Loading...
Loading...
CGC currently offers the lower published direct entry price and a separate Pristine 10 grade. PSA currently starts at a higher active direct tier and uses its own grading scale and population tools. Neither company is the automatic winner for every card: compare eligibility, total cost, timing, and recent completed sales for the exact card and grade.
Published service details checked August 5, 2026. Fees, availability, shipping, and turnaround estimates can change.
| Factor | CGC | PSA |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest published direct route | CGC lists Bulk at $17 per card with $500 maximum value per card · 25-card minimum and an estimated 150 working days. Economy is $20 with no card minimum listed. | PSA lists Regular at $79.99 per card, $1,500 maximum insured value, and an estimated 40–50 business days. It is PSA’s lowest currently orderable direct tier while Value services are paused. |
| A faster published tier | CGC Standard is $55 per card, $3,000 maximum value per card, with an estimated 10 working days. | PSA Express is $149 per card, $2,500 maximum insured value, with an estimated 20–30 business days. |
| Highest fixed tier in this snapshot | CGC WalkThrough is $300 per card, $100,000 maximum value per card, with an estimated 2 working days. | PSA Walk-Through is $599 per card, $10,000 maximum insured value, with an estimated 7–10 business days. PSA also publishes higher-value Premium tiers. |
| Turnaround language | CGC describes turnaround in working days for a submission delivered to its facility and says the estimates are not guaranteed. A card that needs new database research may take longer. | PSA describes turnaround in business days after an order enters its grading system and says the estimates are not guaranteed. Volume, capacity, and other conditions can change the timing. |
| Top grade and half points | CGC uses a 10-point scale with Gem Mint 10 and a separate Pristine 10. Its published scale also includes half-point grades below 10; the retired Perfect 10 remains recognized as a legacy grade. | PSA uses a 1–10 scale topped by Gem Mint 10. PSA can assign half-point grades from 1.5 through 8.5, but it does not use a 9.5 card grade. |
| Population research | CGC’s Population Report provides counts and grades for CGC-certified TCG, sports, and non-sports cards. CGC cautions that census data is not an indicator of value or rarity. | PSA’s Population Report provides grade-by-grade counts and category summaries for PSA-certified items. PSA notes that data-entry and historical variety differences can affect some counts. |
| Crossover rules | CGC can evaluate cards in PSA, Beckett, or SGC holders. It removes the card only when the selected crossover condition is met; the published full grading fee still applies when it does not cross. | PSA evaluates a card inside its current holder against the minimum grade selected by the submitter. PSA keeps it in the original holder if that minimum is not met, and the grading price still applies. |
| Resale decision | Search recent completed sales for the exact CGC-certified card, grade, label generation, and marketplace. A CGC Pristine 10 is not directly interchangeable with a CGC Gem Mint 10 or PSA 10. | Search recent completed sales for the exact PSA-certified card, grade, and marketplace. Buyer demand can differ by sport, game, set, player, language, and price level, so no universal premium applies. |
Use the official service pages before shipping. This comparison does not predict a card's grade, resale value, or eligibility.
CGC lists Economy at $20 with no card minimum and Bulk at $17 with a 25-card minimum. Confirm the live fee, value limit, membership terms, and return shipping before ordering.
CGC separates Gem Mint 10 from Pristine 10. That label distinction may matter to a collector, but the probability or resale result cannot be predicted from the company name alone.
CGC grades many TCG, sports, and non-sports cards, but published size, thickness, set, autograph, and other eligibility rules still apply. Check the current card policy before shipping.
If resale is the goal, compare sold listings for the same card and CGC grade in the marketplace where you expect to sell. Include fees, shipping, insurance, and turnaround in the calculation.
PSA Regular is currently $79.99 with $1,500 maximum insured value. Confirm that the live tier is available and appropriate for the card rather than relying on an older Value-tier price.
PSA publishes grading standards and a daily-updated Population Report. Use those tools to research the exact issue while remembering that population is not the same as market value.
PSA may have more relevant completed sales for some cards, but that must be checked card by card. Compare the identical card and grade rather than applying a generic resale multiplier.
For an already graded card, set the minimum PSA grade deliberately. PSA charges the grading price even when the card does not meet that minimum and stays in its original holder.
Check recent completed sales for the exact card and grade, all-in submission costs, the current service terms, and the card's visible condition. A lower published grading fee is only one part of the decision.
CardGrade can help you review visible centering, corners, edges, and surface before you pay a mail-in grading fee. It is not an authentication result, an official grade, or a substitute for a grader's physical examination.
Neither is better for every card. CGC currently has a lower published direct entry price and distinguishes Pristine 10 from Gem Mint 10. PSA has different service limits, grading standards, and population tools. Choose using the exact card, current terms, total cost, timing, and recent completed sales.
At the published direct entry point checked August 5, 2026, yes. CGC lists Economy at $20 and Bulk at $17 with a 25-card minimum. PSA lists Regular at $79.99 while its Value services are paused. Those tiers have different value limits and turnaround estimates, and total order cost also includes shipping and other applicable charges.
Sometimes, but there is no universal PSA-to-CGC resale multiplier. Results vary by card, grade, category, label, marketplace, and date. Compare recent completed sales for the exact card in each holder, then subtract grading, selling, shipping, and insurance costs.
No. CGC and PSA apply their own standards, and CGC has both Gem Mint 10 and the higher Pristine 10 designation. A number on one company’s label should not be treated as a guaranteed equivalent grade from the other company.
CGC says it grades TCGs, sports cards, and non-sports cards, including many Pokémon and sports issues. Eligibility still depends on the exact card, dimensions, thickness, set, and service rules, so check CGC’s current card policy before submitting.
Both companies publish crossover services. Each evaluates the card against the submitter’s selected condition or minimum grade, and each can charge the grading fee even if the card remains in its original holder. Read the current crossover instructions before sending a slab.
Both publish population reports with grade counts for their own certified cards. The useful report is the one that covers the exact card and holder you are researching. Population counts can contain limitations and do not by themselves establish rarity, demand, or value.
An image-based pre-screen can help review visible centering, corners, edges, and surface before you pay a mail-in grading fee. It cannot authenticate the card, detect every in-hand defect, issue an official CGC or PSA grade, or guarantee resale value.
Pricing and turnaround information on this page comes from the providers' published service pages.