CLZ Comics - comic database 4+

Answer to my prayers

I enjoy being able to add a lot of little details to my collection and I like having multiple sorting and grouping options. CLZ has all of that and more. Dozens of fields to sort by, and default settings can be changed so you have full control of your inventory. There is a cover viewing control that shows off the art of all your issues beautifully. New updates come semi frequently, and often come with a whole new feature as well as bug fixes. Their database is accurate and updates fast, and has all creator information. This app has saved me from buying repeats almost every time I go bin diving.

By far the best feature of this app for me is the barcode scanner. I’ve used quite a few comic inventory apps and many boast a barcode scanner, but no barcode scanner has ever worked for me except here on CLZ. It does get confused by the time you reach the 1980s but for modern and copper age I’ve never had it be wrong. After attending Fan Expo Boston this year I had a stack of 70 comics and they were in my collection in two minutes.

In short, if you have a large collection and need to keep track of your issues, stop yourself from buying duplicates, view your collection by story arc or crossover or tags or format or something else, and want a barcode scanner that works, this app is beyond worth the $15.

A Great App

This app is a great way to organize and track my collection but is also so much more. I have been collecting comics for over 40 years and I downloaded this app several years ago as a way to track and organize my collection. It has allowed me to do that in so many different and useful ways so I can quickly and efficiently find specific issues in numerous ways whenever I need to and wherever I am. The app has also helped me track issues I’m looking for, keep up with new releases and variants as well as customize issues, series and collections in numerous ways. This is particularly helpful when preparing for and attending the numerous conventions I go to each year and when tracking issues I have sent out for grading/slabbing/signature or waiting for online orders. I have been able to add my own information and the regular updates continually address customer requests and incorporate new ideas all of which has made my collecting experience more fun. I literally use this app every day and have found it reliable, easy to use and truly fun. Great job by the team at CLZ, keep up the good work!

Good features, bad design, bad cloud sync

UPDATE:
Developer worked quickly to track down whatever was causing syncing issues and that aspect has been solid ever since. Bumped up to 4-stars.

ORIGINAL:
In terms of what this app can do to help track and organize your comic collection it’s great. But it also has significant issues, each of which cost it a star: Interface: this is one of the ugliest and least intuitive interfaces I’ve ever seen. It has those “Windows app circa 2005” vibes. You really need to take time to understand how it wants you you to think. It can be overly confusing to know if you’re looking at comics you actually own vs. comics that simply exist. And while this is subjective I find the interface gaudy and ugly. Cloud sync: weekly this will break, and weekly your only resort is to jump to the CLZ forums, complain, and then somebody eventually manually flips a switch to fix it. This is beyond ridiculous, especially when things like iCloud sync exist and work without these headaches. Whatever sync solution is in play it is NOT working and needs a major rewrite or just pivot to a more stable, off-the-shelf solution. In summary: The features are good but the day-to-day use is frustrating and clunky.

Developer Response ,

Hi James, about the sync problems: I fully admit that this is not good. This is a recent problem (past few weeks) and seems to happen for some users only. On the forum post, I have asked you for more information twice, so that we could investigate, but you are not answering to that. Can you please respond to me (Alwin) on the forum?

About the user interface, I would love to hear more about that, maybe you can help us improve things. Would you be willing to discuss this on the forum?