The best LEGO scanning app for resellers in 2026 is brick'em, which scans 20+ minifigures per photo, returns BrickLink prices instantly, and exports to Whatnot, eBay, and BrickLink. Other strong options include Brickit for loose bricks and BrickScan for individual elements. Here is how the top 9 apps compare.
You bought a bulk lot. Maybe 50 minifigures, maybe 200. They're sitting in a pile on your desk, and you need to figure out what each one is worth before you can list them. You could search BrickLink one by one. Type a description, scroll through results, compare photos, check the price guide. For 200 figs, that's easily a full day of work.
This is the single biggest time sink for LEGO resellers. Identification and pricing eats hours that should go toward listing, shipping, and sourcing your next deal. The good news? There are tools that speed this up dramatically. Some use camera scanning. Some use databases. Some are built for resellers, and some just happen to be useful.
Here are the 9 best LEGO scanning and identification apps available right now, ranked by how useful they are for resellers who need to move inventory fast.
According to BrickLink's catalog, there are over 18,600 unique minifigure entries — and that number grows with every new LEGO wave. With the LEGO Group reporting $9.7 billion in revenue in 2024, the secondary market for minifigures and parts has never been bigger. Choosing the right scanning tool can be the difference between spending hours on manual lookups and running a streamlined resale operation.
Quick Comparison: All 9 Apps at a Glance
| App | Scans | Pricing Data | Bulk Mode | Export | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| brick'em | Minifigs + parts | BrickLink sold data | Yes (20+ per photo) | Whatnot, eBay, BrickLink, CSV | Free tier / $9/mo |
| Brickit | Loose bricks | No | Yes (brick pile) | No | Free / paid tiers |
| Brickify | Sets + minifigs | Market estimates | No | No | Paid subscription |
| BrickScan | Elements + minifigs | BrickLink data | No | XML | Free scans / paid |
| Pileometer | Brick piles | No | Yes (counting) | No | Free / paid |
| BrickLink | Manual search | BrickLink data | No | XML / CSV | Free |
| Rebrickable | Sets + MOCs | No | No | CSV | Free |
| BrickStock | Manual entry | BrickLink data | No | XML / BSX | Free (desktop) |
| Google Lens | Any object | No | No | No | Free |
How Do LEGO Scanning Apps Work?
Most LEGO scanning apps use image recognition to match what your camera sees against a database of known LEGO elements. You point your phone at a minifigure, brick, or set box, and the app compares visual features like torso prints, head designs, and color patterns to find the closest match.
The key difference between apps is what they scan for and what they do with the result. Some just tell you the part number. Others pull pricing data automatically. Some handle minifigures specifically, while others focus on loose bricks or complete sets. For resellers, the ideal tool does identification AND pricing in one step, because knowing what something is only matters if you also know what it sells for.
1. brick'em (Best for Minifigure Resellers)
brick'em is the only app built specifically for LEGO minifigure and part identification AND pricing for resellers. You point your phone camera at a single fig or spread out an entire lot, and it does the rest. Each figure gets detected, identified against the full BrickLink catalog of 18,600+ minifigures and 93,000+ parts, and matched with current market pricing.
What makes it different:
- Minifigure-specific scanning. Unlike general LEGO apps, brick'em is purpose-built for minifigs. It matches torso prints, head designs, accessories, and color variants.
- Bulk scanning. Spread 20 figs on a table, take one photo, and get all of them identified and priced at once. Each figure gets a numbered box so you can match results to the physical figures in front of you.
- Built-in pricing. Every identification comes with BrickLink market data. You see what a figure is worth the moment you scan it. No switching between apps.
- Inventory tracking. Add scanned figures directly to your inventory. Track what you have, what it's worth, and what you've sold.
- Free to start. Free includes unlimited single scans, 10 bulk scans per month, and 1 inventory collection. No credit card required. Paid plans unlock more bulk scans, additional inventory collections, and team features.
Best for: Resellers who buy bulk lots and need to identify and price minifigures fast. Also great for collectors who want to catalog what they own.
Limitations: Works best with assembled minifigures in decent lighting. Heavily disassembled figs (loose torsos without heads or legs) may need to be put together first for the best match. Focused on minifigures and parts, not complete sets.
brick'em tip: For the best bulk scan results, spread your minifigures on a flat, light-colored surface with a finger-width of space between each one. Overhead lighting works better than side lighting. Try brick'em free.
2. Brickit
Brickit is a popular app that scans loose LEGO bricks spread out on a surface and tells you what you can build with them. You dump out your bricks, take a photo, and it identifies individual pieces and suggests official and custom builds you can make from what you have.
Best for: Figuring out what to build with loose bricks. Fun for hobbyists and parents sorting through bins.
Limitations for resellers: Brickit is designed for building, not selling. It identifies bricks and parts well, but it doesn't handle minifigure identification at the variant level, and it doesn't pull resale pricing. If you're trying to price a collection for sale, you'll still need a separate tool for that.
3. Brickify
Brickify uses AI to identify LEGO sets, minifigures, and loose pieces from camera scans. It also tracks your collection's market value over time with portfolio-style dashboards. It can scan Collectible Minifigure blind bag codes to reveal what's inside before opening.
Best for: Collectors who want set identification plus portfolio-style value tracking. Good for identifying sets at garage sales and tracking collection value.
Limitations for resellers: Primarily iOS (Android recently added). The focus is on collection tracking rather than the bulk-lot resale workflow. No bulk scan feature for photographing multiple minifigures at once for batch identification and pricing.
4. BrickScan
BrickScan (formerly known as BrickMonkey) is a LEGO scanner that identifies individual bricks, parts, and minifigures by pointing your camera at them. It covers over 16,000 minifigures and 76,000 parts, with pricing based on BrickLink sold data.
Best for: Identifying individual LEGO elements, parts, and minifigures when you need exact part numbers or BrickLink IDs.
Limitations for resellers: Scans one item at a time, so processing a large lot is slow. A premium subscription is required for unlimited scans. No bulk scanning feature to photograph multiple figures at once.
5. Pileometer
Pileometer takes a different approach entirely. Instead of identifying individual pieces, it estimates the total piece count and approximate value of a bulk LEGO pile based on weight and volume. You photograph your pile or enter the weight, and it gives you a rough estimate of what the lot contains.
Best for: Getting a quick ballpark value before buying a bulk lot. Useful for negotiating purchase prices at garage sales or estate sales when you need a fast estimate.
Limitations for resellers: Estimates only. It can't tell you which specific figures or valuable parts are in the pile. You still need to sort and identify everything individually after purchase. Think of it as a buying tool, not a selling tool.
6. BrickLink (Manual Catalog Search)
BrickLink's catalog is the gold standard for LEGO data. Every minifigure, every part, every set. High-resolution photos, variant details, complete price history. If a LEGO element exists, BrickLink has it documented.
Best for: Getting the definitive answer on what something is and what it's worth. The price guide data is what most other tools (including brick'em) pull from. When you need to verify a tricky variant, BrickLink is where you go.
Limitations for resellers: It's entirely manual. Text-based search only, no camera scanning. You need to already have a rough idea of what you're looking at to search effectively. Identifying one unfamiliar minifigure can take 5 to 10 minutes of browsing. For a 200-figure bulk lot, that's not realistic.
7. Rebrickable
Rebrickable is a comprehensive LEGO database that lets you look up sets, parts, and minifigures. It also has inventory features that let you catalog what you own and figure out which sets you can build from your existing parts. The community contributes MOC (My Own Creation) instructions, so there's a huge library of alternative builds.
Best for: Builders and collectors who want a complete reference database with community content.
Limitations for resellers: No camera scanning. Identification is manual through search. While it has solid data, it's more oriented toward builders than sellers. No integrated pricing or resale-focused features.
8. BrickStock / BrickStore
BrickStock (and its fork BrickStore) is a desktop application for managing BrickLink inventory. It connects directly to your BrickLink store and lets you manage listings, update prices, and organize your inventory in bulk. It's a powerful tool for established BrickLink sellers who need to manage hundreds or thousands of listings.
Best for: Experienced BrickLink sellers who need desktop-grade inventory management with bulk editing and price updates.
Limitations for resellers: No scanning or identification features whatsoever. This is purely an inventory and listing management tool. The learning curve is steep, and the interface isn't intuitive for new users. You need to already know your part numbers and BrickLink IDs before this tool is useful.
9. Google Lens
Google Lens is a general-purpose visual search tool built into most Android phones and available through the Google app on iOS. You can point it at a LEGO minifigure and it will try to find matching images on the web. Sometimes it works surprisingly well, pulling up the exact figure from a BrickLink listing or fan site.
Best for: A free, always-available fallback when you don't have a dedicated LEGO app installed. Works best for distinctive, well-known figures.
Limitations for resellers: It's not built for LEGO, so results are inconsistent. It might identify a Darth Vader minifig correctly but struggle to distinguish between two similar clone trooper variants that have a $30 price difference. No pricing data, no inventory features, no BrickLink integration. You're just getting web search results and hoping the right one shows up.
What Results Can You Expect?
The right tool depends on what you're selling and how much volume you're doing. Here's a realistic breakdown:
- Low volume (under 50 figs/month): You can get by with BrickLink manual lookups and Google Lens for the easy ones. It'll be slow, but manageable.
- Medium volume (50 to 200 figs/month): A scanning app like brick'em saves you hours every week. The time you save on identification goes directly into listing and sourcing.
- High volume (200+ figs/month): You need bulk scanning and inventory management. Manual methods break down completely at this scale. The difference between 2 minutes per figure and 10 seconds per figure adds up to dozens of hours per month.
Most resellers who switch from manual identification to camera-based scanning report cutting their processing time by 70 to 80 percent. That's not a small improvement. That's the difference between LEGO reselling being a side hustle and being a real business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free LEGO scanning app?
For minifigure identification and pricing, brick'em offers unlimited free single scans and 10 free bulk scans per month. For loose brick identification, Brickit has a free tier. Google Lens is completely free but less reliable for specific LEGO identification. BrickLink and Rebrickable are free to use as manual reference databases.
Can LEGO scanning apps tell the difference between similar minifigure variants?
Apps built specifically for LEGO identification handle variants better than general image recognition tools. brick'em matches against the full BrickLink catalog of 18,600+ minifigures, including subtle variants that differ only in torso print details or face expressions. General tools like Google Lens struggle with these distinctions because they're not trained on LEGO-specific visual differences.
Do I need a scanning app if I already use BrickLink?
Depends on your volume. If you're identifying a handful of figures per week, BrickLink's manual catalog search works fine. Once you're processing bulk lots regularly, the time savings from camera-based scanning become significant. Many resellers use a scanning app for fast initial identification and then verify tricky variants on BrickLink directly.
Are LEGO scanning apps accurate enough for pricing?
The accuracy depends on the app and the data source. Apps that pull from BrickLink's price guide data (like brick'em) give you the same pricing information you'd find by looking it up manually. The identification step introduces some variability, especially for similar-looking variants. Best practice is to use app pricing as your baseline and double-check high-value figures manually before listing.
Can I scan LEGO sets with these apps, or just minifigures?
Different apps handle different types of LEGO. brick'em specializes in minifigures and parts. Brickify focuses on complete sets. Brickit handles loose bricks. BrickScan covers individual elements and minifigures. There's no single app that does everything equally well, which is why many resellers use two or three tools depending on what they're processing.
Related Reading
- 5 Best Ways to Identify LEGO Minifigures (Ranked)
- How to Price LEGO Minifigures for Resale in 2026
- How to Flip LEGO Lots for Profit: A Seller's Playbook
- BrickLink vs eBay: Where to Sell LEGO Minifigures
- How to Organize and Track a Large LEGO Collection
Ready to stop guessing? brick'em scans your minifigures, identifies them against 18,600+ figures in the BrickLink catalog, and shows you what they're worth. All from your phone. Start scanning free.


