Sort your collection without typing a single card name.

Hold a card up to your camera. BuffBox works out which printing you're holding. Then it keeps the collection and builds decks from it.

Download on the App Store Mac App Store

Scan, boxes, NFC, and Match Mode are free. Account optional. iOS 17+ and macOS 14+ (Mac Catalyst).

BuffBox Scan screen identifying a Magic card in the camera viewfinder

Card recognition: Runs on your device
Works on: iPhone, iPad, Mac
Card data: Scryfall
Free includes: Scan, boxes, NFC

The app

Keeping a collection straight is the boring part

Most of that work is data entry. BuffBox handles it by looking at the card.

Scan

Your camera does the typing

Hold a card in frame and BuffBox works out which printing it is, usually before you have finished lining it up. Turbo keeps the camera running so you can feed a stack through, then check the batch at the end.

01
Frame the card

Open Scan and hold the card inside the brackets, or pick an image from your photo library. The first time, the app sends you to Settings to download the recognition model. That only happens once.
02
Match it on your device

BuffBox works out which printing it is looking at without sending the frame anywhere. Normal offers a few candidates when the art could go either way. Fast confirms one card at a time. Turbo keeps going so you can pass a whole stack through.
03
File it or build with it

Save the card with its quantity, finish, and condition and it joins your collection. Or send it straight into the deck you are working on. Either way it is a tap, then you are on to the next card in the pile.

BuffBox Scan screen with a card in the viewfinder and a match result below

Collection

What the app remembers about each copy

Every card carries a quantity, a finish, and a condition from Near Mint down through Damaged. Notes cover what a grade cannot say, like which deck a copy is already promised to.

Everything you scan lands in one collection. Sort by name, set, quantity, or what you changed most recently. An approximate Scryfall USD total sits on the collection. On Mac the list becomes a grid, which is a better way to look at art than a column of names.

BuffBox Collection screen showing a grid of owned Magic cards with quantities

Decks

Building a deck out of what you already own

Add to a deck from a search or from your own collection. You can see what you would have to buy and what is already on the shelf. Each deck takes a cover from any card art you like, shows an approximate Scryfall value, and warns you when the list asks for more copies than you own.

Pick a format and BuffBox checks legality, draws a mana curve, and scores Commander Bracket. Copy the list in Arena format when you want to play online.

BuffBox Decks screen showing deck tiles with cover art and card counts

Finding a card you only half remember

Browse runs against the full Scryfall database. Chips sit above the results for searches people repeat, like Removal, Ramp, and Card draw. Filters cover sets, colors, formats, types, keywords, rarity, and mana value.

Open any result for oracle text and official rulings. Type a plain phrase and BuffBox expands it into a Scryfall query on the device when Premium AI search is off.

BuffBox Browse screen with a search field, filter chips, and card results

BuffBox Boxes screen showing storage boxes with color labels and NFC badges

BuffBox Match Mode screen with four player life totals and counters

At the table

The rest of what you actually use

Boxes that match the shelf, a life counter that still helps mid-game, and the same app on a desk.

Boxes that match the shelf

Track binders, cubes, and cardboard boxes with a location, then put decks and loose cards inside. On iPhone, write an NFC sticker so a tap opens the right pile.

Match Mode at the table

Track life for Commander or Standard with up to eight players. Shake to scan a card mid-game for rulings. Coins and dice stay in reach.

BuffBox on Mac with sidebar navigation and a grid of collection cards

The same app on a desk

A sidebar in place of tabs and a grid in place of a list. Continuity Camera lets you scan with your iPhone and watch cards land on the desktop.

Privacy

Where your cards go, in plain words

The actual split between what never leaves the device in your hand and what has to travel to work at all.

Stays on your device

The camera frames. Identifying a card happens on the device in front of you, so the pictures are never uploaded and never stored on a server.
Your collection, on the free plan. Quantities, finishes, conditions, and notes are saved locally and stay there.
Your decks, on the same terms. They live in the app until you copy a list out yourself.

Leaves your device

Signing in. An identity provider tells BuffBox which account you are, which is what Premium and sync attach to.
Card and price lookups. Searching, browsing, art, and prices go out to Scryfall through the BuffBox server.
Premium sync. If you subscribe, your collection and decks go to the BuffBox server so your other devices can read them.

BuffBox does not sell anything about you and does not run ads. Sync and the extra price data cost money to run, which is why they sit behind a subscription.

Premium

What is free, and what you pay for

Scan, collection, decks, boxes, NFC, Match Mode, search, and Scryfall prices do not cost anything. Premium adds TCGPlayer prices, sync, and alerts.

BuffBox

Free

Account optional. Nothing here runs on a trial clock.

The full app for working through a pile of cards.

Card recognition that runs on your own device
Collection with quantity, finish, condition, notes, and approx Scryfall value
Deck building from cards you own or from search, with legality, a mana curve, and ownership warnings
Storage boxes for binders, cubes, and shelves, with decks and loose cards inside
NFC stickers on iPhone to open a deck or box with a tap
Match Mode life counter with mid-game scan and luck tools
Full Scryfall browse with filters, set explorer, oracle text, and rulings
Market prices from Scryfall, for every finish

BuffBox Premium

Optional

$5 a month

Or $20 a year, which is a third of the monthly price. Free trial to start, and you can cancel any time from your Apple subscription settings.

Worth it if you move between devices or you follow prices closely. Otherwise the free app already covers you.

Cloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The most recent change wins.
TCGPlayer market prices next to free Scryfall numbers.
Push alerts when a Scryfall price you track rises or drops past your threshold.
Search by describing what you want. Your phrase becomes a Scryfall query.

Roadmap

Where this is going

None of what follows is in the app yet, and none of it has a date on it. This is the order things are being worked on.

Next up

AI deck ideas from cards you own

The list already checks legality and shows a curve. Next is help building the list from what is already on the shelf.

Suggestions from cards you already own, on Premium

The big one

Store mode, for the other side of the counter

A version of BuffBox for people who sell cards. This is the largest piece of work on the list, and the one that will take the longest.

A light CRM with a rewards program for regulars
Selling online through your own site
TCGplayer integration for listing and selling
Inventory built in, not bolted on later
Scan a card to sell it, look it up, or check what it is worth right now
UPC scanning for sealed product, other games, and whatever else is on the shelf
An automated scanner that works through inventory without somebody holding a phone

After the app is finished

Other trading cards

None of the recognition work is specific to Magic. Once the Magic app is finished, the same approach carries over.

Pokemon
Sports cards, starting with baseball
Others as they make sense

Further out

A closet for the rest of the shelf

Not trading cards at all. A list of the board games you own, so you can check the cupboard before buying the same game twice.

Journal

Latest from BuffBox

14 Aug 2026 Brent

The Beta is Live!

BuffBox is excited to announce that our app beta is live! We now have people using the app and providing feedback. The Beta will open to the public in September of 2026. Sign up for emails

All posts

FAQ

What people ask before downloading it

The honest answers, including the parts that are not flattering.

What is BuffBox?

A Magic: The Gathering app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Point the camera at a card and it works out the printing. Then it keeps the collection, builds decks, organizes boxes, and runs Match Mode at the table.

Do I need an account?

No. You can keep going without one, and the collection stays on this device. Sign in when you want Premium features like sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Is BuffBox free?

Scan, collection, decks, boxes, NFC, Match Mode, search, and Scryfall prices are free. No trial clock. Premium is $5 a month or $20 a year. It adds sync, TCGPlayer prices, alerts, and search by description.

Can I organize physical boxes?

Yes. Create boxes, binders, shelves, or cubes, with an optional location. Put decks and loose cards inside. On a compatible iPhone you can write an NFC sticker and scan it later to open that pile. Boxes and NFC are free on the device. Premium sync keeps them across devices.

What is Match Mode?

A life counter for Commander or Standard, up to eight players. Poison, energy, commander damage, and custom counters are there. Shake to scan a card for rulings. Coins and dice stay in the same sheet.

Does scanning send my cards to a server?

No. Matching happens on your device, so camera frames are never uploaded. Searching for cards does talk to Scryfall, because that is where the card data lives.

Why do I have to download something before scanning works?

The recognition catalog ships separately so the app download stays small. BuffBox downloads it during onboarding, or the first time you open Scan. You only do it once.

Does it work offline?

Partly. Identifying a card does not need a connection once the catalog is downloaded, and your collection stays readable. Card details and search still need Scryfall.

Which devices does it run on?

iPhone and iPad on iOS 17 or later, and Mac on macOS 14 or later. The Mac version is the same app, laid out for a bigger screen. It can use your iPhone as a camera. Writing and scanning NFC stickers needs a compatible iPhone.

Where does the card data come from?

Scryfall. Card text, printings, art, and official rulings come from there. BuffBox is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.

Where do prices come from, and how current are they?

Scryfall prices are free and refresh through the day. Collection and decks show an approximate USD total. Premium adds TCGPlayer numbers next to those, plus a push when a tracked price crosses your threshold.

What happens to my collection if I cancel Premium?

It stays where it is. Cancelling turns off sync, price alerts, and AI search. Your collection and decks live on the device. Scryfall prices stay free.

Can BuffBox tell me whether my deck is legal?

Yes. Pick a format and BuffBox checks the list. Commander Bracket, the mana curve, and sideboards live with the deck. Copy it out in Arena format when you want to play online.

Point a camera at the box you have been avoiding

Scan on your iPhone, keep building on your Mac. Free to start, with Premium only if you want sync and price extras.