Coin identification reads Open and two apps hold the top. 69 apps, two in the $250k+ band, and CoinSnap holds 294,507 ratings, three times the next app. Thirty apps launched in the last 18 months and together hold 7% of the niche's review pace. The one star reviews of all twelve leaders share one complaint, and it is about the free trial, not the camera.
Appaloma readings · Coin identifiers · 2026-08-30
- OpeningOpenOpen when a quarter or more of the niche launched in the last 18 months
- Demand100Revealed by rating velocity across the niche, 0–100
- Crowding38How much of the niche the top apps already hold, 0–100
- Apps697 researched over $20k a month
- New30launched in the last 18 months, holding 7% of the niche's review pace
- Floor$1.1M+a month, adding the band floors of 69 researched apps
What the niche is
Photograph both sides of a coin, get its country, year, mint mark, grade, and a value. Then scan the jar. The retention loop is the collection total and the error hunt: a 1943 copper penny is worth a house, and every app promises to spot one.
It sits inside collectible value scanners, next to trading card scanners and antique identifiers, in the collecting family. Same camera, same price database, different hobby.
Who leads
| App | Since | Ratings | Stars | Prices | Band | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  CoinSnap: Coin IdentifierNext Vision Limited | Aug 2022 | 294,507 | 4.7 | $3.99–$39.99 | $250k+ |
| 2 |  CoinIn: Coin Scan IdentifierVortemol Limited | Mar 2023 | 96,226 | 4.7 | $1.99–$49.99 | $250k+ |
| 3 |  ScanCoin: identify & checkML & AI Solutions | Jul 2024 | 8,450 | 4.7 | $7.99–$199.99 | $50–250k |
| 4 |  AI CoinScan: Coin ID & ValueWilfred Ong | Nov 2025 | 773 | 4.4 | $9.99–$89.99 | $50–250k |
| 5 |  Snap: Coin IdentifierCaprinix LLC | Oct 2023 | 76 | 4.3 | $5.99–$29.99 | $50–250k |
| 6 |  Coin ID: Coin Value IdentifierAIBY | Feb 2023 | 43,734 | 4.5 | $4.99–$39.99 | $20–50k |
| 7 |  ChatCoin: Coin IdentifierChatCoin Global Group Limited | Sep 2025 | 1,456 | 4.6 | $39.99–$69.99 | $20–50k |
| 8 |  Coin Identifier - CoinCheckMacro Tap Apps Limited | Dec 2023 | 12,336 | 4.5 | $5.99–$39.99 | $10–20k |
| 9 |  Coin Identifier: Collector AppCodabrasoft LLC | Aug 2024 | 9,059 | 4.5 | $5.99–$44.99 | $10–20k |
| 10 |  Coin ID Scanner: Value CheckerDEXIO OYUN YAZILIM VE REKLAM GELISTIRME ANONIM SIRKETI | Jul 2024 | 2,967 | 4.4 | $9.99–$59.99 | $10–20k |
Band: our researched estimate of peak monthly revenue, published only for apps we have researched one by one. Every app in the catalog sits above the $5k a month floor.
Two apps own the niche.
CoinSnap, from Next Vision, launched in August 2022 and has 294,507 ratings. It adds 6,050 a month and its review pace runs at 1.2x its own earlier rate, still climbing four years in. $250k+ band.
CoinIn, from Vortemol, launched in March 2023 and has 96,226 ratings at 2,357 a month, 1.1x its earlier pace. Weekly plans at $10.99 to $17.99, a $49.99 premium tier. $250k+ band.
Together the two hold four times the ratings of the other ten leaders combined. Below them sit the portfolio publishers: Coin ID from AIBY (28 apps) at 43,734 ratings, CoinCheck from Macro Tap at 12,336, Collector App from Codabrasoft (6 apps) at 9,059, and a run of apps from studios with 2 to 11 titles each. ScanCoin has not shipped an update since October 2024.
ChatCoin launched in September 2025, sells one $39.99 year or a $69.99 lifetime, and is already on the top grossing chart with 1,456 ratings.
How they make money
Weekly, with a trial. $4.99 to $9.99 a week, often behind a three day trial, from AIBY, Macro Tap, Scale Dreams, and most of the field. CoinIn goes higher at $10.99 to $17.99 a week.
A year at $19.99 to $59.99, listed by nine of the twelve leaders. Six of those nine list $39.99. Codabrasoft sells unlimited scans at $44.99 a year. DEXIO lists $59.99 with a $29.99 sale.
Lifetime at $39.99 to $69.99 from the smaller apps, and ScanCoin lists a tier at $199.99.
The shape is a weekly plan that converts a curious jar-scanner and a year plan for the collector who stays.
The angles that get installs
- scan a collectible, get a resale price68 apps
Fifty-three of 69 apps say "scan it, get a street price." Seven say "name it from a photo." In the top twelve listings, eight mention grading, five mention error coins, and none mentions what a dealer would pay for the coin.
What the one star reviews keep saying
“Scammed out of a years subscription. I used the app for about 15 minutes and didn’t like it. I cancelled the free subscription immediately, well before the end of the trial period. *Pay close attention! The year default ”CoinSnap: Coin Identifier, 2026-08-05
“free trial” recurs in 9 of the top 12 apps“I went to coin buyers in my city taking the coins identified by this app and was informed these apps are scams. I spent four days going through my coins by this app which was a total waste of time.”CoinSnap: Coin Identifier, 2026-03-14
“waste time” recurs in 8 of the top 12 apps“When u take a picture of the same coin the price is different for example I take a coin and it’s 1$ and when u take the picture again it’s 80$ doesn’t work”CoinSnap: Coin Identifier, 2026-05-23
“doesn't work” recurs in 7 of the top 12 apps“Downloaded this for the seven day free trial. I only scanned US coins. A 1996 US Penny came up as a Canadian five cent beaver Nickel. A 1976 US bicentennial quarter also came up as a Canadian five cent beaver Nickel. Coi”CoinSnap: Coin Identifier, 2026-07-13
“day free” recurs in 7 of the top 12 apps“I tried to cancel through my credit card and it has not processed. The app does not seem to have a feature to control subscriptions. Very disappointing!!”CoinSnap: Coin Identifier, 2026-06-27
“cancel subscription” recurs in 7 of the top 12 apps“If you have a seven day free trial, why are you guys trying to charge after three days? That is such a rip off don’t put on there. It’s a seven day free trial. If it’s not a seven day free trial just charge but when you ”CoinSnap: Coin Identifier, 2026-04-06
“rip off” recurs in 7 of the top 12 apps“It doesn’t even identify the coin correctly and I did the instructions right it sucks”CoinSnap: Coin Identifier, 2026-02-16
“identify coin” recurs in 7 of the top 12 apps
Phrases that recur in one and two star reviews across 9 of the niche's top 12 apps.
Across twelve leaders with pooled reviews, three complaints.
The trial charged me. Ninety-three mentions across all twelve apps, the loudest complaint in the niche. Seven day trials that bill on day three, a subscription that renews into a year. This complaint is in every leading app, including the two at the top.
The identification is wrong. A US penny comes back as a Canadian nickel. The same coin scanned twice returns $1 and then $80. A graded MS 68 coin is valued at $4. "Doesn't work" and "identify coin" each run through nine apps, and the quotes describe users taking the app's answer to a coin shop and hearing otherwise.
I cannot cancel. "Cancel subscription" appears 25 times across nine apps: a cancel path that does not load, a charge that went through anyway.
What works, from the five star side
"Coin collecting" is the top five star phrase, 20 mentions across five apps: takes the hard work out of collecting, a history for each coin, sort the collection, identify my father's coins. The praise is about the collection, not the price.
New in the last 18 months
- ChatCoin: Coin IdentifierSep 2025 · 1,456 ratings · $20–50k
- Coin Value Checker: CoinHixJun 2025 · 1,243 ratings · $5–10k
- CoinOn - coin value identifierJul 2025 · 1,079 ratings · $10–20k
- AI CoinScan: Coin ID & ValueNov 2025 · 773 ratings · $50–250k
- CoinValue：Coin IdentifierAug 2025 · 707 ratings · $5–10k
- Scan Coin - Identifier ScannerJan 2025 · 356 ratings · $10–20k
- Coin Scanner & AI IdentifierJan 2026 · 292 ratings · $5–10k
- CoinGPT: Coin IdentifierMar 2025 · 279 ratings · $10–20k
Thirty entrants, and the largest of them has 1,456 ratings. Together they hold 7% of the niche's review pace. New apps get in. None has come near the top two, four years after CoinSnap launched.
What to copy and what to avoid
From the price sheets and the pooled reviews above.
Copy: the collection as the product. The five star phrases cluster around collecting in five apps: a history per coin, sorting, a father's coins identified.
Copy: the $39.99 year. Nine of the twelve leaders list a yearly plan and six of them price it at $39.99.
Avoid: a trial that bills before it ends. The free trial complaint has 93 mentions across all twelve leaders, the loudest in the niche.
Avoid: a cancel path that fails. "Cancel subscription" appears 25 times across nine leaders.
Our read: the value complaint is about consistency, not accuracy. The quotes describe the same coin returning two prices on two scans, across nine apps. A scanner that returns the same value twice answers the review the leaders keep getting.
Our read: none of the twelve listings mentions what a dealer would pay for the coin. Eight mention grading and five mention error coins, so those angles are taken.
FAQ
Is the coin identifier app market saturated?
No. Open by the numbers, two apps at the top. 69 apps, 30 launched in the last 18 months, Crowding at 38. But the 30 newcomers hold 7% of the niche's review pace and CoinSnap holds 294,507 ratings, three times the next app.
Which coin identifier apps make the most money?
CoinSnap and CoinIn sit in the $250k+ a month band as of August 2026. Coin ID from AIBY and CoinCheck lead the rest on ratings.
What do users complain about in coin identifier apps?
A free trial that charged early or converted to a year, in all twelve leading apps. Wrong or inconsistent identification and values, in nine. A cancel path that fails, in nine.
How do coin identifier apps make money?
A weekly plan at $4.99 to $9.99, usually with a three day trial, and a year at $19.99 to $59.99, most often $39.99. Some sell lifetime access at $39.99 to $69.99. CoinIn charges $10.99 to $17.99 a week.
What should a new coin identifier app do differently?
Return the same value on the second scan: the wrong-value complaint runs through nine of twelve leaders and its quotes are about two scans, two prices. Bill the trial when it ends, not before: 93 mentions across all twelve. Make the collection the product; it is what the five star reviews praise across five apps. None of the twelve listings mentions a dealer's buy price.