Frequently asked questions
The short answers to what people ask most.
Is BrickBudget free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's completely free, and there's no sign-up. There are no accounts at all — you can start building a budget straight away.
Where is my budget stored?
Entirely in your own browser. Your budget list is saved locally on your device and is never sent to or stored on our servers, so nothing about it leaves your browser.
Does BrickBudget convert currencies?
No. Prices are shown per store in their own currency. Selecting a currency filters which stores you see — it never converts — so every total is a real price you would actually pay.
How do prices and availability stay up to date?
Catalogue details like set names and parts lists rarely change and are cached. Prices and availability are refreshed on a best-efforts basis — we aim to keep them as current as possible but cannot guarantee real-time accuracy.
Which file formats can I import?
You can import parts lists exported from Rebrickable, BrickLink, BrickStore, and LEGO Pick-a-Brick. Drop the file on the home page and BrickBudget loads every part with live prices — nothing leaves your browser.
See supported formatsIs BrickBudget affiliated with the LEGO Group?
No. BrickBudget is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the LEGO Group.
How does BrickBudget make money?
Through affiliate links: if you buy through a store link, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This never changes the prices you see or which store we show as cheapest.
Read our affiliate disclosureHow do I choose my currency and stores to get the best budget?
Start by picking your currency — that filters the list down to the stores selling in it (BrickBudget never converts, so every total is a real price you would pay). Then choose one main store for prices, and add up to five extra stores you can also buy from. BrickBudget compares all of them so it can find the cheapest place for each item in your budget.
See how it worksWhat are Smart Suggestions, and why are they the heart of BrickBudget?
Smart Suggestions is the feature BrickBudget was built around. It looks at the parts in your budget and finds official LEGO sets that cost less than buying those same parts one by one — so you get the pieces you need for less. It is the quickest way to spot when a whole set is the cheaper route to the parts on your list.
See how Smart Suggestions worksHow do I use Smart Suggestions?
Build your parts list first, then click the Smart Suggestions button on the budget screen. BrickBudget analyses your list and shows any sets that might be cheaper than the individual parts they contain. Pick one and it is added to your budget, replacing the parts it covers, so your total drops without losing any of the pieces you wanted.
What happens to my parts when I add a suggested set — can I undo it?
Nothing is lost. When you add a suggested set, the parts it covers are tucked inside the set rather than deleted (if a set only covers some of a part, the rest stays on your list). Remove the set later and those exact parts come straight back to your budget, so you are free to try suggestions and change your mind.
How do I get the most out of Smart Suggestions?
Run it more than once. After you add a set, open Smart Suggestions again — it re-checks whatever parts are still on your list and may find another set that saves you even more. Keep repeating until it tells you no cheaper sets are left, and your budget is as low as BrickBudget can get it.
Can each part in my budget come from a different store?
Yes. You can pick the cheapest store for every part on its own — or in bulk across your whole list — as long as they share the currency you chose. The budget summary then groups your buy-list by store, so you can see exactly what to order where, with a running total for each store.
How do I actually buy everything once my budget is ready?
The budget summary turns your list into an order for each store. For BrickLink stores it builds a wanted-list file you can copy or download and upload straight to BrickLink. For LEGO.com Pick-a-Brick, install the free Brick Budget Cart Helper Chrome extension and it fills your cart with the right parts and quantities automatically.
About the Cart HelperWhat is the BrickBudget Cart Helper Chrome extension for?
The Cart Helper is a free Chrome extension that automates the LEGO.com Pick-a-Brick part of your budget. It opens each part on Pick-a-Brick, verifies the exact LEGO element ID, and prefills the quantity — there is an Auto add all button so you can add everything in one go. Checkout stays with you.
About the Cart HelperHow does the Chrome extension keep my data private?
The extension runs entirely in your browser. Your budget is stored locally on your device and never touches our servers — it only communicates with the BrickBudget page you sent the list from and with LEGO.com. There is no account and no personal tracking.
Read our privacy policyHow do I see which colour of a part is cheapest?
On the budget screen, tap or click a part's image to open a view showing every colour that part comes in, with its price listed for each. The cheapest colour options are marked with a green badge so you can easily switch to a cheaper colour.
Why does a set show as On Sale when the price I see is not reduced?
A set appears in On Sale when it is discounted in at least one of your selected stores. The price shown on its card is your main store’s price, so if the deal is in one of your other selected stores you will still see the set in On Sale but without a crossed-out price on that card. Open the set to see which store has the discount, or narrow your selected stores.
See how stores workA set’s promotion ended but it still shows as On Sale. Why?
On-sale status refreshes when we next re-check that store’s prices, then clears automatically. If the set has retired or is no longer sold in that store it can take a little longer to drop off, until our periodic clean-up runs.