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Bahasa Melayu Free, open-source card scanner software with local AI
Cardloader identifies trading cards, sports cards and comics in bulk, from a folder of scans or straight from a Fujitsu/Ricoh document scanner. Run the AI on your own computer for free, or connect the Ximilar API for prices, grading and the most accurate matches.
Card scanning software without the subscription
Most card scanning tools are closed, cloud-only and billed per scan. Cardloader is a desktop app you own, can read and can change.
Free and open source
Apache-2.0 licensed, with the full Rust and React source on GitHub. No subscription, no credits that run out, no lock-in.
Local AI, private by design
An on-device vision model reads each card on your computer, offline. Your scans never leave the machine unless you choose to sync them.
Accurate when it matters
Switch a session to the Ximilar API for exact matches across reprints and variants, a confidence score, alternative candidates and price statistics.
Folder or scanner
Analyse a folder of images, watch a folder as your scanning software fills it, or drive a Fujitsu/Ricoh fi-8170 in duplex batches directly.
TCG, sports, comics and slabs
Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Lorcana and more, plus baseball, basketball, football, soccer and hockey cards, comics and graded slabs.
Built to adapt
Fork it for your own collecting use case: new sources, other collectibles, your own export columns. The code is small, tested and documented.
From a stack of cards to listings in three steps
-
Pick a source
A folder of scans or photos, a watch folder, a CSV file or your document scanner. Fronts and backs are paired automatically.
-
Pick an engine
The free local model on your computer, or the Ximilar API for exact matches, prices and grading. Both can run side by side.
-
Review and sell
Results fill in live. Fix a match with one click, pause and resume whenever you like, then list the cards on eBay or export them for TCGplayer, Whatnot, Shopify or Excel.
A trading card scanner for every collection
One app for the whole box: trading card games, sports cards, comics and graded slabs.
Trading card games
- Pokémon
- Magic: The Gathering
- Yu-Gi-Oh!
- One Piece
- Disney Lorcana
- and more
Sports cards
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Soccer
- Hockey
Comics and slabs
- Comic books
- Graded slab labels (PSA and others)
Card types listed are those of the Ximilar API. The local model reads the name, collector number and year printed on any card.
Local AI for free, the Ximilar API for precision
Each session keeps the engine it was created with, so you can sort bulk for free and send the valuable cards to the API.
Local model
Free · offline- Runs on your computer through llama.cpp, on the graphics card (Metal, Vulkan) or the CPU
- About three seconds per card on a recent Mac
- Reads the name, card number, set code and year, and the back of sports cards
- Rough grade and condition estimates
- One-time download of about 2.3 GB, no API key
Ximilar API
Optional · pay per use- Exact matches across sets, reprints and variants
- Confidence score and alternative candidates
- Price statistics with marketplace links
- Grading: corners, edges, surface and centering
Made for the Fujitsu/Ricoh fi-8170
Load a stack, press scan and watch the cards come in. Cardloader drives the scanner in ADF duplex, pairs each front with its back, turns cards fed upside down and identifies them as they land, through TWAIN on Windows and SANE on macOS and Linux. Any other scanner works through a watch folder.
Set up your scannerYour sessions, also in your Ximilar account
Cardloader keeps every session on your computer. Turn on Cards Cloud sync when you create one, and each card is also uploaded to Ximilar Cards Cloud as the session runs, with its image, match, prices and grading. See it in the Ximilar app, or from the Cards Cloud tab in Cardloader.
Saved as it runs
Each card goes up with its image, match, prices and grading while the session is still running.
Your fixes follow
Pick another candidate for a wrong match or rename the session in Cardloader, and the Cards Cloud copy changes too.
Continue on another computer
Paste a session’s ID or link into New session to add cards to it. Images it already has, matched by file name, are skipped.
Browse it from the app
The Cards Cloud tab shows what is stored in your account. Rename or delete remote sessions there, or delete a local session together with its cloud copy.
Sync is off unless you turn it on for a session, and it works with the local model too. It needs the Cards Cloud service on your Ximilar account and costs one API call per session plus one per stored image.
A free alternative to card scanning subscriptions
Card Dealer Pro, My Card Wizard, Kronozio and TCG Automate are paid, closed-source services that charge every month: the more you scan, the more you pay. Cardloader is free, open source and runs on your computer, and it lists cards on eBay and exports them for TCGplayer, Whatnot and Shopify. Where they still do more, the honest comparison says so.
| Feature | Cardloader | Typical paid tool |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | From $9–10 a month |
| Scan limits | None in local mode | Monthly credits |
| Source code | Open (Apache-2.0) | Closed |
| Runs on | Windows, macOS, Linux | Browser or Windows/Mac |
Frequently asked questions
Is Cardloader really free?
Yes. Cardloader is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license, and the local model identifies cards on your computer with no fees or limits. Only the optional Ximilar API, used for exact matches, prices and grading, is billed by Ximilar per call. The default local model is made by Liquid AI under the LFM Open License, which limits commercial use above a revenue threshold; the optional Qwen3.5 models are under the Apache 2.0 license.
Does it work offline?
Yes. With the local model, identification runs entirely on your computer. You need the internet only once, to download the model (about 2.3 GB), and later only if you choose the Ximilar API or sync to Cards Cloud.
Which scanners does Cardloader support?
It is built and tested with the RICOH/Fujitsu fi-8170 over USB. It also drives any TWAIN 2.x scanner with a document feeder on Windows and any SANE scanner on macOS and Linux. Any other scanner, including ScanSnap models, works through a watch folder: let its software save images into a folder and Cardloader analyses them as they arrive. See scanner setup.
Which cards can it recognize?
With the Ximilar API: trading card games such as Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece and Lorcana, sports cards (baseball, basketball, football, soccer, hockey), comics and graded slab labels. The local model reads the name, card number and year printed on a card, whatever the game, and the back of sports cards, where their number is printed.
How accurate is it?
The Ximilar API gives every match a high, medium or low confidence tier and lists the other candidates, so uncertain cards are easy to review. The local model reads the printed text but cannot tell reprints and variants apart. To see how it does on your own cards, run Compare with local model on a session identified by Ximilar.
Can I use Cardloader with Claude or other AI assistants?
Yes. Cardloader has a built-in MCP server: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and other AI apps on your computer can start sessions, read the results and review cards by looking at their pictures, within the permissions you set in Settings. See how to connect one.
Can I adapt it to my own collection?
Yes, that is the point of open source. Fork the GitHub repository and change what you need: other collectibles, new sources, your own CSV columns. The app is built with Tauri 2 (Rust) and React, and the README explains the code layout.
Is Cardloader an alternative to Card Dealer Pro?
For scanning, identifying and grading cards, yes, and it is free. Cardloader also lists cards on eBay, with your own eBay developer keys, and exports them for TCGplayer, Whatnot and Shopify. Card Dealer Pro, My Card Wizard and TCG Automate list to more marketplaces directly, for a monthly fee. See the full comparison.
Start scanning your cards for free
Download Cardloader for Windows, macOS or Linux, point it at a folder or your scanner, and identify your first batch in minutes. No subscription and no account needed.