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SlabScore vs CGC Pregrade

CGC Prescreen ships your card to CGC for a paid look. SlabScore runs the math instantly without ever leaving the calculator. Here's how they compare.

Last updated: May 11, 2026 · CGC tier pricing verified against cgccards.com/cards/services

TL;DR

CGC Prescreen is a paid CGC service ($5/card, requires tier minimum) where CGC reviews your card before final submission and rejects it (returns ungraded) if it won't hit a minimum grade you specified. SlabScore is a free ROI calculator that uses live market prices to tell you whether grading is profitable across PSA, CGC, TAG, BGS, and ACE — without ever shipping a card. Different products solving overlapping parts of the same decision.

What each one is

CGC Prescreen

Submit-or-return based on a min grade

You ship your card to CGC and specify a minimum acceptable grade. If CGC believes the card won't hit that grade, they return it ungraded for the prescreen fee only. If it will, they grade it normally. You still pay the prescreen fee regardless.

SlabScore

An algorithm scores the math

You paste a card name. SlabScore pulls live PriceCharting data, runs the ROI math at every grade outcome, and tells you whether the submission is profitable. Free for 100 scans/month.

Head-to-head

Cost
CGC Prescreen$5/card prescreen + standard tier fee
SlabScoreFree (100/mo) or $10/mo Pro
Speed
CGC PrescreenDays to weeks (you ship the card)
SlabScore5 seconds (you paste a name)
What it answers
CGC PrescreenWill my card hit the minimum grade I specified?
SlabScoreIs grading this card profitable, and where?
Graders covered
CGC PrescreenCGC only
SlabScorePSA, CGC, TAG, BGS, ACE
Includes ROI math
CGC PrescreenNo
SlabScoreYes — net profit per grader/tier
Grade prediction accuracy
CGC PrescreenBest in class — it's a human CGC grader
SlabScoreEra-bracket statistical model (you can override)
Risk of physical damage
CGC PrescreenYes (you ship the card)
SlabScoreNone (you don't ship the card)
Bulk submission support
CGC PrescreenMultiple cards per submission
SlabScoreCSV import, 500+ cards in parallel
Portfolio tracking
CGC PrescreenNo
SlabScoreYes (Watchlist → Raw → At Grader → Graded)
Live market prices
CGC PrescreenNo
SlabScoreYes — PriceCharting integration

When each is the right call

Use CGC Prescreen when:

  • • You have a card with a meaningful grade-8 vs grade-9 (or 9 vs 9.5) value cliff
  • • You've already decided to submit to CGC (not comparing graders)
  • • You want CGC to quietly return the card if it won't hit your minimum
  • • You're comfortable with the prescreen fee being non-refundable either way

Use SlabScore when:

  • • You have multiple cards and need to triage which to grade
  • • You want to compare PSA vs CGC vs TAG vs BGS vs ACE economics for the same card
  • • You're shopping eBay/TCGPlayer and want a real-time grade-or-not verdict (Chrome extension)
  • • You want to track a portfolio across the full pipeline (Watchlist → Graded)
  • • You don't want to ship a card or pay any fee just to find out it's not worth grading

They're not mutually exclusive

For high-stakes single CGC submissions, the right workflow is often SlabScore first, then CGC Prescreen. SlabScore filters the obvious losers in seconds and tells you whether CGC is even the cheapest grader for your card. If CGC is the call AND there's a meaningful grade-8-vs-9 cliff, paying for Prescreen on top is reasonable. Most cards never need that step.

Try SlabScore free.

100 free scans/month. No credit card. No card-shipping required.

Start Free

Or read how it works first.