The best antique identifier apps, compared honestly

How we compared

On September 25, 2026 we opened each app's US App Store page and wrote down four things: the subtitle the developer chose, the in-app purchase prices the store lists, how the description says value is shown, and the rating count the store displays. We also read what each listing says about a free allowance and about spotting reproductions.

What we could not do: run an accuracy test. A fair one would put the same set of objects, with known sale prices, through every app and publish the photos and results. Nobody has published that, and we haven't either. So this page does not rank apps by accuracy, and you should be wary of any page that does without showing its test.

One more caution on prices. The App Store lists every price tier a developer has set up, including old ones and regional offers. The paywall you see inside an app may show only one or two of them.

The comparison table

Source: each app's US App Store page, checked September 25, 2026. Quotes are the developers' own words. AAB's free allowance comes from its website (antiqueidentify.com), checked the same day. Google Play availability was checked on Google Play the same day. Prices and tiers change, so check the store before you subscribe.

AntiqSnap

AntiqSnap, by Next Vision Limited, had the most ratings of any app here on the day we checked: 4.7 from about 31K. Its description promises to "identify, value, and organize your collection", with collection tracking and grading suggestions. Good for: people who want to catalog many pieces in one place. What to know: the listing calls its valuation "accurate" and mentions "trusted market prices" but does not name its sources. One of its own visible reviews, which was otherwise positive, said "the value estimates are off. They are definitely too high". That is one review among thousands, but it is worth checking any number against sold prices.

Curio

Curio, by Dionysus Labs, has been on the store since July 2024 and showed 4.8 from about 16K ratings. It is the most open of the group about its method: it gives "an estimated price range based on what similar pieces are on the market for" and shows visual matches you can tap to "check the estimate for yourself". You can add a maker's mark or pattern name after a scan. Good for: people who want an estimate and the listings behind it side by side. What to know: "on the market" can mean asking prices, which often run above what things sell for. A visible review said the estimate "is a little high sometimes but that's understandable based on online items for sale".

Zophi

Zophi, from 326 LAB, showed 4.8 from about 11K ratings. Its listing promises "professional-level insights in seconds" and an "instant antique appraisal". Good for: quick checks at a garage sale, and it lists plain weekly and yearly plans. What to know: in a reply to a user whose globe had been valued far higher on Antiques Roadshow, the developer explained that "Zophi's valuations are generated by AI, based only on the photos provided and on publicly available online listings." That is a fair description of every app on this page, including ours.

Relic

Relic, by Sans Software, showed 4.7 from about 7.3K ratings and is the one iPhone-only rival here. It is aimed at dealers and resellers, and says it "searches the web for similar items and real previous sales" to build a fact sheet with a "realistic USD value range". Good for: resellers pricing inventory. What to know: the listing says identification requires a subscription, and it lists ten price tiers up to $79.99. One visible review is titled "If you do the trial cancel before it ends", which is good advice for any app on this list.

Antique Identifier By Picture (AAB)

This app, by AAB Creative Studio, showed 4.6 from about 1.4K ratings. Its store subtitle is "Appraiser Snap: Vintage ID". Its website offers the most generous free allowance we could confirm: 3 scans, plus 10 more for watching ads. Good for: trying a few pieces before you pay anything. What to know: one visible review said the same item scanned several times "said three different prices". Scan each piece more than once before you trust a figure.

Google Lens

Google Lens is free and available through the Google app, Chrome and Google Photos through the Google app, Chrome and Google Photos. It finds images and listings that look like your photo, which can give you a maker, a pattern name or a search term. Good for: a free first look. What to know: it gives no value, the listings it finds are often asking prices for a different size or condition, and a reproduction looks the same as an original in a photo. These are limits of look-alike matching, not something Google says. Our Google Lens guide shows how to get the most out of it.

Vintio

Vintio is our app. It came out in September 2026 and has no ratings yet, so there is no track record to point to. You take up to three guided photos (the whole piece, the maker's mark, a detail), add a note if you have one, and get what the piece likely is, a rough era, style and origin, an estimated value range with the factors that move it, and a confidence level. When it is unsure, it shows other possibilities and which extra photo would help. What to know: it is iPhone only for now, the values are AI estimates, and it has no price database of its own. It links to a pre-filled eBay sold-listings search so you can check.

Which should you use?

• You want the most-reviewed apps: Curio or AntiqSnap. They had about 16K and 31K ratings on September 25, 2026.
• You want to pay nothing: Google Lens for look-alike matches, then eBay sold listings for prices. Among the apps, AAB offered the largest free allowance we could confirm, if you don't mind ads.
• You want to see the listings behind an estimate: Curio shows its visual matches.
• You price stock for resale: Relic is built for dealers and says it searches previous sales.
• You want a range with its reasons, and an app that tells you when it is unsure: Vintio.
• You are about to sell, insure or divide something that might be valuable: none of them. See a qualified appraiser.

Why every app's value is an estimate

All five rival apps use "appraise" or "appraiser" in their store subtitle. None of them, and not Vintio, gives a professional appraisal. An appraisal is a written opinion of value from a qualified person who has examined the piece, usually for a stated purpose such as insurance or an estate. An app sees a few photos. It cannot handle the piece, weigh it, check a repair under light, or know where it came from unless you say.

Treat any app's number as a starting point. Check it against what similar pieces actually sold for, using our guide to checking eBay sold prices. If the piece might be worth real money, read when you need an antique appraisal before you sell.

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