What MarketScout does, how to get the most out of it, and what's different between Free and Paid.
Quick start
Sign up, or try it without an account first. The login page has a "Continue as a guest" link if you just want to see real results before creating anything.
Search a location on Discover. Type a place ("Cincinnati, OH"), or add a keyword in front of it ("halloween market cleveland oh", or an exact event name like "summerfair cincinnati oh") to narrow the results.
Save the events you care about. Tap Save on any result to add it to My Events, where you can track status and add notes.
Turn on a reminder. From a saved event, set a reminder anchored to the application deadline (or the event date, if there's no deadline) - it'll show up in the Reminders section at the top of My Events once it's due.
After you go, rate it. Mark the event attended on My Events and submit a quick Scouting Report - see Ratings below for exactly how. It takes under a minute and helps every other vendor deciding whether that market is worth their time.
Found something we missed, or something wrong? Report it from Settings (missing event) or directly from an event's detail view (incorrect event) - both feed into real review, not a black hole.
What MarketScout does
MarketScout helps makers and small-business vendors find craft fairs, markets, and festivals worth applying to, and keep track of the ones they care about. Search results come from two places at once: a growing dataset of events already found (by automated collection, manual review, and prior searches) and, when needed, a live AI-powered search that looks for new events an area doesn't have on file yet.
Dataset search vs. AI-assisted search
Every search starts with the existing dataset first, so you get results instantly. When a live AI-powered search also runs, and the new results it finds get added to the dataset permanently (so the next person searching that same area benefits too), depends on your tier. On Free, AI only kicks in when an area genuinely has little or nothing on file yet - if the dataset already has a reasonable amount of coverage, your search stays dataset-only. On Paid, a live AI search runs on essentially every new search regardless of how well-covered the area already is, until that day's AI-assisted allotment is used up - after that, searches fall back to dataset-only for the rest of the day. Results found via AI carry a small "AI found" badge. The two tiers count their daily limit differently, and it is the main practical difference between them. On Free, the daily number is a cap on every search - once it is used up, no further searches run at all until it resets. On Paid, the daily number is the AI-assisted budget only: once it is spent, searching carries on unlimited for the rest of the day, just dataset-only.
On Paid, one of your daily AI-assisted searches also automatically searches deeper than the rest - normally the search that would use up that day's allotment, so you get an extra-thorough look right before switching to dataset-only for the remainder of the day. If you'd rather choose which search gets that boost, check Super Search in Advanced search settings on any search that day (Discover) to spend the same boost there instead, going even deeper than the automatic one. Only one search a day gets the boost either way - picking Super Search early just means the automatic one won't also trigger later.
Free vs. Paid
Both tiers can search, save events, get reminders, and use the full ratings system (Scouting Reports, rater ranks, and public profiles). Paid raises every limit (radius, date range, saved events, results per search) and adds a few tools free doesn't have. The difference vendors notice first is the daily limit: Free's 5 covers every search and stops there, while Paid's 5 covers AI-assisted searches only and dataset searching carries on unlimited afterwards. Paid also adds AI-assisted geocoding that catches typo'd or ambiguous locations, preferred and excluded event-type filtering, a juried-only filter, a custom event date-range filter, saved searches, and calendar view with .ics calendar export. Every account also gets one free 7-day trial of Paid, no payment details required. Exact numbers and current pricing (including the launch discount) are on the Pricing page.
Getting the best results from a search
Discover's search box reads location and keyword together, in either order, and it's worth knowing what it actually recognizes so a search doesn't come back thinner than it should.
Start with just a place if you want everything. A bare city, state, or zip ("Cincinnati, OH", "45202") returns every event type in range - the widest possible result set for that location.
Add a category phrase to narrow by event type, in either word order - "farmers markets Cincinnati OH" and "Cincinnati OH farmers markets" both work. MarketScout recognizes nine category phrases: farmers markets, flea markets, festivals, artisan markets, fine arts & crafts (or "arts and crafts"), craft fairs, pop-up events, holiday markets, and food markets. When one matches, Discover shows "Detected category: ..." right under the search box so you can confirm it read the phrase correctly before you even hit Search.
Search a specific event by name if you already know it - typing an exact or close title ("summerfair cincinnati oh") matches against the dataset's own event titles and descriptions, not just location, which is the fastest way to find one specific market's current listing rather than scrolling a whole area's results.
A genre that isn't one of the nine categories still works - "halloween market cleveland oh" or "car show dayton" aren't recognized category phrases, but MarketScout still separates the keyword from the location using the state/zip in your query as an anchor, then matches the keyword against event titles and descriptions. This works best when your search includes a real state or zip somewhere in it - a bare genre with no location anchor at all ("pottery shows" with nothing else) can't be reliably split and is treated as a location search instead.
Beyond the search box itself, a few more controls shape what comes back:
Search defaults, in Settings - your default location, default search radius, saved search keywords, and default sort order all live on the Settings page's Search defaults card and shape every search before you even type one - the controls below only override them for the current visit.
Search radius slider - directly under the search box. Dragging it only changes this one visit; your real saved default lives in Settings. If a search feels thin, widening this first is usually the quickest fix.
Recurring only - a checkbox in the always-visible control bar once results load, free for every tier. Turns on to show only events flagged as happening on a regular schedule (annual fairs, monthly markets) - useful for "what could I return to yearly" planning rather than mixing in one-off events.
Sort - also in that control bar. Options are Distance from search location, Soonest (event date or deadline), Event date, Application deadline, and Event type. "Soonest" is usually the most useful default when you're actively deciding what to apply to next, since it surfaces whichever date - the event itself or its application deadline - is closer.
List vs. Calendar view - toggle next to Sort once results exist, for browsing the same results as a calendar grid instead of a list.
Advanced search settings (Paid) - a collapsed panel below the radius slider. Inside: a custom event date-range filter (two date fields, narrows to a specific window on top of your plan's normal forward-looking range - handy for planning a specific season, e.g. searching in September for only December-March events), a Juried only checkbox (shows only events flagged as juried in the data - most reliable for "Fine Arts & Crafts" and similar juried-show categories), and Super Search (see above). All three reset to off the next time you load Discover - they're a one-visit adjustment, not a saved preference.
Save this search (Paid) - appears in the control bar once a search has real results. Unlike free tier's automatic recent- search log (no action needed, just the last few), this deliberately keeps a search you choose to hold onto, for up to 3 months, viewable and reopenable later from Settings.
If a search comes back empty or thin: try it with no keyword at all first, to confirm the location itself has real coverage; widen the radius before assuming there's nothing nearby; and double-check Advanced search settings isn't narrowing things you didn't mean to narrow (an active custom date range or Juried-only filter is an easy thing to forget you left on from an earlier search).
My Events
Every event you save lands on My Events. Each card tracks a status you set yourself - saved, applied, accepted, declined, or attended - so you can tell at a glance where things stand across everything you're tracking, and a free-text notes field for anything you want to remember (a contact name, a booth-fee detail, your own reminder to follow up). Cards are collapsed by default and expand with a tap - useful once you've got more than a handful saved. You can browse the same list two ways: the default list view, or a small embedded map on each card showing exactly where the event is. Paid accounts also get a calendar view toggle for the whole page, plus a per-event "Add to Calendar" (.ics) export button that drops a saved event straight into your phone or desktop calendar app. If your account is ever downgraded from Paid back to Free, saved events that fall outside Free's shorter date range aren't deleted - they're just hidden from the main list until you're back on Paid or the event's date comes back into range on its own.
Forgot to save something before it happened? My Events also has a "Rate a market you already attended" search box near the top - it looks up events by name even after they've fallen out of Discover's forward-looking results, and lets you either rate it as a visitor on the spot or save-and-mark-attended it in one click so its normal Scouting Report flow becomes available. See Ratings below for both paths.
Reminders
Setting a reminder on a saved event (a simple "days before" number, from that event's card on My Events) is what puts it in the Reminders section at the top of My Events once it's due - reminders no longer have their own separate nav tab; they're part of My Events now, opening automatically when something's due and staying collapsed (with a one-line summary) otherwise. A reminder anchors to the event's application deadline when one exists - that's usually the date that actually matters for a vendor decision - and falls back to the event date itself for listings with no separate deadline (a lot of recurring markets and open-application events work this way). The Reminders section shows you which date it's counting down to either way, so it's never ambiguous which one triggered it, plus a direct link to the event's website. An event that's already happened won't keep showing up here even if a reminder was left set on it.
Ratings: Scouting Reports & rater ranks
MarketScout has two separate rating classes, always shown and counted apart from each other, never blended into one number: a Scouting Report, submitted by a vendor who actually worked the event, answering "should I apply here?"; and an attendee (visitor) rating, submitted by anyone who went as a patron, answering "was this worth going to?" Both are anonymous by default, shown only as your rater rank (e.g. "a Master who attended"), and both count toward their own separate progression ladder with real, permanent app perks.
Submitting a vendor Scouting Report
Save the event (or find it via My Events' past-event lookup if you forgot to).
Once the event's date has passed, its My Events card shows "Mark as attended to leave a Scouting Report." Tap it (this is also the real eligibility gate for submitting - you can't leave a report before this).
Tap "How did this market go? Submit a Scouting Report" to open the form.
Fill it out: a star rating (1-5, required) is the only mandatory field. Everything else is optional but genuinely helps other vendors - would you vend here again (yes/no), foot traffic (light/moderate/heavy), was the booth fee worth it (yes/no/unsure), and a free-text note (up to 1000 characters, or 2000 if you use Master's pinned-review perk - see below).
Submit. It counts immediately toward your rater rank.
Rating the same recurring market again next year? Submitting a new report for a market you've already rated asks you to confirm you actually attended this year's occurrence before it updates your rating - your prior rating stays on record either way. You can't rate an occurrence that hasn't happened yet. Master rank replaces that whole re-confirmation step with a one-click "Still accurate - refresh" button instead, if nothing's changed since your last visit.
Submitting a visitor (attendee) rating
Open any event's detail view (tap a result on Discover, or use My Events' past- event lookup for something no longer in Discover's forward-looking results) and find "Rate as a visitor." No saving or marking attended required - this path works on any event, current or past.
Give a star rating (required) and an optional note (up to 300 characters).
Check "I've attended this event" - required every time, since there's no save-and-wait history to lean on the way the vendor path has.
Submit. Like the vendor path, rating a recurring event again next year asks you to confirm this year's occurrence specifically.
How rater rank works (vendor ladder)
Every Scouting Report you submit counts toward a rank, shown next to your reports instead of your name. Ranks are permanent once reached and each unlocks a real, permanent perk:
Hobbyist (1 report) - unlocks eligibility toward the Modern look in Settings (see below - reaching Hobbyist OR rating 10 events as a visitor gets you there, whichever comes first).
Apprentice (3 reports) - a recognized milestone, no new perk yet.
Journeyman (10 reports) - unlocks marking other vendors' reports "Helpful" and following a market for new-activity alerts.
Artisan (25 reports) - unlocks attaching up to 3 photos to a report (an inline "add photos" prompt appears right after you submit).
Master (50 reports) - unlocks submitting an expanded, pinned review (up to 2000 characters, stays at the top of a market's reports), the one-click "still accurate" refresh shortcut for recurring re-rates, and 14 bonus days of paid access added to your account right away.
There's a further hidden rank above Master for the small number of vendors who reach it, which additionally speeds up how your own event corrections are handled and adds more bonus paid days on top of Master's - it isn't named here or anywhere else until you've actually reached it, so it stays a genuine discovery rather than a publicized goal.
The Eventgoer ladder (visitor ratings)
Casual attendees get their own separate progression track, so a "Master" badge keeps meaning exactly one thing (50 real vendor market experiences) and is never diluted by visitor volume. It takes more visitor ratings to reach the same perks a vendor reaches sooner, but a seasoned eventgoer earns the exact same real perks:
Visitor (1 rating) - counts toward Modern-look eligibility alongside the vendor path; no badge shown yet.
Regular (10 ratings) - a recognized milestone; your reports start showing a real tier label publicly.
Enthusiast (50 ratings) - the same Journeyman perks: helpful votes and following a market.
Superfan (125 ratings) - the same Artisan perk: photo attachments.
Master/Grandmaster-level perks (pinned reviews, the refresh shortcut, and the paid bonus-days reward) stay vendor-only at every threshold on this ladder - those are specifically about vendor-side trust and credibility. A brand-new account also needs a little history (a few days old, or any prior real activity in the app) before visitor ratings start banking credit toward this ladder - it never blocks submitting the rating itself, only delays a fresh account's progress counting.
Using the perks once you've earned them
Helpful votes - a thumbs-up button under any Scouting Report, once you're Journeyman/Enthusiast or higher.
Follow a market - a "Follow this market" button on an event's detail view; toggles to "Following this market" and flags new activity for it on your Settings "Followed markets" card.
Photo attachments - offered automatically right after you submit a report, once eligible; up to 3 photos per report.
Pinned/expanded review (Master only) - a checkbox inside the Scouting Report form itself, unlocking the 2000-character note field and pinning that review to the top of the market's report list.
Your own rank, progress toward the next one on both ladders, and exactly what each perk does are always visible in full on your Rater Dashboard (also linked from Settings) - nothing about how this works is hidden from you there.
Setting up a public profile
By default, your reports stay fully anonymous - identified only by your rank, never your name. From the Rater Dashboard you can optionally set up a public profile:
Upload an avatar (optional).
Choose a username (3-20 letters, numbers, underscores, or hyphens).
Add a short bio (up to 300 characters) and a website link (optional).
Check "Make my profile public" when you're ready, then Save.
Once public, your reviews link to marketscout.com/u/yourname instead of just showing your rank, and anyone can view your bio and full review history there. This is entirely opt-in and off by default, and there is no following, messaging, or commenting between users on profile pages - it's a credibility page, not a social feature.
Settings, section by section
Settings is organized top to bottom into the following cards. Everything below is visible to every account; a few cards only appear once you're Paid, noted where that applies.
Subscription - your current tier, trial status if you have one, billing details if you're a paying subscriber, and any bonus paid days you've earned from your rater rank.
Look - choose between Classic (MarketScout's original look) and Modern (softer, more rounded corners and card shadow - same features either way). Modern is earned, not free by default: reach Hobbyist rank (1 vendor Scouting Report) or rate 10 events as a visitor, whichever comes first. Until then the Modern button shows locked with your live progress.
Appearance - the dark/light theme toggle. This is unconditionally free for everyone regardless of tier or rank - nothing to earn here, purely a comfort/accessibility choice.
Search defaults - your default location, default search radius, saved search keywords, and default Discover sort order. This is what pre-fills Discover every time you visit, so you're not retyping the same city and radius each session.
Preferred event types (Paid) - checked types get sorted to the top of every Discover result automatically, without hiding anything else. Leave everything unchecked for no priority sorting.
Excluded event types (Paid) - checked types are removed from Discover results completely, not just sorted lower. Genuinely different from Preferred above - use this for categories you never want to see at all.
Saved Searches (Paid) and Search History - Free tier gets an automatic, no-action-needed log of recent searches. Paid tier gets both: the automatic history (with a per-entry "Save" button to promote a past search into a real saved one without re-running it) plus deliberate Saved Searches - up to 100 at a time, each expiring 3 months after you save it unless you delete it sooner. Reopening a saved search takes you straight back to Discover with that exact search re-run.
Your rater rank - a collapsed card summarizing your current rank, reports to your next one, and a list of every event you've submitted a vendor Scouting Report for (title, date, your rating). Expand it, or follow its link to the full Rater Dashboard for perk details and your public profile settings.
Followed markets - only appears once you've actually followed at least one market (a Journeyman/Enthusiast+ perk). Lists what you're following, with a dot marking anything with new activity since you last checked.
Feedback - for bugs and suggestions about the app itself. Deliberately separate from the missing/incorrect event reports above, which are about the event dataset, not the app.
Reporting missing or incorrect events
Event information comes from automated sources and can be incomplete or wrong - MarketScout is a discovery tool, not a source of truth, so always confirm real details (deadlines, fees, requirements) directly with the organizer before applying or paying anything. If you spot an event we're missing, report it from Settings. If you spot one that's wrong, report it from that event's detail view or from its card on My Events - pick the specific issue so it's easy to fix: wrong location/city, wrong or missing date, dead or wrong website link, wrong booth cost/pricing, wrong event type/category, duplicate listing, event cancelled or doesn't exist, or missing/wrong venue address or contact info. Every real listing also has its own public, no-login page you can share directly (a "Share this event" button on its detail view) - useful for sending a specific market to someone who doesn't use MarketScout yet.