	UNKNOWN	CORRECT
Rickey Henderson 2017 Topps Update	CORRECT	CORRECT
Ronald Acuna 2020 Topps Chrome Refractor	CORRECT	INCORRECT
Josh Jung 2019 Donruss American Pride Bronze	INCORRECT	CORRECT
Bryce Harper 2015 Prizm RWB	CORRECT	INCORRECT
Rickey Henderson 2020 Allen Ginter Green Chrome /99	CORRECT	CORRECT
Ken Griffey Jr. 2022 Topps Archives	INCORRECT	CORRECT
Ramon Laureano 2021 Topps Gypsy Queen BW /50	INCORRECT	CORRECT
Mike Trout 2021 Topps National Baseball Card Day	CORRECT	CORRECT
Bryce Harper 2013 Topps Update US180 Red	CORRECT	CORRECT
Matt Olson 2016 Stars & Stripes Crusade	UNKNOWN	UNKNOWN
Barry Bonds 1999 Topps Lords of the Diamonds	UNKNOWN	CORRECT
Ivan Rodriguez 2000 Topps Hands of Gold	UNKNOWN	CORRECT
Ken Caminiti 1997 Topps Hobby Masters	UNKNOWN	CORRECT
Derek Jeter 2021 Topps Golden Anniversary	UNKNOWN	INCORRECT
Will Clark 1994 Flair Hot Gloves	UNKNOWN	CORRECT
Tim Salmon 1997 Select Tools of the Trade	UNKNOWN	CORRECT
Barry Bonds 1995 Donruss Long Ball Leaders	CORRECT	CORRECT
Frank Thomas 2001 Bowman’s Best Impact Players	UNKNOWN	CORRECT
Hideo Nomo 1996 Stadium Club Power Streak Members Only	UNKNOWN	INCORRECT
Barry Bonds 1997 Ultra Power Plus	CORRECT	CORRECT

In the end, are either of these apps perfect? Of course not, nothing is. Especially during a time where each card has seemingly one hundred different parallels, mixed in with reissues and design similarities, it’s amazing these apps are as good as they are.