Cardex app icon Cardex

Free on iOS & Android

Pokémon Card Identifier

Cardex is a free Pokémon card identifier app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Point your camera at any card and it identifies the exact card, set, collector number, rarity and variant in seconds, then shows what the card is currently worth.

4.7 on the App Store · Also on Google Play

Identifies by photo, no typing Set, number, rarity & variant English & Japanese cards Price shown with every match

What you get

Everything the Identifier Tells You About a Card

One scan replaces reading the small print, learning set symbols and searching listings by hand.

🃏

Exact card name

Including regional forms, owner prefixes and tags such as ex, V, VMAX, GX or EX.

📦

Set and set code

Which expansion the card is from, with the three-letter code and release era, from Base Set to the newest Mega Evolution sets.

🔢

Collector number

The card's position in the set, including secret rares numbered above the set size and subsets such as Trainer Gallery.

⭐

Rarity tier

Common, Uncommon, Rare, Double Rare, Ultra Rare, Illustration Rare, Special Illustration Rare, Hyper Rare and more.

✨

Variant

Regular, holo, reverse holo and other finishes that share a card number but sell for very different prices.

💰

Current value

Raw and graded prices, recent eBay sales and price history for the identified card, on the same screen.

How it works

Identify a Pokémon Card in 3 Steps

1

Open the scanner

Download Cardex free, open it and start automatic scanning. No account is needed to identify a card.

2

Point the camera at the card

Front side, any orientation, in or out of a sleeve. Cardex reads the artwork and the printed details together, so it also works on worn cards where the corner text is hard to read.

3

Read the match

The exact card, set, number, rarity and variant appear with the current price. Keep going through the stack; every card can be added to your collection as you identify it.

Why identify by photo instead of searching by name

Typing "Charizard" into a search box returns hundreds of cards. The same Pokémon has been printed dozens of times across 25 years of sets, and each printing has its own number, rarity and price. Getting the set or variant wrong means getting the price wrong, sometimes by a factor of a hundred.

A photo-based identifier skips the ambiguity. Cardex matches the artwork, frame and printed details against its card database and returns the one printing you are actually holding. It distinguishes reprints, alternate arts, holo and reverse holo versions and secret rares that reuse the same picture.

Works on old and new cards

  • Modern sets from Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution, including Illustration Rares, Special Illustration Rares and gold Hyper Rares.
  • Sword & Shield, Sun & Moon, XY and earlier eras, including V, VMAX, VSTAR, GX, EX and Trainer Gallery cards.
  • Vintage Wizards of the Coast cards from 1999 to 2003, including Base Set cards that have no set symbol at all.
  • Japanese cards, which use their own set codes, numbering and rarity letters.

What the identifier does not do

Cardex identifies and prices cards. It does not authenticate them: no scanner app can tell a well-made counterfeit from a genuine card through a phone camera. What it can do is show you the genuine card's official set, number, rarity and artwork so you have a reference to compare against. Our guide on how to tell if a Pokémon card is fake covers the physical checks.

Comparing scanner apps? See our side-by-side comparison of eight Pokémon card scanner apps.

Prefer to identify a card by hand?

The manual method works too, it is just slower. Read the collector number and set code in the bottom corner, then match them against a set list. These guides explain every mark on the card:

Inside the app

From Identification to Value in One Screen

Cardex identifying a Cinccino ex card and showing its set, number and raw price
Card identified with set and number
Cardex identifying a Paldean Wooper illustration rare from the camera
Works on Illustration Rares
Cardex identifying a Japanese Pokémon card and showing its price
Identifies Japanese cards
Review Your Scans screen listing four identified cards with variant, condition and total value
Review and add to collection

FAQ

Pokémon Card Identifier FAQ

Is there a free app that identifies Pokémon cards?
Yes. Cardex is free to download on the App Store and Google Play and identifies cards from your camera. An optional premium subscription unlocks the full experience.
Can it identify a Pokémon card from a photo?
Yes. Point the camera at the front of the card and Cardex identifies the exact card, set, collector number, rarity and variant. You do not need to type anything.
Does the identifier work on Japanese Pokémon cards?
Yes. Cardex identifies English and Japanese cards. Japanese printings are priced separately from English ones, and the app shows the right market for the card you scanned.
Does it tell me what the card is worth?
Yes. Every identified card shows current raw and graded prices, recent eBay sales and price history, with market data from eBay, TCGplayer and Cardmarket.
Does it work on old or worn cards?
Usually. Cardex matches the artwork as well as the printed details, so it identifies most vintage and played cards even when the corner text is scuffed. Very heavily damaged cards may need a manual search by name and set.
Can it tell if a Pokémon card is fake?
No. Cardex identifies and prices cards but does not authenticate them. It shows you the genuine card's set, number, rarity and artwork to compare against. See our guide on spotting fake Pokémon cards.
Can I identify a whole binder quickly?
Yes. Start automatic scanning and move from card to card without restarting the camera. Each identified card can be added to your collection, which totals the value as you go.

Identify Your First Card in Seconds

Download Cardex free, point the camera at a card and see exactly what it is and what it is worth.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

Free to download. iOS 16.4 or later and Android.