Compared
Everything else is tap, wait, repeat
Three kinds of app catalogue vinyl. Discogs is the database and the free reference app: barcode or typed search. The established cataloguers are barcode-first with a subscription. The new photo-scan apps identify a cover from a phone snap, one tap per record. None of them watch a camera, read the label, or talk back. VinylCat does, and it is the only one that is Mac-only.
Researched 9 September 2026 · prices in US dollars from the US App Store · "not found" means it could not be verified, not that it is absent
| VinylCat | Discogs app | CLZ Music | Record Scanner | VinylAI | VinylBox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Native macOS 15+, Apple silicon | iOS, Android, web. No Mac app | iOS, Android, web, native Mac and Windows desktop | iOS, Android. No desktop | iOS, Android. No desktop | iPhone, iPad. Runs on a Mac as an iPad app |
| Price | Free. Your own Discogs token and model key, from $0.0005 a scan. OCR-only costs nothing | Free. 9% commission when selling | $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year on mobile; $3.95 a month or $39.95 a year on the web | Free for 30 records, then $4.99 a month or about $12 to $39 a year | Free core; premium unlocks from $2.79 to $39.99 | Free base; Pro about $1.99 to $7.99 a month |
| How it identifies | Webcam or iPhone over Continuity Camera. Barcode, on-device OCR and catalogue-number matching, plus an optional vision model that reads the label or cover | Barcode scan, typed search, catalogue-number search | Barcode scan on phone or webcam, typed search, catalogue number. No photo recognition | Cover-photo recognition, barcode, catalogue number | Photo of the cover, label or barcode | Barcode, Apple Visual Intelligence cover search, Shazam audio |
| Reads the label | Yes. The label is where it looks first, so singles and worn LPs match on the catalogue number | No | No | Cover first. Catalogue number is a separate scan mode | Yes, claimed | No |
| Hands-free, voice, spoken results | Yes. Hold it up, chime, next. Voice commands on-device, result read out, a key for every command | No. One at a time | Barcode queue mode. Not camera-triggered, no voice | No. One shot per scan | No | No |
| When it gets one wrong | Thumbs down keeps the OCR lines, the model's reading and every candidate. Review re-searches from them and logs the fix | Remove and re-add by hand | Edit by hand | Not found | Not found | Alternate-match review after a scan |
| Discogs sync | Two-way, off by default. Pushes matches, pulls the collection, never deletes on Discogs | Is Discogs | Import only, one-way | Push to collection and wishlist. Pull not confirmed | Two-way, claimed | Collection and wantlist sync, marketplace listings |
| Where your data lives | On your Mac. No account, no vendor cloud. Only Discogs and the model provider you chose see anything | Discogs servers | CLZ Cloud. A local file on desktop | Vendor cloud, account required | Vendor servers, with third-party trackers disclosed | Discogs plus on-device |
Where VinylCat wins
Hands free, label first
- The only hands-free oneHold up, chime, next. A crate of 50 singles is a ten-minute job with both hands on the records.
- Reads the labelThe others are cover-first. The catalogue number on the label is what identifies a single, and it is the first thing VinylCat looks for.
- Free, and your data is yoursNo subscription, no vendor cloud, no trackers. The model runs on your own Claude, OpenAI or Google key, from about a twentieth of a cent a scan.
- A real correction loopNothing else shows why it chose what it chose, or learns from the fix.
- Discogs sync that never deletesOff until you switch it on. Removed on Discogs means unlinked here, never gone.
Where it loses
Mac only, and honest about it
- Mac only, Apple silicon onlyEvery competitor is on a phone. If you catalogue in the shop, this is not the app for that.
- Not notarised by AppleThe first launch takes a six-step detour through Privacy & Security — once only, since it updates itself after that. Written out here.
- Two keys to set upA Discogs token and a model key. The others are one install and go.
- No marketplace, wantlist or socialIt catalogues. Selling and swapping stay on Discogs.
