Comparisons
12 Best Vinyl and CD Collection Apps in 2026 Compared
Most record apps look alike: a grid of covers and a scan button. What matters is what happens after the scan. Our pick is Plastic, our own app. Discogs is the best free option.
Quick picks
Best overallPlasticScans a cover, compares pressings and plays the album. iPhone and Android, free for 20 records.
Best freeDiscogsThe record database and marketplace, with no collection cap we could find.
Best for detailed inventoryCLZ MusicCustom fields, locations and purchase details, on every platform.
Best offlineDiscographicKeeps your Discogs collection on the phone for shops with no signal.
Quick comparison
| App | Price | Cover scan | Listen | Record value | Public page | Release radar | Album anniversaries | Backups | Database | Dead wax search | Custom tags | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic | Free$23.99/yr ($2/mo) | Market price + estimate+ own price | Cloud + export | Discogs + own | 4.9 | |||||||
| Discogs | Free | Videos | Market price + estimate | Partial | Cloud + export | Discogs | Website | Folders | 4.8 | |||
| CLZ Music | Trial$19.99/yr | Own price | Cloud + export | CLZ + Discogs | 4.8 | |||||||
 Record Scanner | Free$38.99/yr | Links | Market price | Cloud + exportvendor | Discogs | Folders | 4.8 | |||||
 VinylBox | Free$19.99/yr | vendor | Market price + estimate | Export | Discogs | Shows runouts | 4.7 | |||||
| Discographic | Free$5.99 or $9.99 once | Export | Discogs | Pro | 4.7 | |||||||
 Groovv | Free$12.99/yr | vendor | Links | Own price | Export (Pro) | Discogs | Pro | 5.0 | ||||
 Vinyl Record App | Free$5.99/mo | Paid | Links | Cloud | Discogs | 4.8 | ||||||
 SnapVinyl | Free | Text only | Apple Music | Discogs | 4.8 | |||||||
 VinylSnap | Trial$39.99/yr | Label only | Market price | Export | Own | 4.7 | ||||||
 MusicBuddy | Free$9.99 once | Cloud + export | Unclear | 4.8 | ||||||||
 iCollect Music | Free$79.99/yr | Paid | Cloud + export | Own + Discogs | 4.5 |
US App Store prices and scores, 22 to 26 October 2026.
Best vinyl collection app for your goal
PlasticScan a cover, play a preview, read its story and check Discogs prices. Plastic shows if you already own it, and saves the rest to your wishlist.
You mostly listen at homePlasticPreviews, album stories and anniversaries for the records you own.
You buy and sell recordsDiscogsThe marketplace and wishlist alerts live here.
You need an offline toolDiscographicA simple catalogue app that works offline.
You catalogue every detailCLZ MusicCustom fields, storage locations and purchase details.
Detailed reviews
Plastic is our app. These reviews draw on App Store scores and on user reviews from the App Store and Reddit.
Plastic is a collection app for vinyl, CDs and cassettes on iPhone and Android. Its design won a Red Dot Award in 2026. Scan a cover, a barcode or a photo, and Plastic finds the album. It lists every pressing with label photos and runout text, and a runout word narrows the list.
The album page plays 30-second previews and a video for each track where one exists. It tells the album's story and marks its anniversary. Your shelf gets its own public page at myplastic.app/@you.
Discogs is optional: connect it and Plastic syncs your collection both ways, for free. Plastic is free for cataloguing and managing collections of up to 20 records, with no subscription required. Pro costs $23.99 a year, about $2 a month.
On Reddit, users praise the design and the two-way Discogs sync. Some ask for an iPad app.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Red Dot Award winner for app design, 2026.
- Cover, barcode and photo scans for vinyl, CDs and cassettes.
- Every pressing with label photos and runout text, plus runout search.
- Previews and track videos on the album page.
- One public web page for your wall of records, your wishlist and your collections.
- Album anniversaries, which we found in no other app on this list.
- Radar for new releases and reissues.
- Free two-way Discogs sync.
- A market price range and a value estimate for each record, with community and rarity stats.
- Export of the whole collection.
Cons
- The free tier shows 20 records and gives five starter scans.
- No offline mode or iPad app.
- No selling tools.
The bottom line
If your records are for listening, start with Plastic. If you mainly sell, use Discogs. If you want a field for every detail, use CLZ.
2Discogs
Best freeDiscogs is the database behind most apps here. Its contributors document every pressing, and its marketplace sells them. The app is free, with no in-app purchases and no collection cap we could find. It runs on iPhone, Android and the web.
You add records by search or barcode. The collection sorts by artist, title, year, label, format, catalogue number or value, and shows an estimated collection value. Your wishlist (Discogs calls it a wantlist) alerts you when someone lists a copy for sale. Release pages play videos, not previews. We found no cover scan or album stories in the app, and runout search works only on the website.
Low-star App Store reviews this year mostly mention sign-in problems and the 3.0 redesign.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free, with no collection cap we could find.
- The reference database for pressings.
- Marketplace and wishlist alerts in one app.
Cons
- Recent updates lean towards shopping.
- Folders and custom fields open the website on iPhone.
- 1.8 on Google Play.
The bottom line
Use it to research, buy and sell. Plastic, VinylBox, Discographic and SnapVinyl all connect to it.
3CLZ Music
Best for detailed inventoryCLZ Music is built for detail: condition, location, purchase price and your own fields for every album. CLZ, based in Amsterdam, has made collection software since 1996. The app runs on iPhone, iPad and Android, and syncs through CLZ Cloud.
You add albums by barcode, by artist and title, or by catalogue number. Details come from CLZ's own database or from Discogs. Since September, each album can hold up to five extra photos, and folders group the collection by almost any field. We found no new-release feed, runout search or album anniversaries.
On the App Store it costs $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year. Price is the most common complaint in its lower-rated reviews.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Custom fields, locations and purchase details.
- Every platform, with cloud sync and a shared collection page.
- Steady updates.
Cons
- No free tier after the trial.
- The web editor is a second subscription.
- No cover scan or in-app listening that we found.
The bottom line
Best when your collection is an inventory. It offers less for browsing and listening.
4Record Scanner
Record Scanner reads a cover, barcode or catalogue number for vinyl, CDs and cassettes. Its website calls the cover scan the main way to add a record. Each record goes on a shelf you name, with a field for where it sits.
The app shows a market value for each record and for the collection, with stats by genre. It keeps a wishlist, exports to CSV and Excel, and can list a record on the Discogs Marketplace. Albums open in Spotify, Tidal or YouTube Music. We found no runout search, release radar or track videos.
It runs on iPhone and Android, with no iPad layout. Reviewers describe large inherited collections, from 2,400 LPs to 7,000 CDs.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Cover, barcode and catalogue-number scans.
- Shelves, stats and export.
- iPhone and Android.
Cons
- Reviewers say the free version stops at 30 records.
- Unlimited costs $38.99 a year.
- Some reviewers say values run high.
The bottom line
A quick way to get a mixed box into a list.
5VinylBox
VinylBox manages your Discogs collection on iPhone and iPad, with Smart Folders, tags and a seller tab. The developer says changes sync back to Discogs. It is an independent app, not made by Discogs.
Cover scan arrived in August. Since September, scan results show runouts and barcodes, and offer other matches. It handles vinyl, CDs and cassettes, plays albums through Apple Music and scrobbles to Last.fm. It needs a Discogs account, and we found no public page for your shelf or album anniversaries.
The free plan limits cover scans, and when we tried it, a banner blocked the screen about every minute. Pro adds unlimited scans, collection insights and publishing Discogs listings.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Smart Folders and tags.
- Cover and barcode scans.
- Discogs listing and order tools.
Cons
- Apple only.
- Ten Pro plans: weekly, monthly and yearly.
- Recent reviews mention crashes.
The bottom line
For Discogs sellers on Apple devices.
6Discographic
Best offlineDiscographic downloads your Discogs collection and wishlist to the phone, so it works with no signal. Changes sync both ways. The offline copy also holds your seller inventory, marketplace prices, sales history and saved searches.
It adds records by barcode or by catalogue number, artist or title, in any format Discogs lists. It calculates a low, median and high value for the collection, and groups wishlist entries for the same album. Albums play through Apple Music, with Last.fm scrobbling. Spotify was removed in August. There is no public page, new-release feed or track video that we could find.
Collector features cost $5.99 and Pro features $9.99, both one-time. Pro adds tags, several accounts and selling tools. The app has been on the App Store since 2015, and its design has not kept up with newer apps.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Works offline.
- One-time price.
- Export, folders and notes.
Cons
- Apple only, and it needs Discogs.
- No update since 10 August.
- No cover scan that we found.
The bottom line
For Discogs users who dig where there is no signal and would rather pay once.
7Groovv
Groovv is a vinyl-only app from March 2026, on iPhone and Android. The free tier holds 100 records and a 25-record wishlist, with unlimited barcode scans and 10 cover scans. A barcode scan opens a list of pressings to choose from. If a cover scan misses, you can scan the back or the label.
The free tier also has a grading assistant, and a field for the price you paid. You browse the shelf as crates, a mosaic, cards or a list. It logs your spins and your gear, and gives the collection a public web page with share cards for Instagram Stories and TikTok. We found no record value estimates, artist discographies, release radar, album stories or anniversaries.
Pro adds unlimited records, 50 cover scans a day, CSV export and custom tags.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 100 records free.
- Cheap Pro, or $29.99 for life.
- A public page and share cards.
- iPhone and Android.
Cons
- Vinyl only.
- No Discogs folders and custom fields.
- No in-app player: albums open in Spotify or Apple Music.
The bottom line
A good free start for a small vinyl shelf.
Honourable mentions
8Vinyl Record App
Best for a friends feedA vinyl collection and wishlist with a feed of what your friends add. Version 3.0 arrived in August with a cover scanner, a barcode scanner, Discogs sync, Cover Flow browsing and a Random Record widget. The free app covers search, the collection, the wishlist and tags. We found no public web page, release radar or album stories.
Pros
- Friends feed.
- Discogs sync.
Cons
- Scans need Premium.
- No Android version that we found.
9SnapVinyl
A free app to browse and edit your Discogs collection and wishlist, with Apple Music playback. It finds records by barcode or by reading text with the camera, and shows when a scanned record is already in your collection. It also has a collection value, artist and label pages, and translates Discogs release notes. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac. It reads text rather than covers, and we found no public page or album anniversaries.
Pros
- Free, with no in-app purchases.
- Simple.
Cons
- No additional collection management tools.
- Only Discogs data.
- No Android version that we found.
- The barcode scanner has not worked for months.
- No major updates or bug fixes for months.
10VinylSnap
VinylSnap reads a photo of the centre label. Its developer says it returns the album, a price, the release year, the tracklist and a grading suggestion. Scans go into a saved list with a total value, which you can sort, filter and export. We found no way to listen, no wishlist and no Discogs link.
Pros
- One photo per record.
- iPhone and Android.
Cons
- Users say the prices look random.
- No update since November 2025.
11MusicBuddy
An album tracker for vinyl and CDs on iPhone, iPad and Mac. You add albums by barcode, by search or from a CSV file, and sort them into owned, wishlist, borrowed and previously owned. It tracks loans, finds duplicates and syncs through iCloud or Dropbox. The free version has every feature, up to 50 albums. We found no cover scan, Discogs sync or way to play an album.
Pros
- Pay once: $9.99 for life.
- Loans, tags, and export to CSV, PDF or HTML.
Cons
- Needs iOS 26 or later.
- No Android version that we found.
12iCollect Music
A catalogue for CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks and reel-to-reel, on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android. It adds items by barcode or search, keeps up to four photos per item, and tracks loans, purchase price and storage location. You can share the collection on the web. Since November 2025, AI scans identify items that have no barcode. We found no way to play an album, no release radar and no album stories.
Pros
- Android, iPhone, iPad and Mac.
- Every field is editable.
Cons
- Reviewers say the free tier stops at about 30 items.
- AI scans come in packs, from $9.99 for 50.
- No iPhone update since 2 June.
How we compared these apps
We read each app's App Store listing, update history and user reviews between 22 and 26 October 2026. We did not test scan accuracy.
- Adding records
- Cover, barcode and text, and how you pick the right pressing.
- Discogs
- Import, add, or two-way sync. An account should be optional.
- At home
- Browsing, listening, stories and sharing.
- Price
- What stays free, and the real yearly cost.
- Upkeep
- Android support and updates in the last two months.
| App | iPhone updates, 23 Aug to 22 Oct | Latest |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic | 12 | 21 Oct |
| Groovv | 9 | 16 Oct |
| VinylBox | 7 | 21 Oct |
| Record Scanner | 5 | 20 Oct |
| CLZ Music | 3 | 30 Sep |
| SnapVinyl | 3 | 9 Oct |
| Vinyl Record App | 3 | 4 Sep |
| Discogs | 2 | 6 Oct |
| MusicBuddy | 2 | 22 Sep |
| Discographic | 0 | 10 Aug |
| iCollect Music | 0 | 2 Jun |
| VinylSnap | 0 | 12 Nov 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free vinyl collection app?
Discogs: no in-app purchases and no collection cap we could find. Groovv is free for 100 vinyl records, MusicBuddy for 50 albums and Plastic for 20.
Which apps sync with my Discogs account?
Plastic and Discographic sync both ways, and VinylBox says it does. SnapVinyl edits your Discogs collection directly. Groovv adds records but never edits them.
Which app can scan a record cover?
Plastic, Record Scanner, VinylBox and Groovv. Many pressings share a cover, so check the pressing after a match. See our guide to vinyl scanner apps.
What is the best vinyl collection app for Android?
Plastic. Discogs, CLZ Music, Record Scanner, Groovv, VinylSnap and iCollect Music also run on Android. VinylBox and Discographic are Apple only.
Can an app tell which pressing I own?
A barcode can, and a cover often cannot. Plastic lists every pressing with label photos and runout text, so you can match yours. Start with the runout.
Is a paid vinyl collection app worth it?
For a small collection, a free tier is often enough. Pay for unlimited scans, a large collection or seller tools. Plastic Pro costs $23.99 a year.