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ManaBox vs Dragon Shield: two Magic card scanners, and the move to Sorted

Updated November 9, 2026

ManaBox and Dragon Shield's MTG Scanner do the same job: each is a phone app that scans Magic cards with the camera into a collection and keeps decks beside it. The difference that decides it today is the future: Dragon Shield's scanner apps are being replaced by Sorted, so a player choosing now is choosing between ManaBox and Sorted. Sorted added decks in July 2026 and a wishlist in October, though its FAQ still describes them as coming.

At a glance

ManaBoxDragon Shield MTG ScannerSorted
What it isPhone app: card scanner, collection and deck builderPhone app: card scanner, collection and deck builderCard-scanning collection app for several TCGs, Magic among them
Where it runsiOS and Android; desktop app in development, no web appiOS, Android; web card manager still onlineiOS and Android
FreeFree to download; card search is freeFree to download, with in-app purchasesCore features free; Sorted Premium adds more
PaidManaBox PRO, $2.49 or $22.99 (US App Store)Premium, $3.99 a month or $39.99 a year (US App Store)Pro, $3.99 a month or $39.99 a year (US App Store)
ExportCSV of the whole collection or of one binder or listCollection and decks as CSV or textCSV or text, per its store listings
API———

Each fact is from the sources below, read on the day given. A dash: no source says.

Where they differ

Sorted calls itself the new version of the Dragon Shield scanner apps. Its FAQ says the old apps will be retired, gives no date, and says a collection moves over when you sign in to Sorted with the same account.

On scanning, the two read alike in their low-star reviews: both are said to struggle with foil and sleeved cards. The table above has what each is, what each costs, where each runs and how each exports.

Moving between them

Both export a collection as a CSV file. The ManaBox export guide and the Dragon Shield export guide have the steps. Reliquary, which publishes this page, reads ManaBox's, Dragon Shield's and Sorted's files; whether ManaBox and Sorted read each other's is for their own guides to say.

What players complain about

From low-star App Store and Google Play reviews read on 9 November 2026.

ManaBox

  • The scanner can misread a card or pick the wrong set or printing, more often with sleeved and foil cards. On Google Play the developer points to a lock-set option in the scanner's settings. App Store reviews, read 9 November 2026; Google Play, read 9 November 2026.
  • Some players lost scanned cards or folders after an update, and sync between devices came late. Partly answered: sync is out of beta for PRO subscribers, who join a queue for it, and on Google Play the developer offered to recover a wiped collection. App Store reviews, read 9 November 2026; Google Play, read 9 November 2026.
  • The free tier caps binders and decks linked to the collection, and more needs a subscription; the developer says plain deck lists have no cap. App Store reviews, read 9 November 2026; Google Play, read 9 November 2026.

Dragon Shield

  • The app is being replaced by Sorted, and some players left for other apps rather than move. App Store reviews, read 9 November 2026.
  • Ads come every few scans, and a subscription was added to remove them. App Store reviews, read 9 November 2026.
  • The scanner often fails on black, foil, borderless or sleeved cards. App Store reviews, read 9 November 2026.

Sorted

  • Players moved from Dragon Shield miss things the old app had, such as friends and shared lists, combined filters, sales tracking and daily price movers. App Store reviews, read 9 November 2026.
  • Advanced search, some filters and daily price movers need Premium, and some who had paid in Dragon Shield were asked to pay again. Sorted's FAQ says an active Premium carries over; on Android it lasts until the old apps are retired and the billing period ends, then it is bought again in Sorted. App Store reviews, read 9 November 2026.
  • Ads show in the inventory and between scans, and a timed ad during bulk scanning can lose the cards just scanned. On Google Play the developer says it is reviewing how often ads show. App Store reviews, read 9 November 2026; Google Play, read 9 November 2026.

Questions

Which one scans better?

Their reviews do not settle it: low-star reviews of both say the camera misreads foil and sleeved cards. Try each on your own cards.

Will my Dragon Shield collection move to Sorted?

Sorted's FAQ says it does, when you sign in to Sorted with the same account. Export a CSV from the Dragon Shield app as well, while it still runs, so you hold a copy of your own.

Is the Dragon Shield app still worth starting with?

Sorted's FAQ says the old apps will be retired, so a collection started there will have to move to Sorted later.

Import your collectionFree, with Google or GitHub. No card.

Sources

Related

How to export from ManaBox: your collection and decksExport your ManaBox collection, a binder or a list as a CSV file, or a deck as text, and import it into Reliquary with each binder as its own place.
How to export from Dragon Shield: your collection and decksDragon Shield's scanner apps are moving to Sorted. Export your collection to CSV while they run, and import it into Reliquary with each folder as a place.
Reliquary vs ManaBox: a card scanner beside a collection that knows its decksManaBox scans Magic cards on your phone; Reliquary tracks where each copy is and which decks claim it. How they differ, and how a ManaBox export comes in.
Reliquary vs Dragon Shield: a card scanner beside a collection that knows its decksDragon Shield's scanner app is moving to Sorted; Reliquary tracks where each Magic card is and which decks claim it, and reads both apps' CSV exports.