PSA vs CGC for card collectors.

PSA is widely reported to grade the largest share of cards in the hobby, and its slabs are the reference point in many sales categories. CGC is the other large grader, with its own scale, an option for subgrades and its own following among Pokemon and TCG collectors. The practical differences in 2026 are price and which service levels are open, covered below.

The starting fee is only part of the cost. Both companies set declared value limits per tier, charge return shipping and insurance, and offer optional services. Our card grading cost guide walks through every component, and how to choose a grading company adds SGC, BGS and TAG.

Both offer faster service levels at higher prices, and backlogs move month to month. Count shipping both ways on top of the grading time, and note whether a quoted figure is in business days or calendar days.

Both publish their grading standards, including centering tolerances, and both have revised them over time, so read the current versions on their sites rather than relying on older forum posts. A 10 from one grader is not the same as a 10 from another.

Subgrades tell you which part of the card held the grade back, which matters when you are deciding whether to resubmit or how to price a card. If subgrades matter to you, confirm before submitting whether they are included in the tier you choose or cost extra.

Label designs and holder dimensions differ between the two, so if you store or display slabs in cases made for one grader, check the fit. For details such as security features or label information, check with the grader. Some graders also accept slabs from other companies for crossover or regrading; terms and fees vary, so check with the grader before sending a slab.

• Selling a high value card: look up recent sales of that exact card graded by each company and compare what buyers paid at the grade you expect.
• Grading a large batch on a budget: compare the lowest open tier, the minimum and the declared value cap, then add shipping both ways.
• Wanting to know why a card got its grade: favour a grader that gives subgrades, and check how they are shown.
• Keeping cards for your own collection: protection and a verifiable cert matter more than brand, so price and turnaround can lead.

Every public CCA cert shows front and back slab scans, the four subgrades and the measured centering, and the Population Report is free to view. CCA is newer and its population is far smaller than PSA's or CGC's, and a CCA 10 is not a PSA 10 or a CGC 10: each grader applies its own standards. You can read exactly how CCA grades on the grading standards page, see the prices on CCA pricing, and look up any slab on the certificate lookup.